MISSOURI. 



479 



stead, to be held at Nashville, to deeide upon 

 such amendments to the Constitution as might 

 be satisfactory to them. It also recommended 

 the Crittetiden propositions to the Nashville 

 Convention, without, however, making an ulti- 

 matum, and advised the appointment of Com- 

 missioners to Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, 

 Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ar- 

 kansas, to secure the cooperation of those 

 States to the movement. 



Afterwards, Mr. Birch called attention to a 

 communication in the " Republican" print of that 

 day, hinting at a secret conspiracy to force Mis- 

 souri out of the Union, and offered a resolution 

 to appoint a committee to investigate the sub- 

 ject, and, if possible, ascertain the names of the 

 conspirators ; which parsed, 52 to 30. 



In the Convention, on the 17th of March, the 

 following was proposed as an amendment to 

 one of the resolutions reported by the com- 

 mittee : 



" And, further, believing that the fate of Mis- 

 souri depends upon the peaceable adjustment 

 of our present difficulties, she will never coun- 

 tenance or aid a seceding State in making war 

 upon the General Government ; nor will she 

 provide men and money for the purposes of 

 aiding the General Government in any attempt 

 to coerce a seceding State." 



It was rejected ayes 30, noes 61. Several 

 amendments to the report of the committee, fa- 

 voring secession, were laid on the table by de- 

 cided votes. 



On the 19th the Convention proceeded to 

 vote on the report of the committee. The first 

 resolution, declaring that there was no cause 

 for Missouri to dissolve her connection with 

 the Federal Union, passed unanimously ; the 

 second, that the people of the State earnestly 

 desired a fair and amicable adjustment of diffi- 

 culties and the Union perpetuated, it was pro- 

 posed to amend by adding thereto the follow- 

 ing : " That, wishing to restore peace to our 

 country, we desire the Federal Government to 

 withdraw the troops from the forts now occu- 

 pied by them in the seceded States." 



This amendment was laid on the table, and 

 the resolution was then adopted with but one 

 dissenting vote. 



The third, that the Crittenden resolutions 

 offered a basis for adjustment, was then adopt- 

 ed ; and also the fourth, urging a National 

 Convention to amend the Constitution'. The 

 fifth resolution was amended, so as to read as 

 follows : 



" That the Convention cherish an earnest de- 

 sire to prevent civil war, and that this would 

 be promoted by the withdrawal of the Federal 

 troops from those forts where there is danger 

 of collision, and that the Convention recom- 

 mend the adoption of this policy." 



In this form the resolution was passed ; yeas 

 89, nays 6. 



The last act of the Convention, previous to 

 adjournment, was to elect seven delegates to 

 the proposed Border States Convention. 



On the 27th, in the State Legislature, the 

 Committee on Federal Relations in the House 

 reported the following joint resolution, which 

 was passed by a vote of 62 to 42 : 



Resolved, That it is inexpedient for the General As- 

 sembly to take any steps lor ;i National Convention, to 

 propose any amendment! to the Constitution, as rec- 

 ommended by the State Convention. 



The excitement occasioned by the events of 

 the latter part of April soon passed over. A 

 more rational and hopeful view of affairs was 

 entertained. The ill temper, and the disposition 

 to hurry the State into rash and indefensible 

 measures, were less apparent in Missouri than 

 many other States. She was not, indeed, in a 

 condition to commit herself to any distinct line 

 of policy. 



On the 20th of April the arsenal at Liberty 

 was seized and garrisoned by a hundred men. 

 The arms and cannon were distributed in the 

 county. The Governor, at this time, declared 

 his policy to be in favor of peace, saying that 

 he convened the Legislature only for the pur- 

 pose of more perfectly organizing the militia, 

 and putting the State in a proper attitude of 

 defence. He urged the President of the State 

 Convention not to call that body together for 

 the passage of a secession ordinance ; he was in 

 favor of retaining the present status of the 

 State, leaving it to time and circumstances as 

 they might arise to determine the best course 

 for Missouri to pursue. 



He thought the President, in calling out 

 troops to subdue the seceded States, threatene j 

 civil war, and he pronounced the act unconsti- 

 tutional, and as tending towards the establish- 

 ment of a consolidated despotism. He recom- 

 mended ample preparations against aggressions 

 by all assailants. He appealed to the Legisla- 

 ture to do nothing imprudently or precipitate- 

 ly, but endeavor to unite all for the preserva- 

 tion of the honor of the State, the security of 

 property, and the performance of the high du- 

 ties imposed by their obligations to their coun- 

 try and to their God. 



The news of the surrender of Camp Jackson 

 was received at Jefferson City on the evening of 

 the 10th, between five and six o'clock, and pro- 

 duced a great panic in the Legislature, then in 

 session. The despatch was read, and the mili- 

 tary bill, which was pending, passed within 

 fifteen minutes afterwards, and was sent into 

 the Senate, and likewise passed that body. 

 This act took effect on its passage : 



A military fund was created, for the purpose 

 of arming and equipping the militia. To this 

 was to be appropriated ah 1 the money then in the 

 Treasury, or afterwards to be received on the 

 assessments for ISGO-'Gl, as well as the proceeds 

 of the special tax of one mill on the hundred 

 dollars levied to secure the completion of cer- 

 tain railroads, or from other sources, except a 

 sufficiency to carry on the State Government, 

 and support its penal and benevolent institu- 

 tions. 



The Governor was authorized to receive a 



