Lincoln holiday on its way out (West Virginia)

A bill to combine state holidays for Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays into a single Presidents’ Day holiday cleared its first legislative committee Wednesday, over objections from Senate Republicans who said it besmirches Abraham Lincoln’s role in helping establish West Virginia as a state.

Senate Government Organization Committee members rejected several attempts to retain Lincoln’s birthday as a state holiday.

State Sen. Russ Weeks, R-Raleigh, introduced an amendment to instead eliminate Columbus Day as a paid state holiday. “Columbus didn’t have anything to do with making West Virginia a state,” he said. “If we have to cut one, let’s cut Christopher Columbus.”

Jim Pitrolo, legislative director for Gov. Joe Manchin, said the proposed merger of the two holidays would bring West Virginia in line with federal holidays, and would effectively save $4.6 million a year — the cost of one day’s pay to state workers.

Government Organization Chairman Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, said the overall savings would be even greater, since by law, county and municipal governments must give their employees the same paid holidays as state government.

The bill technically trades the February holiday for a new holiday on the Friday after Thanksgiving. For years, though, governors have given state employees that day off with pay by proclamation.

Sen. Sarah Minear, R-Tucker, who also objected to eliminating Lincoln’s birthday as a holiday, argued that it was misleading to suggest that eliminating the holiday will save the state money.

“It’s not going to save the state a dime,” said Minear, who said she isn’t giving up on retaining the Lincoln holiday.

Committee members also rejected an amendment by Sen. Steve Harrison, R-Kanawha, to recognize the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Lincoln Day.”

“I do believe President Lincoln has a special place in the history of West Virginia,” he said.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, suggested that the state could recognize Lincoln’s proclamation creating West Virginia as part of the June 20 state holiday observance for the state’s birthday.

Proponents of the measure to eliminate a state holiday contend that the numerous paid holidays - as many as 14 in election years — contribute to inefficiencies in state government.

"I'm sorry, I guess I missed the part where Ft. Sumter fired on Charleston first."

No, you just forgot the part about Major Anderson's secret withdrawl to Ft. Sumter and the Union garrison's aiming of the UNION guns on the city of Charleston.

And you forgot Major Anderson's threat to the people to use the guns to close down the harbor.

And you forget the direct warnings of both the Governor of South Carolina and the Confederate government that if any UNION military attempt was made to enter Charleston harbor, it would be taken as an act of war, and that self-defense would be initiated.

"The Nashville promptly raised the stars and stripes and went on her way. Not exactly a blockade."

There is well documented evidence that on arrival, the Union force blockaded shipping.

“The steamer Nashville from New York [merchant steamer] and a number of merchant vessels reached the bar and awaited the result of the bombardment, giving indications to those inside of a large naval fleet off the harbor.” G. V. Fox, O. R. N., IV, 249; Chadwick, 333.

That is from the log of Gustavus V. Fox who was leading the incursion and was in a position to see that the 'Nashville' had not "gone on her way". So, you can drop that contention from your bag of disinformation.

And further regarding the blockade by Federal ships, here:

STEAMER BALTIC, New York, April 19, 1861.

SIR: I sailed from New York in this vessel Tuesday morning, the 10th instant, having dispatched one steam-tug, the Uncle Ben, the evening previous to rendezvous off Charleston. The Yankee, another chartered tug, followed us to the Hook, and I left instructions to send on the Freeborn .

We arrived off Charleston the 12th instant, at 3 a.m., and found only the Harriet Lane. Weather during the whole time a gale. At 7 a.m. the Pawnee arrived, and, according to his orders, Captain Rowan anchored twelve miles east of the light, to await the arrival of the Powhatan....

However, the Powhatan and tugs not coming, Captain Rowan seized an ice schooner and offered her to me, which I accepted, and Lieutenant Hudson, of the Army, several Navy officers, and plenty of volunteers agreed to man the vessel, and go in with me the night of the 13th.

That is documented evidence that the Union warships were there, and had seized at least one civilian ship trying to enter the harbor.

That is a blockade, so there is another one of your silly contentions that can be discarded.

