Winds of War - 1860 (part 2)

South Carolina Out of the Union!

Chenango American, December 27, 1860

The long anticipated secession of South Carolina has been completed.  On Thursday last, in a Convention called by the Legislature, she formally passed an ordinance proclaiming herself an independent Sovereignty, and owing no allegiance to the United States.

The experiment of self-government must now stand the test, and the question whether this Union can be preserved must now be solved.  South Carolina has declared herself out of the union--the question now is how can she get out.  She has sent Commissioners to treat with the powers at Washington. They will probably not be recognized. The Custom Houses must be kept up,--the Post Routes sustained, and the operations of the federal government in all particulars kept up, just as much in South Carolina as in any other State, and the fact that she had declared secession does not by any means prove disunion.  It is hard to see how Carolina can maintain her sovereignty and independence unless she fights for it.  It needs no prophet to foretell the result of a civil war. these rebellious Southern States would be humbled in the dust. What they hope for is that they will be allowed to peaceably form a Southern Confederacy of the cotton States.  The signs of the times are that they will not be allowed to do this, but the end is not yet. A few days may determine the result of this attempt to overthrow this glorious Republic.--What the course of the Administration will be is as yet problematical. We have but little hopes from that quarter. The indications are that Buchanan will endeavor to shift the responsibility and leave this troublesome question to be adjusted by his successor. Events may however prevent this.

New York Correspondence

Chenango American, December 27, 1860

New York, Dec. 24, 1860

Editors American:  These are startling times, and the contemplation of passing events is well calculated to fill the minds of the people with dread of the future.  The secession on the part of the State of South Carolina from fellowship with the other States of the Union, while it takes no one by surprise, is to be deeply regretted, and the act itself will tend to bring matters rapidly to a crisis. The daily papers continue to be filled with rumors of the most exciting kind--one of which, a dispatch to the Associated Press from Washington to the effect that the President had given orders for the surrender of the forts in Charleston harbor to the authorities of South Carolina, produced a most profound sensation and at once induced the belief that Mr. Buchanan was in league with the traitors.  Happily the excitement was soon allayed on the receipt of another dispatch contradicting the first. The Committee of the House of Representatives appointed to take into consideration the present unsettled state of the union, and to suggest some plan for the settlement of sectional grievances, has as yet made but little progress, and but faint hopes are felt that their report will be unanimous, or that it will be satisfactory to the nation, but on the Senate Committee, appointed for the same prupose, the hopes of the Union-loving people mainly rest, and their action will be awaited with great interest.  It is generally conceded that Florida will follow South Carolina within the next sixty days, or sooner, unless some speedy remedy is found to meet the case.

Some interesting information in relation to this succession movement was published in the World of Friday last, contained in a letter from Col. Leland, the great stock raiser of Western Texas. According to the evidence of this gentleman, it appears that the secession agitation was started long before the election; and on the election of Lincoln, the seceders made it a pretext for showing their hands, also that the election of Mr. Lincoln was earnestly desired by these agitators as it would greatly aid them in their treasonable designs. The letter creates a great sensation.

The idea is prevalent at the South that the north will be ruined on account of the loss of Southern trade, etc. This is true in a great measure; but the great loss does not arise from loss of trade--it arises from the non-payment of debts for goods already purchased and consumed. The South has been largely in debt to the North for the past eighteen months, and now, notwithstanding the high sense of honor attributed to them, they have to a great degree, utterly repudiated their debts due to northern friends. The State of Alabama, by an act of Assembly, enacted a law, putting a bar to the collection of debts due northern men. The governor of the State declining to be a party to such an iniquitous proceeding, refused his signature to the bill, but the Assembly, to put on record their high sense of honor more emphatically, passed the bill voer the Governor's veto. And in this connection, and for the purpose of closing in this letter my remarks on the South, I would state that where the secession trumpet is sounded the loudest, there pick out he noisiest of these loud-mouthed patriots, and you will find them heavy debtors to the North and repudiators of mercantile honor--there are exceptions, it is true, but in the main my picture is not overdrawn.  Notwithstanidng all this the North still lives.