KENTUCKY. 



397 



tion, in all the counties of the State except 

 eighteen, was 98,561. The aggregate presiden- 

 tial vote in November was 146,216. 



On the 17th, in the Legislature, the suspen- 

 sion of specie payments by the banks of the 

 State w:u* authorized. 



The House also passed a series of resolutions 

 declaring that Kentucky should maintain a 

 strict neutrality during the present contest, and 

 approving of the refusal of the Governor to 

 furnish troops to the Federal Government un- 

 der the existing circumstances. 



Subsequently, the Governor issued a procla- 

 mation with the following warning : 



I hereby notify and warn all other States, separate 

 or united, especially the United and Confederate Suites, 

 that I solemnly forbid any movement upon Kentucky 

 soil, or occupation of any post or place therein, for any 

 purposes whatever, until authorized by invitation or 

 permission of the Legislative and Executive authori- 

 ties. I especially forbid all citizens of Kentucky, whe- 

 ther incorporated in the State Guard or otherwise, from 

 making any hostile demonstrations against any of the 

 aforesaid sovereignties, to be obedient to the orders of 

 lawful authorities, to remain quietly and peaceably at 

 home when off military duty, and refrain from all 

 words and acts likely to pro'voke a collision, and so 

 otherwise to conduct themselves that the deplorable 

 calamity of invasion may be averted ; but in the mean 

 while to make prompt and efficient preparation to as- 

 sume the paramount and supreme law of self-defence, 

 and strictly of self-defence alone. 



A resolution that this proclamation stated 

 the position that Kentucky should occupy, was 

 rejected in the House on the 22d of May. The 

 State Guard were also required to take an oath 

 to support the Constitution of the United States. 



The Border State Convention assembled at 

 Frankfort on the 27th of May. Kentucky and 

 Missouri only were represented. An address 

 was issued to the people of Kentucky declaring 

 that the direct question before the people of the 

 United States and of Kentucky, the grand and 

 commanding question, was, Union or no Union, 

 Government or no Government, Nationality or 

 no Nationality; that Kentucky had no cause 

 of complaint with the General Government, 

 and no cause of quarrel with the Federal Con- 

 stitution ; that Kentucky \rould continue to be 

 loyal to the Constitution, the Government, and 

 the flag of the United States, and to refuse alli- 

 ance with any who would destroy the Union or 

 commit the great wrong of deserting their posts 

 in the National Congress ; that Kentucky would 

 remain true to herself and loyal to the consti- 

 tutional administration of the General Govern- 

 ment, appear again in the Congress of the Uni- 

 ted States, insist upon her constitutional rights 

 in the Union, not out of it, and insist on the 

 integrity of the Union, its Constitution, and its 

 Government. 



At the election on the 30th of June, the 

 Union Kepresentatives to Congress were chosen 

 from all the districts of the State except the 

 1st. In this district H. C. Burnett, State Rights, 

 was chosen. With the exception of Boone 

 County, the official return of the votes was as 

 follows : 



Union. S. Riglitt. 

 First District 6,225 



Second 



Third 



Fourth 



Fiftli 



Sixth 



Seventh 



Eighth 



Ninth 



Tenth 



8,271 



10,392 

 10,344 



8,217 



8,101 

 11,035 



8,272 

 12,230 



8,373 



3,113 

 2,4G'J 

 2,719 

 227 

 2,862 

 5,706 

 3,7^2 

 4,.->2<3 



37,700 



Total Union majority . . . 54,760 



Volunteers from Kentucky entered both the 

 Union and the Confederate armies. Those at- 

 tached to the former were ordered to Western 

 Virginia, and there entered into active service. 



So stringent had the restrictions upon all in- 

 tercourse between the North and the Sonth 

 now become that commerce was to a great de- 

 gree cut off, except by the route of the Louis- 

 ville and Nashville Railroad. It had long be- 

 come manifest that the blockade of the South 

 would not be complete unless the transit of 

 supplies through Kentucky was stopped. But 

 how this should be effected while Kentucky 

 was herself in so doubtful a position, was a 

 question not easily determined. The authori- 

 ties of Tennessee solved it, however, by placing 

 a complete embargo on the Tennessee end of 

 the road. 



They forbade the exportation of cotton, to- 

 bacco, rice, and turpentine to Kentucky. From 

 their own point of view the act was one of 

 folly, for the freight sent North was never one- 

 fifth part of that sent South, and at that mo- 

 ment especially must have been vastly inferior 

 in importance to the constant supply of provi- 

 sions flowing into Tennessee from Louisville. 

 They thought, however, that they could afford 

 the step, and therefore forbade all exports from 

 Tennessee. 



This cut the knot as to the enforcement of 

 the blockade at Louisville. It put an end to 

 all scruples on the part of Kentucky, except 

 among the open sympathizers with secession ; 

 it placed the secessionists in the wrong in 

 " neutral " eyes, and gave the Government 

 firm ground on which to stand. The blockade 

 being undertaken with vigor, those who were 

 forwarding supplies to the secessionists attempt- 

 ed to break it by legal proceedings. They 

 crowded the Louisville freight stations with 

 merchandise consigned to Nashville, and sued 

 the company as common carriers for refusing 

 to receive and forward it. The decision of the 

 Court justified the company in its course of 

 obedience to the Federal Government, and gave 

 to the Government the authority of legal ap- 

 proval, as well as the sympathy of right-mind- 

 ed citizens. It still remained, however, for the 

 Tennessee secessionists, in their wisdom, to 

 conceive one more plan for perfecting the work 

 undertaken by the Government. This scheme 

 they carried out on the fourth of July, by stop- 



