The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-05

Yet erased from the public mind
which is deeply agitated at the bare
and wrong and 1 would most earnestly
appeal to Your Excellency to
strengthen my hands in my efforts to
preserve h public order here, by
placing it in my power to give public
assurance that no measures of force
are contemplated towards
Your Excellency will pardon me for
asking Thether the United States forts
will be garrisoned with United States
troops during your administration.
This question 1 ask in perfect respect
and with an earnest desire to prevent
consequences which I know would be
regretted by Your Excellency as
much as by myself. Should l receive
assurance that no troops Will be sent
10 his State prior to the 4th of March
next then all will be peace and quiet
mere. and the property of the United
States will be fully protected as mere
tofore. If, however, / am unable to
get Such assurance | Will not under
take to answer for the
Ihe forts in this State have been SO
long unoccupied that their being gar
llSoned at this time will unQueSiiOn-
ably be locke upon as q hostile de-
monstration and Will, in my opinion.
certainly be resisted. Believing Your
Exceilency to be sincerely DESTROYS of
preserving peace and preventing the
III Slo Vi tie DlOOu OIL your country
men, L nave deemed it my duty to
yourself as we'll as to the people to
make the foregoing inquiry and IL
acquaint you with the state of the
public mind here.
Very respectfully, Yr. OH. Ser,
JNO. w. ELLIS.
Mr.. answers as follows:
War Department, Jan. 18th.
Sir:
Your letter of the 18th inst. ad-
dressed to the President of the United
States has been by him referred to this
department and re instructs me to
express his qualification at the
promptltude with which you have or
dered the expulsion of the lawlass
men who recently occupied Forts
and Caswell. He regards this
action on the part of Your Excellency
as in complete harmony with the
honor and patriotic character of the
people Of North Carolina whom you
SO Worthlly represent. In reply to your
inquiry whether it is the purpose of
the President to garrison the forts of
North Carolina during his administra-
tlon. | am directed to say that thew in
common with all other forts, a~rsena1s
ana pubic property of the United
States are in the charge Of the Presi-
Gent and that if assailed no matter
from what quarter or under what ore
text 1t is his duty to protect them by
all the means which the law has
placed IN his power. 1t is not his pur-
pose to garrison the forts to which
YOU refer at present because he con
siders them as entirely safe as here
tOfore under the shelter Of that law
abiding sentiment for which the peo-
pie Of North Carolina have been dis
ti~nguished. Should they however be
attacked or menaced with danger Of
being seized and taken from the pos
session of the United States, he would
not escape from his constitutional
obligation to defend and preserve,
them. The very satisfactory patriotic
assurances given by Your Excellency
justify him however in entertaining
the confident expectation that no con-
tIngency Will arise. Tile might have
added until Mr. Lincoln comes into
office.
Your obedient servt.,
J. HOLT Sect. War. ad Interim.
The gist of the correspondence is
this, the Governor threatens the Presi-
dent with war if he does not give him
assurances that he will not use the
forts in his administration. The Presi-
! dent treacherouSly gives this assurance
instead of occupying the forts imme-
diately upon the receipt of the Cover.
nor's arrogant and un~warranted letter.
The intention to take the forts is clear
when Mr.. Buchannan'S term of Office
expires. To embarrass the incoming
administration winks at
it, for he takes no steps to prevent it.
Junius would call this correspondence
"The extreme of faction and the last
degree of Political W~ickedness."
If further proof that Mr.. Jefferson's
principles would endanger the concord
of the Union is wanted we have it in
his own words:
'"That to give the General Govern
ment the final and exclusive right to
judge of it's powers is to make its dis
Cretion, and not the constitution. the
measure of its powers, and that in all
cases of compact betWeen parties hav-
ing no common judge, each party has
a right to Judge for it's self, as we'll of
| the i%nfraction as of the mode and