The daily union., 1856-12-20
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEFERRED DEBATE.
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.


THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
Is rHE SENATE, DEcKanER 10, 1856. "a
Mr.. PUGH said:
Mr. president, II is certainly position for me to
occupy here elsewhere should attempt TO defend
the present Chief Magistrate against any personal assault
do not stand in any relation OF confidence TO him what
received favor At his hands and never DO
cted one at bis hands in which had any personal in
terest rise only TO defend him would defend the
humsiest citizen OF the republic against asserted and
to me- wholly unfounded series OF accusations
My colleague mr. WADsl asserts that the President OF
the United States has employ ed beous terms in speaking
Of large portion of common constituents who voted
tor Colonel Fremont at the last presidential election
this charge in any sense should concur with
colleague in the condemnation be has pronounced for
although should have depored the election OF Col FIRE.
the American people, should have felt bound TO render
my tribute the OF those honest patriotic but as
think misguided citizens of the State of Ohio whe voted
for him. The paragraph upon which my colleague based
this accusation is that one which shall send TO the
Secretary, and ask hin, to read.
The Secretary read it as follows:
"our institutions framed in the spirit Of confidence in
the intelligence and integrity Of the people DO not forbid
citizens either individually associated together to attack
s writing speech Or any Other methods short g
Under the shelter Of this great liberty and protected BY
the laws and as.ges Of the they .ss: ..sNa
who pretending to seek only to prevent the spread Of the
institution Of slavery into the present future inehoste
States OF the Union, really inamed with desire TO
change the domestic institutions Of existing States To
accomplish their Objects they dedicate themselves TO the
%hsh sssS wsy .na with in
discriminate nyectve not only the citzena OF
their sowctzens throughout the country who do not
participate with them in their assaults upon the oonstu
the privileges i has and the blessings has con-
fered the steady support and grateful reverence Of their
be revolutionary They perfectly that the
change in the relative condition Of the white and black
in the savehodng States which they would promote
yond their authority that them it foreign
obec that it cannot be effected BY any peaceful
citizens only path its accomplishment is through
burning Cities and ravaged fields and slaughtered popua
with civil and ssrvs war and that the first step the
tempt is the iorcbe disruption of country embracing in its
oSs sss
tory aud substituting in its place hostile government driven
At once and inevitably into mutual md at.cd
erhood into vast permanent camp Of armed men, like the
SUCH and such only the and the of
their plans and purposes they endeavor to prepare the
pie Of the United States for civil by doing
their deprive the constitution and the laws Of moral
authority and to undermine the fabric Of the Union by
pcas to passion and sectional prejudice by its
stand face to face enemies than shoulder to shoulder
friends" .a. .a.
Mr. PUGH Mr. President it is impossible that this par
agraph apply the members of the republican party
Tit be true this floor that they do not aim
at legislation by Congress the subject of slavery within
the States 1t Is directed against those who held that doc
chusetts mr. WnsoSI and the senator from Maine Mr.
FEssKsDEE themselves denounced this foor whom, to
be sure the senator from New Hampshire Mr. HALEl said
he had seen but whom the senator from Massachu-
admitted to be within the circle Of his acquaintance
The President proceeds however to speak Of another
class OF bis Of the class TO which these gen
tlemen say they belong What terms does he apply to
them2
a." by the agenoy of such interference,
foreign and domestic that the minds otherwise good
citizens have been nHamed the condens-
of
length to pass nsensiby to almost equally passionate bos
s s ses . s ,na
of the co.'tuon Ardenty attaohea 70 lp-
erty in the abstract they do not 70 eonsioer
to reflect that even il the evil were as great as they
they have remedy apply and that be only
waited by their violence and unconstitutional action"
That is the paragraph Immediately following the enc
which read from the Secretarys desk But the Pres-
dent does not stop there He proceeds in third para
graph, in these words sE.H H
al confidently believe that the great body Of those who
the and the he Union fhsy would upon dsSer
ton shrink with unaffected horror from conscious act Of
which leads nowhere be civil and d,union
and which has other possible outlet They have proceed
stages Of their progress having consisted Of series Of
ondary issues each OF which proessed 10 be confined within
recy what willing do directly; that ,
aggressvey against the contuonal rights Of nearly
one-hali Of the thrty-one States"
The amount OF that the President has his
opinion that although these gentlemen sctused by
honest motives although they attached TO the
stuton and the Unionand he has pronounced this
high eulogium they have pronounced upon them
sevesyet in his judgment there outlet from the path
which they pursue and into which they have been in
cautiously betrayed except through dsunion and civil
war They find fault with the Presidents argument
they may find fault with bis conclusion they may say that
Il is not warranted by the premises but appeal to any
candid mind- appeal to these gentlemen themselves upon
the pretext for asserting that the
President of the United States has employed belous Ian
guage towards them In any called in question their
motives their intentions.
The senator from New York [Mr. SKwARDl however,
took OCCASION in his brief observations to declare that
passages OF this description without precedent in the
executive message He held up General Pierce the first
President of the United States who had ever permitted
himself In bis communications to Congress, to speak OF
the conduct Of any considerable number OF his eowc
zens The senator be little acquainted with
the language OF Washington as think he acquainted
with his sentiments and his principles In the sixth
nual address of Washington to Congress dated the 18th
of November lTes find this paragraph speaking Of the
citizens Of southern and Pennsy vauia who had
by associations obstruced the execution OF the laws OF
the United States which had been suppressed by the
interpcson Of the military force Of the United States
"And when, in the calm moments Of reflection, they
shall have traced the origin and progress OF the nsurrec
on let them determine whether has not been omented
dsregardng the unerrins truth, that those who
rouse cannot always appease civil convulsion, have
disseminated, from Ignorance perverson Of facts
suspicons eaonse and socussons Of the whole govern
ment."
II would really seem as II the line Of argument
from the line ofargument pursued by Warrington upon
that occasion.
But the same senator as well The senator's from New
Hampshire and Massachusetts, declared ha, there