abraham lincoln and the union-第13章

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y　the　conditions　of　those　days　are　the　determining　factorsnot　the　slavery　question　in　itself；　not；　primarily；　economic　forces；　not　a　theory　of　government；　nor　a　clash　of　theories；　not　any　one　thing；　but　the　fluid；　changeful　forces　of　human　nature；　battling　with　circumstances　and　expressing　themselves　in　the　fashion　of　men's　minds。　　To　say　this　is　to　acknowledge　the　fatefulness　of　sheer　feeling。　　Davis　described　the　situation　exactly　when　he　said；　in　1860；　〃A　sectional　hostility　has　been　substituted　for　a　general　fraternity。〃　　To　his　own　question；　〃Where　is　the　remedy？〃　he　gave　the　answer；　〃In　the　hearts　of　the　people。〃　　There；　after　all；　is　the　conclusion　of　the　whole　matter。　　The　strife　between　North　and　South　had　ceased　to　be　a　thing　of　the　head；　it　had　become　a　thing　of　the　heart。　　Granted　the　emotions　of　1860；　the　way　in　which　our　country　staggered　into　war　has　all　the　terrible　fascination　of　a　tragedy　on　the　theme　of　fate。

That　a　secession　movement　would　begin　somewhere　in　the　South　before　the　end　of　1860　was　a　foregone　conclusion。　　South　Carolina　was　the　logical　place；　and　in　South　Carolina　the　inevitable　occurred。　　The　presidential　election　was　quickly　followed　by　an　election　of　delegates；　on　the　6th　of　December；　to　consider　in　convention　the　relations　of　the　State　with　the　Union。　　The　arguments　before　the　Convention　were　familiar　and　had　been　advocated　since　1851。　　The　leaders　of　the　disunionists　were　the　same　who　had　led　the　unsuccessful　movement　of　ten　years　before。　The　central　figure　was　Rhett；　who　never　for　a　moment　had　wavered。　Consumed　his　life　long　by　the　one　idea　of　the　independence　of　South　Carolina；　that　stern　enthusiast　pressed　on　to　a　triumphant　conclusion。　　The　powers　which　had　defeated　him　in　1851　were　now　either　silent　or　converted；　so　that　there　was　practically　no　opposition。　　In　a　burst　of　passionate　zeal　the　independence　of　South　Carolina　was　proclaimed　on　December　20；　1860；　by　an　ordinance　of　secession。

Simultaneously；　by　one　of　those　dramatic　coincidences　which　make　history　stranger　than　fiction；　Lincoln　took　a　step　which　supplemented　this　action　and　established　its　tragic　significance。　What　that　step　was　will　appear　in　a　moment。

Even　before　the　secession　began；　various　types　of　men　in　politics　had　begun　to　do　each　after　his　kind。　　Those　whom　destiny　drove　first　into　a　corner　were　the　lovers　of　political　evasion。　　The　issue　was　forced　upon　them　by　the　instantaneous　demand　of　the　people　of　South　Carolina　for　possession　of　forts　in　Charleston　Harbor　which　were　controlled　by　the　Federal　Government。　Anticipating　such　a　demand；　Major　Robert　Anderson；　the　commandant　at　Charleston；　had　written　to　Buchanan　on　the　23d　of　November　that　〃Fort　Sumter　and　Castle　Pinckney　must　be　garrisoned　immediately；　if　the　Government　determines　to　keep　command　of　this　harbor。〃

In　the　mind　of　every　American　of　the　party　of　political　evasion；　there　now　began　a　sad；　internal　conflict。　　Every　one　of　them　had　to　choose　among　three　courses：　to　shut　his　eyes　and　to　continue　to　wail　that　the　function　of　government　is　to　do　nothing；　to　make　an　end　of　political　evasion　and　to　come　out　frankly　in　approval　of　the　Southern　position；　or　to　break　with　his　own　record；　to　emerge　from　his　evasions　on　the　opposite　side；　and　to　confess　himself　first　and　before　all　a　supporter　of　the　Union。　　One　or　another　of　these　three　courses；　sooner　or　later；　every　man　of　the　President's　following　chose。　　We　shall　see　presently　the　relative　strength　of　the　three　groups　into　which　that　following　broke　and　what　strange　courses　sometimes　tragic；　sometimes　comictwo　of　the　three　pursued。　　For　the　moment　our　concern　is　how　the　division　manifested　itself　among　the　heads　of　the　party　at　Washington。

The　President　took　the　first　of　the　three　courses。　　He　held　it　with　the　nervous　clutch　of　a　weak　nature　until　overmastered　by　two　grim　men　who　gradually　hypnotized　his　will。　　The　turning…point　for　Buchanan；　and　the　last　poor　crisis　in　his　inglorious　career；　came　on　Sunday；　December　30th。　　Before　that　day　arrived；　his　vacillation　had　moved　his　friends　to　pity　and　his　enemies　to　scorn。　One　of　his　best　friends　wrote　privately；　〃The　President　is　pale　with　fear〃；　and　the　hostile　point　of　view　found　expression　in　such　comments　as　this；　〃Buchanan；　it　is　said；　divides　his　time　between　praying　and　crying。　　Such　a　perfect　imbecile　never　held　office　before。〃