"And there's no evidence that this action was even known to the gunners of Charleston, much less the cause of their action."

That is flat out BS! They all knew that the ships were on the way, and they knew when they arrived.

Here from the documents of the time:

4/7/1861 News of Lincoln’s decision to send a relief naval task force to Sumter was published in the Northern newspapers. Charleston, South Carolina newspapers picked up the story that a US fleet was sailing for Charleston and Florida. The northern newspapers were printing the story that the fleet was on the way. The entire South knew that ships were headed for Charleston and Florida.

And here is another piece of information you do not have.

On the evening of April 11th, the first ship of the Federal Naval expedition, which was to ostensibly reinforce and supply Fort Sumter, arrived outside the harbor. Observers on the barrier islands had discovered the Harriet Lane laying outside Charleston Bar, battling with a storm.

"And the call for volunteers wasn't to economically oppress the south and take control of their natural resources."

Finally, the last in your long list of BS commentary.

Here is one of many quotes that expresses the thought of the time:

“At once shut down every Southern port, destroy its commerce, and bring utter ruin on the Confederate States.”

And another:

"Our federal treasury is now empty, or will be, on the 4th of March, relying on daily supplies from imposts, which will be reduced fifty per cent by the loss of our southern exports. Our federal treasury could not count on more than twenty-five millions a year from imposts after the South had left us. We would therefore have at once to resort to income, poll, and every other sort of taxation, to keep up our present expensive machinery--not to speak of the conduct of an offensive war."

And here, from the only person that had the power to conduct war:

When offered advice to adhere to a peaceful course, (by Dr. Fuller of Baltimore)‘Let the country know that you are disposed to recognize the Southern Confederacy,and peace will instantly take the place of anxiety and suspense and war may be averted.’

‘And what is to become of the revenue?’ rejoined Lincoln, ‘I shall have no government, no resources!’

No, you just forgot the part about Major Anderson's secret withdrawl to Ft. Sumter

Was Anderson under obligation to announce all his plans? Sumter was under his command. He did his duty. His orders were to hold both forts, but when it became apparent that he could either hold Sumter or nothing, he moved to Sumter. Don't make it sound like some dastardly scheme. "Oh, the poor confederacy, so skillfully manuevered into firing on Ft. Sumter. Woe is me"

and the Union garrison's aiming of the UNION guns on the city of Charleston. And you forgot Major Anderson's threat to the people to use the guns to close down the harbor.

Who threatened who first? How many guns were trained on Sumter?

A pretty stupid position to take, in retrospect. Especially since it meant the south had to start shooting first.

That is from the log of Gustavus V. Fox who was leading the incursion and was in a position to see that the 'Nashville' had not "gone on her way". So, you can drop that contention from your bag of disinformation.

We've done this dance before. As the quote says, the ships off the bar "awaited the result of the bombardment". No captain of any merchant ship was going to sail into a harbor that was undergoing a bombardment. Why would they risk getting caught in a crossfire? You can't claim with any sort of a straight face that this constitutes evidence of a blockade. If anything, the south was blockading the harbor at that point.

We arrived off Charleston the 12th instant, at 3 a.m., and found only the Harriet Lane. Weather during the whole time a gale. At 7 a.m. the Pawnee arrived, and, according to his orders, Captain Rowan anchored twelve miles east of the light, to await the arrival of the Powhatan....

Typical use of ellipses by you to omit cogent facts. Here's the entirety of that paragraph:

"We arrived off Charleston the 12th instant, at 3 a.m., and found only the Harriet Lane. Weather during the whole trine a gale. At 7. a.m. the Pawnee arrived, and, according to his orders, Captain Rowan anchored twelve miles east of the light, to await the arrival of the Powhatan. I stood in with the Baltic to execute my orders by offering, in the first place, to carry provisions to Fort Sumter. Nearing the bar it was observed that war had commenced, and, therefore, the peaceful offer of provisions was void. "

Anything after that, including the seizure of the ice schooner (which was intended only as a means of running supplies into Sumter under the bombardment, not as way of denying southern planters ice for their juleps), came after "war had commenced."

