Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-12-10
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
FsAow citizens Of tie Senate
and House Of Representatives.

lie Snall give lutoTuldilOH W lhSin VI w
state of the Union. To do this fully IN
wolves exposition of all matters in the
actual condition of the country, domestic
or foreign. which essentially concern the
general welfare. While performing his
constitutional duty in this respect, the
President does not speak merely to ex
press personal convictions. but as the
executive minister of the government.
enabled by his position. and called upon
by his official obligations, to C with
impartial eye the interests of the whole,
AMI of every part of these United
States.
Of the condition of the domestic inter-
ests of the Union. lis agriculture, mines.
manufactures, navigation and commerce,
it is necessary only 10 say that the inter
nal prosperity of the country. its con,in
uous and steady advancement in wealth,
and population. and in private as well as
public being, attest the wisdom of our
institutions, and predominant spilit of
intelligence and patriotism. which moi
outstanding occasional irregularities Of
opinion or action re uliing from popular
freedom. has distinguished and charac
terized the people of America.
In the brief interval between the ter
mina;ion of the last and the commence
menl of the present session of Congress,
the public m nd has been occupied with
the care of selecting. for another conSti-
t%u!ional term, the President AMI Vice
President of the United States.
The determination of the persons, who
are OF right. or ~conlingenlly TO preside
over the administration of the govern
ment. is. under our system. committed
to the States and the people. We ap
peal to them. bv their voice pronounced
in the forms of law. TO call whomSoever
they will TO the high post of Chief Mug
~istrate.
And thus it is that the senators repre-
sent the respective States of the Union.
and the members of the House of Rrpre
sentatives. the several constituencies of
each State, so the President represents
the aggregate population of the United
States. Their election of him is the ex
pliciL and solemn act of the sole sover
eign authority Of the Union.
1t is impossible TO misapprehend the
great PRINCIPLES. which. by their recent
political action. the people of the United
States have sanctioned and announced.
They have assented the constitutional
equality of each and all of the States Of
the Union as States; they have affirmed
the constitutional equality of each and
all of the citizens of The United States as
citizens, whatever their religion. what
even their birth or their residence; they
have maintained the inviulabilily Of the
constitutional rights of the different sec
tons of the Union and they have pro
claimed their devoted and ~Inalterable
attachment TO the Union and to the con
stitu;ion. as objects of interest superior
to all subjects of local or sectional con-
troversy. as the safeguard of the rights
of all. as the spirit and the essence of
the liberty, peace, and greatness of the
Republic.
In doing this, they have, at the same
time, emphatically condemned the idea
oil organizing in these United States
mere geographical parties of marshall
ing in hostile array towards each other
the different parts Of the country, North
or South, East or West.
Schemes of this nature, fraught with
incalculable mischief, and which the
c~onsiderate sense OF the people has re
jected, could have had ~counIenance in
no part of The country. had they not been
disguised by suggestions plausible in ap
pefrance. acting upon an excited state
Of the public mind, induced by causes
temporary in their character, and 1t is
hoped transient in their influence.
Perfect liberty of association for polit-
ical objects. and The widest scope of dis
cusSion, are the received and ordinary
conditions of government in our country.
Our institutions, framed in the spirit of
confidence in the intelligence and integ-
rity of the people, do not forbid citizens
either individually or associated together,
TO attack by wiring. speech. or any other
methods short Of physical force. The Con
stitution and the very existence Of the
Union. Under the shelter of Ibis great
liberty, and protected by The laws and
usages of the Government they ~assail, as
sociations have been formed, in some of
the States, of individuals who, pretend
ing to seek only 10 prevent the spread Of
the institution of slavery into the present
or future iachoste States of the Union.
are really infamed with desire 10 charge
the domestic Institutions of existing
States. To accomplish their objects.
they dedicate themselves 10 the odiouS
task of depreciating the Government or
ganizalion, which stands in their way.
and of calumriating, with indiscriminale
invsctive, not only the citizens of partic-
ular States, with whose laws they find
fault. but all others of their fellow cili-
zenS throughout the country. who 10 not
participate with them in their assaults
upon The Constitution, framed and adopt
ed by our fathers, and clam for the
privileges it has secured, and the bless
ings it has conferred, the steady support
and grateful reverence of their children.
They seek an object which they well
know 10 be a revolutionary one. They
are perfectly aware that the change in
the relative condition of the black and
white races in The %slaveholding States,
which they would promote. is beyond
their lawful authority, that to them it is
a foreign object; that it cannot be effect
ed by any peaceful instrunentality of
theirs that for them, and the States OF
which they are citizens, the only path
TO its Accomplishment is through burning
cities and ravaged fields, and slaughtered
populations, and all there is a most ter
rible in foreign, complicated with civil
and @servile war: and hat the first stsp
in the attempt is the forcible disruption
Of a country embracing in its broad bo
som = degree of liberty, and al amount
of individual and public prosperity, to
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