Well, I am not sure what newspaper report you are discussing, but you are aware that after secession, most articles were concilatory. But after the Confederacy announced its low tariff, all the newspapers, especially the ones in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia became hostile to the South, calling for war.
It is not my opinion, but theirs, that the low tariff of the South was a threat. That is not being said in 2001, but 1861.
I would tend to believe the people and their actions of the time
Sure you do. You and Adams both. You believe the editorials of the time. Do you believe every word in the New York Times editorials today?