AFFAIRS OF THE NATION: Appointments Made and to be Made; IMPORTANT FROM TEXAS: GOVERNOR HOUSTON AT ISSUE WITH THE SECEDERS (3/14/1861)

New York Times archives – Times Machine ^ | 3/14/1861

[Homer_J_Simpson]

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, March 13.

CASSIUS M. CLAY will not accept the Spanish Mission. He does not state the reasons for declining the offer, but probably does not desire to leave the country for the present. Neither would he accept the Mexican Mission. Mr. CLAY is a live man and does not desire to ostracise himself during the present crisis of political events in this country. The Spanish Mission is therefore open to some ambitious aspirant.

LATER. -- CASSIUS M. CLAY has just consented to accept the Madrid Mission, under the pressure of his friends.

Mr. CORWIN, it is understood, will accept the Mexican mission, should his health admit of his going to the post. He has not been in good health this Winter, but is far better as the Spring weather advances.

There is a divided feeling here in favor of early appointments to the European missions, with a view to counteracting the movements in favor of the recognition of the Southern Confederacy. There can be no doubt of the wisdom of this policy; and probably one of the first matters of business attended to by the Executive after filling existing vacancies, will be to fill these missions.

There seems to be a decided scarcity of applicants for the missions in Central America, which (or the tropical climate) have killed off a number of men in a few years. It's a good country to which to send some of Mr. LINCOLN's most pertinacious but less useful friends, as they would never, in all human probability, return to plague him. Mr. BUCHANAN tried it with considerable success, and it is well understood at the State Department that his last appointee to the Costa Rican mission is duly preserved in whisky, administered internally and constantly.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:homerjsimpson/index?tab=articles

To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous New York Times thread

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3941908/posts

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Affairs of the Nation: Appointments Made and to be Made – 2-3
Important from Texas: Governor Houston at Issue with the Seceders – 3
General Political Intelligence – 3
From Charleston: A Slight Difference of Opinion about that Firing – 3-4
Editorial: Is Democracy a Failure? – 4-5
Editorial: Southern Railroads – 5
Will South Carolina Ratify the New Constitution? – 5
Editorial: Elements of Empire – 5-6
A Presidential Whistle – 6
Enterprising Journalism – 6-7
Letter to the Editor: What is Treason? – 7
Engineering Matters: Activity of Machine Building in New-York – 7

[BroJoeK]

"Editorial: Is Democracy a Failure? – 4-5"

This editorial asks whether the US is one republic or just a loose confederation of independent republics, and it laments the differences in laws & sentiments from one state or region to the others.
It suggests vast reforms to reduce or eliminate such differences...

I think our editors are a little confused, perhaps, given the circumstances, understandably so.

[BroJoeK]

"From Charleston: A Slight Difference of Opinion about that Firing – 3-4"

From Charleston, some there say the recent firing on the Union Star of the West was accidental, others say it was accidental on purpose, since CSA Gen. Beauregard wished to learn the range and effects of CSA Maj. Stevens' new Columbiad cannons:

The article also suggests that Lincoln's plot to reinforce Fort Sumter is already unfolding in the arrival of many merchant ships from the North with double their usual manning.
The extra men, it's alleged here, will be off-loaded into Fort Sumter.

It is further suggested here that Maj. Anderson in Fort Sumter is still receiving daily supplies of food & mail from Fort Johnson despite other reports that Anderson must soon surrender for lack of basics.

Finally, mention of Rev. Dr. Henry J. Van Dyke, Sr.'s sermon against abolition, citing Biblical sources in defense of slavery.
The good reverend, originally from Philadelphia is in 1861 pastor of First Presbyterian in Brooklyn.

It grieves me to report that among theological students in the Presbyterian church there is still today, 160 years later, confusion about the Bible's (God's!) attitude towards slavery.
The Exodus example is not enough for them, Jeramiah's words are not enough for them, Apostles' preaching against being slaves to sin are not enough, they still think the Bible is OK with slavery for God's people.