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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 1960)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1980 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, ORE. A. a Secession Move Gains Speed By MERTON T. AKERS UPI Correspondent From where President-elect Lincoln tat in the governor't room of the Illinois State Cap itol, the national picture was beginning to show signs of grimnesa thii late November of 1860. Portents were crowding in. They came by mail. They came with every visitor in the stream that wore down the bright Brussels rug in the room the governor had lent to Lincoln for an office. Every' body, it seemed, knew what was the matter with the coun try. And none rested until he had told Lincoln. The nation appeared to be crumbling at the age of 84- mere infancy as history reck ons time for a great country nd everybody knew what to do about it, everybody, that is, except the spare and some times mystic man who had to do something about it. No Swell of War Spirit No flippancy now from this untried Chief Executive-to-be. In an earlier day his fledg ling hand, which eventually would write great English prose, had traced in a school boy copybook, entirely inno cent of punctuation, "Abraham Lincoln , , his hand and pen he will be good but God knows when." Now could be the test, But Lincoln was not sure. Threats of secession were common enough. Nothing ever had come of them. Northern leaders, feeding information to Lincoln, were saying that even If a few states did leave the Union, they would soon be knocking at the door and asking to come back in like small boys who had run away from home in a pet. Lincoln, who read public opinion as easily as a teen ager reads comic books, de tected no swell of war spirit in the North. Of course the abolitionists were talking tough but they never had counted for much. The only people who wanted to fight it appeared, were down South and that brand of fire eating was pretty well discounted All in all, It was hard to add up all this into a crisis. But riffling through his mail and talklns to Deoole Lincoln could read and hear darker news. The grim lines were beginning to show through. -Five States Act Less than a month had pass ed since he had won the presi dency, but he could count these clouds on the hlrizon. some no bigger than a man's hand, but clouds, nevertheless: South Carolina-She would vote Dec. 6 for delegates to a convention to consider seces sion. No one doubted the out come. Mississippi - Gov. John J. Pettus called the legislature to meet Nov. 26, saying that the state must provide better safeguards for life and liber- ty than could be expected from "Black" Republicans. The legislature promptly call ed an election to select dele gates for a secession conven tion on Dec. 20. Alabama-Set Dec. N 24 to vote on delegates to a dis union convention Jan. 7. Georgia-Set Jan. 2 for elec tion of delegates to a conven tion which was to convene two weeks later. Florida - Before November ended the Florida legislature had called a convention to vote on secession. The wheels of secession were turning in five states. The evidence was there for anyone to read. Lawyer Lin coln read it and quietly be gan making up his mind how to meet the problem. Attiiudt Summarised His private secretary, John G. Nicolay, summed up his chief's current attitude on se cession' like this:' 1. The existence of a na tional government Implies the power and duty to maintain itself. 2. Right of secession is not debatable. 3. The President must ex ecute the laws and maintain government. The government cannot entertain views of dis solution. 4. If the people tire of the present government, they may change it in the manner prescribed by the Constitu tion. Other Indicators flew in the wind. Before Lincoln was a copy of a document written earlier by Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, commander of the Army, and sent to President Buchanan. It was a two-part plan to meet any disunion crisis, Scott's political plans were fantastic. Military Plan Sound But the military part was sound. The old general point ed out that there were nine Federal forts in the southern states, six unmanned and three with skeleton forces. Let them all be manned against surprise attacks, the general advised. President Buchanan Ignored all this. Formally, Lincoln only ac knowledged receipt of the plan. Privately, he told Rep. Elihu Washburne of Illinois to relay word to the general that after inauguration, - "I wish him to be prepared . . . to make arrangements at once to hold the forts, or, if they have been taken, to take them back." ' Lincoln's policy was taking shape. Mail was pouring into Lin coln's office by. the bushel. Half or more came from Job seekers. Salted through the rest -were warnings. One was typical. It came from a Gener al Hubbard and had been writ ten from Marion, Ala., to Wil liam H. Seward, New York senator, who apparently had forwarded it to Springfield. It read in part: "I find myself in the m idst of rebellion and revolution. The Cotton States are all on fire-enlisting minute men. I am told . . . that Mr. Buch anan had pledged himself that if any southern states wish to secede he will not oppose but would aid them They sweare that Mr. Lincoln shall never be Enaugurated - as sure as He comes to Wash ington he will be shot. . . . , .... , p nfl , 'f-H rt J nj' .tt -.si. .-tr ... s , 1 rt-. SIGNS OF GRIMNESS To President-elect Abraham Lincoln the national picture was showing signs of grimness in late November of 1860. Everyone seemed to know what was the matter with the country and none rested until he told Lincoln either in person or by mail. Lincoln detected no swell of war spirit In the north, but he could count the dark clouds on the southern horizon. Lincoln, shown here with his son, Tad, on the porch of his home, stayed at Springfield after the election and kept a close eye on the public opinion. (UPI Telephoto) Please write to me by an early mail but do put on a postage stamp for if I were to re(receivc) a letter Franked by W. H. Seward I should be hung before night . . ." (Spelling, punctuation and capitalization by General Hubbard). Another from Richmond by Quotes From the News BY UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL Washington House Speaker Sam Rayburn. in a telegram to President-elect Kennedy and his wife congratulating them on the birth of John F. Kennedy Jr.: I trust he will grow like his father and look like his mother." London A Buckingham Palace source, offering one rea son .why the royal family is opposed to letting Princess Margaret's commoner husband Antony Armstrong-Jones work in a competitive field such as photography: Me d have put the other society photoqraphers out of business . . . the royal family naturally would not permit its glamour and prestige to be used in this way." Washington A U.S. Department of Justice official, ex plaining why slot machines continue to plague enforcement officials: "There's so much easy money involved." Havana Premier Fidel Castro, referring to U. S. Presi dent-elect Kennedy in a nationwide TV broadcast: Let s see if we can educate Kennedy politically with our literacy campaign perhaps it can contribute to opening Kennedy's understanding." Henry Wise, Jr., son of a for mer Virginia governor, to some one In West Philadel phia named Quicksall read: ". . . the secession move ment will be consummated soon under Buchanan - rec ognized by him as legitimate ly establishing the independ ence of the seceding members Thus the question cannot arise under the Lincoln ad ministration ... He cannot find any just cause of war. . ." Some Mail Light But this letter drew a smile: ''My wife got on Election Day a little Girl, and I mnrln the proposition that if it is a gin io give your wiles name, and if it is a bov vnur nnmp Abraham. Will you have the Kindness and give me a line on what your wifes name is? " It came from La Crosse, Wis., and was signed by G. C. Neumeistcr. (Next Week A nervous lame-duck Congress meets.) EDITORIAL WRITER DIES New York - (UPD - Herman Appelman, 58, chief editorial writer for the New York Journal-American, died Sunday. 6l DAISY APPLE FAMOUS N FRANCISCAN'S CHRISTMAS EVENT ON 16 PC. 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