Demoine courier., 1856-12-11

70 tie Sna.e and Hortss Of Representatives

y ~ &hotc ubi Iotss ~ 0NPIeststhttSt
IN COngress d~sssnbled
f~Sen4tfme 10 time, not only recurnnena TO the copsider
alton Of ConUess such neaf'wos a. he may Judge neers
cary and expedient. hut also that he shall give infor
nation ~ 10 the State ST the UBiurL ~
To do this fully involves exposition Of all matters IL
the actnai condition tf the country, domestic OF foreign
WI H. resscrrsinr his const.tat:ana, duty In this re-
specs thciresident does not speak ID -rrly 20 express per
eenal convictions, but as tn Executive Minister OF the
Government, eDabled by hts position and called upvn
by his oficial obligations to &c an with an impartial eye
the Interests Of the whole and every part q! The pnfed
States, Of the condition Of the domestic interest: oi INC
Union, lts agriculture, mii,es, uapufac'ures, NAVIGATION
and commerce. IL IL necessa ry only 20 say That the In.
ternal prosperity o. the CO 6ntry, its continuous and
steady advancement la wealth and population and In
private as we'll a. public well being, attest the WELDON
OF our institutions and the predominant spirit Of intel
heence and patriotism, v hieh. nots outstanding oecs
sional Irregularities of opinion or action resulting from
popular freedom, has dist nguished and characterized
the people Of America
last and the opening Of the present session Of Congress
the public mind has been occupied with the care Of Sc
lecting for another Constitutional term, the President
and Vice President Of the United States. The determ'
instion Of the persons who are If right or contingently
TO preside over the Administration of the Government
y under our system committed 20 she states ana tht
IA the form Of law TO call whonaoever they viii 10 this
high post Of Chief Magistrste. And thus IL Is that as
and the members of the House Of Representatives the
several constituencies Of each state, so the Presiden.
represents the aggregate population OF the United
states. The election of him is the explicit and solemn
act Of the sole sovereign authority Of the Union.
It IL impossible to mieapprehend the great principles
which by their present political action, the people Of
the United States have sanctioned and announced
they have asserted the constitutional equality Of each
and all the States Of the Union, as states; they have
the citizens Of the United States, as citizens, whatever
their religion, wherever their birth or residence. They
have maintained the inyiolabiiity Of the constitutional
rights OF the different sections OF the Union. and they
have proclaimed their devoted and unalterable attach
ment TO the Onion and Constitution, az objects OF In
terest superior to all subjects focal or sectional con.
troversy, as the safeguards Of the rights Of all, az thr
spirit and essence eff the liberty, peace and greatness
Of the Republic. In doing this they have at the same
time emphatically condemned the idea of organizing
In these U. s. merely geographical parties, of marshal.
ling In hostile array towards each other the different
parties OF the country, North or South, East or West.
Schemes OF this nature, fraught with incslculable
mischief, and which the considerate sense Of the people
had rejected, could have had countenaneei in one part
Of the country had they not been disguised by sugges,
lions plausible In appearance, acting upon an excited
state Of the public mind, induced by causes temporary
IN their character, and II ia to be- hoped transient in
their influence. Perfect liberty Of association for po-
ltical objects and the wi dest scope Of discussion are
the received and ordinary conditions Of government
Ia our country.
In the intelligence and integrity of the people, do not
forbid citizens, either individually or associated to-
gsthor, g attack BY writing, speech or any Other
very existence Of the Union. Under the shelter OF
this great liberty, and protected by the laws aud usages
OF the dOtfrument tUey dcSdit, dssONtdttDusn dNt ~
formed In some Of the States, Of individuals, who, pre-
tending to seek only to prevent the spread OF the insti-
tuition Of slavery iuto the present or future inchoate
States of the Union, are really infamed with desire
to change the domestic institutions Of existing States.
To accomplish their objects they dedicate themselves
70 the odious task of depreciating the good organiza-
ton which stands In their way, and Of calumniating
with indiscriminate i%nvcetive, not only the citizens
Of particular States, with whose laws they find fault,
but all others OF their fellow citizens throughout the
country who do not participate with them ia their as
sxult upon the Constitution, framed and adopted by
our FATHERS, and claiming for the privileges II has Sc
cured, and the blessings IL has conferred, the stead.
support and graceful reverence of the children.