“At once shut down every Southern port, destroy its commerce, and bring utter ruin on the Confederate States.”

Ah, so newspaper editorials are now to be considered evidence? Because I can post southern editorials talking about secession being necessary to preserve the institution of slavery all day long.

"We would therefore have at once to resort to income, poll, and every other sort of taxation, to keep up our present expensive machinery--not to speak of the conduct of an offensive war."

A statement that turns out to be utterly false. Tariff revenue in 1862 was the same as in 1859. In 1863 it was over $69 million and in 1864 it was $102 million, almost double what it had been in 1860. All that quote proves is that economic doomsayers have been with us forever. How many similar threads can I find on FR today?

Finally, the last in your long list of BS commentary.

No, not BS. Volunteers weren't enlisting to preserve tariff income or economically oppress the south. This is what they were responding to:

Tariff revenue in 1862 was the same as in 1859. In 1863 it was over $69 million and in 1864 it was $102 million, almost double what it had been in 1860. All that quote proves is that economic doomsayers have been with us forever.

I'm curious what your tariff revenue figures mean in terms of volume or value of imports in constant 1859 dollars. What if your import numbers were adjusted for the rate of wartime inflation and the effective tariff rates for those years?

This is what they were responding to: [an August 1861 meeting poster]

It has always amazed me that the old Northern calls for support of the Northern government, like your meeting poster, cite the Constitution and laws as though the North were on the side of the Constitution and the laws.

Before the War, Northern states flagrantly violated the Constitution over the issue of the return of escaped slaves. After the War started and before your August 1861 poster appeared, Lincoln violated the Constitution as follows:

Lincoln usurped the Constitutional power of Congress to raise and support armies and provide and maintain a navy

Lincoln usurped the power of Congress to declare war and regulate the ports

Lincoln usurped the power of Congress in suspending the writ of habeas corpus

Lincoln usurped the power of Congress to make and direct appropriations

Lincoln violated the Constitution with regard to searches and seizures

Lincoln abridged Constitutional freedom of speech in suppressing newspaper presses and arresting civilians for expressing political opinion

Lincoln violated the Constitution in arresting without civil processes citizens who were not subject to the rule of war

Lincoln's army had seized arms of private citizens on suspicion only and quartered soldiers in civilian houses without the consent of the owners

Both of those are definitely factors. The tariff was raised and there was inflation (although nothing like what the south saw--Union inflation was pretty much in line with wartime inflation during the World Wars). Nonetheless, the loss of the south during the war did not, in fact, cripple the economy of the north, so all claims that it would do so were false.

I looked up the tariff and inflation rates and calculated the net imports in 1860 dollars.

Tariff rates are from Table 1 of Taussig's The Tariff History of the United States, 1910 edition: Taussig

Yearly Customs income is from Table 3 of Taussig. Same link as above. Actually, income from collected import duties was a bit lower than Customs income, but I'll use the higher figures since you had posted those rather than duties collected.

Inflation rate was from Inflation Rates. I've seen higher rates than these posted for the period, but I'll be conservative and use these.

After applying the tariff rates to the revenue to determine the value of the imports, I then adjusted the number by the inflation figure. I find that the value of imports to the North relative to the 1860 import value was:

1860: 1.00
1861: 0.82
1862: 0.50
1863: 0.52
1864: 0.54
1865: 0.38

Seems that the war did have a substantial impact on northern imports after all when expressed in 1860 dollars. Please correct me if I've made an error in my calculations somewhere.

It's not the actions of Anderson which are in question. The fact is that when Anderson moved, Lincoln was furious. He had orders to hold both forts, dammit. As the official sacrificial lamb his chances for survival had improved beyond what was tolerable with the abandonment of Moultrie.

As the quote says, the ships off the bar "awaited the result of the bombardment".

What else were they to do? Run cover with the Powhatan and use the landing craft to aid Sumter? Oh yeah, where were the Powhatan and the landing craft? Who diverted them? By who's direct orders was the fleet crippled such that all they could do was sit off the bar and watch?

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