Year: 1861

Disarming the Loyal States.


The events of the past few weeks are i'm
pressing the people of the north with the CON
viction that our imbecie President is permit
ting his Secretary of War to disarm the loyal
States, in order that they may be able to make
no effectual resistance to the consummation o!
the schemes for the erection OF a Southern
SIaveholding Confederacy. This conviction
resolved itself into practical form at Pitts
burgh. When it became known that the Sec
retary of War had ordered the commanding
officer Of the Allegheny Arsenal TO send 76
heavy guns TO Galveston Harbor and 46 more
to Ship Island, near Balize, the people of
Pittsburgh instinctively suspected treason, and
resolved that they should not be removed un-
til the Government, by strengthening Fort
Moultrie, had given an earnest of hoEest in
tentions- That they were justified in rheir
suspicious, the course of the Administration.
which scOrns to conceal, but rather parades
its sympathy with the Secessionists, gives am
pie proof. But We are prepared to demon
straie that what the people ouly suspect is an
established fact


By reference to the report of the Chief En-
gineer of the United States Army, in Vol. I.
of the Presidents Message and Documents.
l859-60, Ship Island, coast of Mississippi"
page 65I and FortifcatiOns for the defense
of the entrance of Galveston Harbor and Bay,
Texas" page 653, it viii be seen that work
on the foundation of the fort at Ship Island
had jnst commenced, and at Galveston Har-
Dor nothing at all had been DONE This was
year ago, aud these documents afford the la
test published data on the subject No mat
ter how rapidly the work at Ship Island may
have been prosecuted since that date, by the
officer in charge it is not possible that much
more could have been done, up to the present
time than lay the foundation. And from the
way in which the work in the Engineer De
partment is conducted in ordinary time of
peace, two at least, and more probably four
years must elapse before the work will be
ready to have a single gun put in position or
before suitable shelter will have been provided
for any material of war whatever. As for
Galveston, or any work or works in that vi
cinity, if a year ago work was only about to
be commenced,7 knowing the locality. and
the difficulties to be overcome, we venture to
say that with ordinary progress the work
would not be ready for single gun in FIVE
years; and, judging from this report, we may
assume that the sand has barely been removed
| for the foundation. All the other works on
the Gulf have their armamentS, except Fort
| Livingston, in Barataria Bay, which is not fn-
| ished, nor ready for its armament


! 1t is stated by the United States authori-
tics ut Pittsburgh that carriages for these
guns are being made at Watervliet in this
State This is not true No carriages of
that description are now being made at that
arsenal, nor have any orders been issued to
! the commanding officer there to issue carriages
of that sort, from those in store. 1t is evident
therefore, that the reported destination Of the
| guns at Pittsburgh is only blind-the Ica
object being to place them within easy reach
OF the Spccssonsts. For some time, the great
lamentation at the South has been al the lack
OF heavy artillery. This movement on the part
OF Sec'y Floyd was to supply that want, and
loo carriages, probably for those sssas guns.
have been ordered of house in this city, by
Southern State authorities, with directions to
ship them this week. If the Pittsburgh guns
SHOULD not be sent, we presume the ord,r for
carriages will be countermaEded, us the guns
cannot be manufactured at the South. Ia
king these facts in connection with the recent
Z


Allegheny and Springfield, to the Cotton


States, while, as will be seen from a letter


from an old militia man, published elsewhere


the great Stale of New York. for 25 years


past has not been able to obtain her quota of


arms from the Gen. Government we cannot


come to any other conclusion than that the Wal


Department, with the knowledge and conni


vance of the President is deliberately playing


into the hands of those at the South who are


now either in open rebellion against the Gov


ernment, oriostentationsly plotting its immed


ate overthrow.


1t is high time that the country was arous


ed to thorough understanding OF the position
of our rulers at Washington. During th(
past year 100000 muskets have BEEN taker
from the Springfield Almory alone by thu
Secretary of War. and distributed Throughout


the South, not to mention the drain from oIhel


points. Although the U. S. Arsenal a
Charleston, with $4,000 stand of arms, ha.
been nearly two months in possession of tht


Seccssiouists, within the past ten days so


more muskets have been sent there from Wa


tervliet to the traitors in armed rebellion
against the Government. Like quantities
s have been sent within the same period to Ala
D bama and Georgia. And so we find, unde
: the management of Mr.. Floyd, steady draiI
e of arms and material of war constantly goin!
e on from the North to the South for the use o
g the proposed Southern Confederacy.


D If this material was needed for legitimat
n purposes, there is no earthly reason for tn
: transfer, as we are in a state of profount
e peace with other nations and the sending o
: stores 10 forts in the condition of those a
i Galveston Harbor and Ship Island is altogeth
:, er contrary to the custom of the War Depart
?, ment The truth is, that without the aid an
+ comfort which, in the pursuance Of their trait
d orous schemes, the Administration have give
h to the Revolationists, the country would neve
G. lave been brought to the brink of civil war.
IS How Henry Clay Would Treat Seces
- siOns


In 1910, in reply to threat that Georgi


would secede, Mr.. Clay said:


"Now, Mr.. President, l stand here in m


place, meaning to be unawed by any threat
,e whether they come from individuals or fror


States. l shall deplore as much as any ma
,s living or dead, that arms should be raise