They seek an object which they well know to be
revolutionary one. They are perfectly aware that I'll,
change In the relative condition of the whit. and blaci
races, In the slave-holding States, which they wcul,
promote, 10 beyond their lawful authority; that to then
IL ID q foreign object; that II cannot be effected by any
peaceful fundamentally Of theirs, that for them ana
the States Of which they are citizens, the only path u
Its accomplishment is through burning cities, and raw
aged fields, and slaughtered populations, and all there
10 most terrible in foreign complicated with civil and
servilc war, and that the first step In the attempt, il
the forcible disruption Of a country embracing in It's
dividual and public prosperity to which there's no par
anel in history, and substituting in It's place, hostile
governments driven at once ard Inevitably into mutu-
al devastion and fratricidal carnage, transforming the
now peaceful and ~fclicitous brotherhood Into a vast
permanent camp Of armed men like the rival monarch
les Of Europe and Asia.
Wen knowing that such and such only arc the means
and the consequences of their plans and purposes, the.
endeavor to prepare the United states for civil war, by
doing everything in their poNer to deprive the Consti
tution and the Laws Of moral authority and TO under
mine the fabric Of the Union by appeal, TO passion aot
sectional prejudice, by Undertaking its people will
reciprocal hatred and by educating them 70 stand face
to face az enemies rather than shoulder to shoulder al
friends.
II Ia by no agency Of such unwarrantsbie Inference
foreign and domestic, that the minds Of many other
wise good citizens have been so inramed into the pas
sionatc condemnation of the domestic Institutions o.
the Southern States, as at length 70 pass invisibly to al
most equally passionate hostility towards thclr fellow
citizens Of those States, and thus finally TO fall Into
temporary fellowship With the ayoYed and active enc.
mies of the Constitution.
Ardently attached to liberty In the abstract, they dc
not stop to consider practically how the object they
would attain can be accomplished, nor TO reflect that
even IL the evil were As great as they deem IL, the!
have no remedy to apply, and that " can only be ag
ersyated by their violence and Unconstitutional action
a question which IL one Of the most difficult Of all the
problems of social institutions, political economy
craftsmanship, they treat With unre:.soniDg intenper-
ance VI ihousht and Language. Extremes bcget ex'
tresnes-
yielsns attack from the North finds its Inevitable
consequence in the growth Of 4 spirit Of angry defiance
81 The South Thus. in the progress of events we had
reached that consumn stion which the voice Of the
people has now so pointedly rebuked, of the attempt
Of q portion of the States by q sectional organization
and movement TO usurp the control OF the government
Of the United States.
/ confidently believe that the great body Of those
who inconsiderateiy took this fatal step are sincerely
attached to the Constitution and the Union. They
would, upon deliberation, shrink with unaffected hor
ror from any conscious act Of disunion or civil war
but they have entered into u path which leads nowhere
unless to civil war and disunion, and which has nc
other possible outlet. They have proceeded thus fal
In that direction In consequence Of the successiv,
stages Of their progress having consisted Of a series o
secondary issues, each of which ~Professed 10 be eon5n
ed within constitutional and peaceful limits, bt whicl
attempt'd indirectly what few men were willing TO DO III
kectly-that il, to act sggressiYeiy against the consti
~tutional rights Of nearly ~onsliaf Of the t~hirty-on,
States.
In the long series of acts Of indirect aggression, the
FIRST was the strenuous agitation by the citizens Of tn,
Northern States in Congress and out Of il, OF the ques
ton Of negro emancipation In the Southern States
The second step In this path OF eva consisted in act.
of the people Of the Northern Statee, and Ia several
Instances Of their governments, aimed 10 facilitate the
escape OF persons held to service ia the Southern
states, and to prevent their extradi;ion when reclaim.
cd according TO law and in virtue Of express provisions
NJ the Constitution. To promote this object, iegisla.
tlxe ~cnactmenty and other mcans were adopted to take
away or defeat rights which the Constitution soleInny
Guaranteed. ~ EF9
In order TO nullify the then existing act OF Congress
concerning the extradition OF ~fugitiyes from service
daws were enacted In many States ~forbiding their OH
GERS, under the severest penalties, TO participate in the
execution Of any act Of Congress whatever. In this
way that syftem Of harmonious cooperation between
the authorities of the United states and Of the several
States, for the maintenance OF their common institu
iona. which existed infhe early years Of the Republic
frequent, and Congress found itself compelled, for the
support Of the Constitution, and the yindication OF lis
powers, TO authorize the appointment of new officers
and the officers Of the States were the Ministers charg
ed with the execution Of Its acts, as II they were ths
ministers respectfully of foreign Governments, IN 4
state Of mutual hostility rather than fellow magistrate,
Of a common country, peacefully subsisting under tn,
protection Of one well constituted union. Thus her,
also aggression was followed BY reaction; and the at
txcks upon the Constitution at this point did but seryt
10 raise new barriers for its defence and security.
The third stage Of this unhappy sectional controycr
Ry wag Instrumentation viththe organization oftcrritoria