With　the　question　what　to　do　about　the　forts　hanging　over　his　bewildered　soul；　Buchanan　sent　a　message　to　Congress　on　December　4；　1860；　in　which　he　sought　to　defend　the　traditional　evasive　policy　of　his　party。　　He　denied　the　constitutional　right　of　secession；　but　he　was　also　denied　his　own　right　to　oppose　such　a　course。　　Seward　was　not　unfair　to　the　mental　caliber　of　the　message　when　he　wrote　to　his　wife　that　Buchanan　showed　〃conclusively　that　it　is　the　duty　of　the　President　to　execute　the　lawsunless　somebody　opposes　him；　and　that　no　State　has　a　right　to　go　out　of　the　Union　unless　it　wants　to。〃

This　message　of　Buchanan's　hastened　the　inevitable　separation　of　the　Democratic　party　into　its　elements。　　The　ablest　Southern　member　of　the　Cabinet；　Cobb；　resigned。　　He　was　too　strong　an　intellect　to　continue　the　policy　of　〃nothing　doing〃　now　that　the　crisis　had　come。　　He　was　too　devoted　a　Southerner　to　come　out　of　political　evasion　except　on　one　side。　　On　the　day　Cobb　resigned　the　South　Carolina　Representatives　called　on　Buchanan　and　asked　him　not　to　make　any　change　in　the　disposition　of　troops　at　Charleston；　and　particularly　not　to　strengthen　Sumter；　a　fortress　on　an　island　in　the　midst　of　the　harbor；　without　at　least　giving　notice　to　the　state　authorities。　　What　was　said　in　this　interview　was　not　put　in　writing　but　was　remembered　afterward　in　different　ways　with　unfortunate　consequences。

Every　action　of　Buchanan　in　this　fateful　month　continued　the　disintegration　of　his　following。　　Just　as　Cobb　had　to　choose　between　his　reasonings　as　a　Democratic　party　man　and　his　feelings　as　a　Southerner；　so　the　aged　Cass；　his　Secretary　of　State；　and　an　old　personal　friend；　now　felt　constrained　to　choose　between　his　Democratic　reasoning　and　his　Northern　sympathies；　and　resigned　from　the　Cabinet　on　the　11th　of　December。　　Buchanan　then　turned　instinctively　to　the　strongest　natures　that　remained　among　his　close　associates。　　It　is　a　compliment　to　the　innate　force　of　Jeremiah　S。　Black；　the　Attorney…General；　that　Buchanan　advanced　him　to　the　post　of　Secretary　of　State　and　allowed　him　to　name　as　his　successor　in　the　Attorney…Generalship　Edwin　M。　Stanton。　　Both　were　tried　Democrats　of　the　old　style；　〃let…'em…alone〃　sort；　and　both　had　supported　the　President　in　his　Kansas　policy。　　But　each；　like　every　other　member　of　his　party；　was　being　forced　by　circumstances　to　make　his　choice　among　the　three　inevitable　courses；　and　each　chose　the　Northern　side。　　At　once　the　question　of　the　moment　was　whether　the　new　Secretary　of　State　and　his　powerful　henchmen　would　hypnotize　the　President。

For　a　couple　of　weeks　the　issue　hung　in　the　balance。　　Then　there　appeared　at　Washington　commissioners　from　South　Carolina　〃empowered　to　treat。。。for　the　delivery　of　forts。。。and　other　real　estate〃　held　by　the　Federal　Government　within　their　State。　　On　the　day　following　their　arrival；　Buchanan　was　informed　by　telegraph　that　Anderson　had　dismantled　Fort　Moultrie　on　the　north　side　of　the　harbor；　had　spiked　its　guns；　and　had　removed　its　garrison　to　the　island　fortress；　Sumter；　which　was　supposed　to　be　far　more　defensible。　　At　Charleston　his　action　was　interpreted　as　preparation　for　war；　and　all　South　Carolinians　saw　in　it　a　violation　of　a　pledge　which　they　believed　the　President　had　given　their　congressmen；　three　weeks　previous；　in　that　talk　which　had　not　been　written　down。　Greatly　excited　and　fearful　of　designs　against　them；　the　South　Carolina　commissioners　held　two　conferences　with　the　President　on　the　27th　and　28th　of　December。　　They　believed　that　he　had　broken　his　word；　and　they　told　him　so。　　Deeply　agitated　and　refusing　to　admit　that　he　had　committed　himself　at　the　earlier　conference；　he　said　that　Anderson　had　acted　on　his　own　responsibility；　but　he　refused　to　order　him　back　to　the　now　ruined　Fort　Moultrie。　　One　remark　which　he　let　fall　has　been　remembered　as　evidence　of