Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-03-10
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

eutericg upoa this great ofi e, | most humby in
yoke tie God Ct our Fathers Tor wisdom and firm
ress TO execute It's high and responsible duties in
such manner IS 10 restore harmony and the an
Gent irItudship among tie people Of tae several
S;atee, aud TO preserve our free institutions through
many generations Convinced that | owe nv
election TO the inherent love for the Constitution
and the Union which sti. suimates the hearts of
the American people, let ms earnestly ask their
powerful support in sustaining all Just N assures
calculated 10 perpstusts these The richest political
| blessings which Heaven has ever bestowed upon
any nstion.
Having determined not to become candidate
Tor re election, shall have 10 motive to il hue c.
| my conduct IL administering the Cove. nneGt ex-
cept the oesire ably sad iai hfaly to serve IN =
country and to i've IN the grateful memory Of my
contrymen. We have rec Dty passed throng h a
! Presidential coDt5st 10 which tbs passions d our
telo9-citiEsns were excited to the highest degree
| by questions Of deep aud Wat mposta C +, b Il
| when the people prOcIsimel thsir wul t1s TEN est
ct once subsidized, aad all was calm. The voice e
the majority speaking ia the manner essrOed by
the CJus;itnt Ga was aescd IN insssn. su3niss
| 10 lows
Our own country could alone hsTs exhibited 80
grand and striking 6 spectacle of the ca Jaclty Of
man for selEgoVernmsEt What happy conccp.
ton then, it for CJnsress to sPply this simple
rule that the will Of the j0rliy sh ~ govern the
settlement OF the question Of DIMES is slavery in
the Territories. Congress is nei;hsr to sg!sls,e
slavery into any Territory or Safe, nor u excuie
it thereifom, but to leave the people thereof per
tectly free to form and regulate their domestic
situuons in their own WY, 81 jsc. ouly to The
Constitution Of tie United States.
As natural Consequence, Congress hiss also
prescribed that when the Territory OF Kansas shall
be sdmiued as a State it shall be received into the
Union with or without slavery, ss their COLstitu-
ton may prescribe at the time Of their sdmiss 90.
a different opinion has arisen in regard to the
time when tie people of G Territory shall decide
! this question for themselves. This IS happily
matter OF bu. Little practical importance AMI DO
sides, it is Judicial question, which legilimstely
belongs to the Suprems Court Of the llted States
before whom it is ucW pending, and viii, il is un-
&c. STOOD, be speedily and finally ssLted To their
declsion IN common With all good ci;izsns shall
cheerfuly submit, whatever This may be, though it
os been my individual opinion hat under tbs Ne
brasks-ksnsas set, the appropriate period will be
WHEN the number Ct actual residents in the Teri.
tory shall justify the formation Of Constitution
with view to its admission as State into the
Union; but be this IS it may, it is tas Imperative
and indispensable duty Of tbs Gvverrmsnt OF tie
| United States to eecure to every resident inls5-
tant the free and independent expression OF hiI
opinion By his vote This sacred right of each il
dVidusl must b. preserved. This beng accom-
plished, nothing can be fsirer than to leave the
people Of Territory free from oil foreign iD1I-n e,
70 decide their own destiny for themselves, subject
| only to the Constitution Of ths United States
Ths whole territorial question being thus Sc ted
| upon the pr ncpe Of popular sovereignty, prIn
olpie ancient as free go7erenment Itself, every
thing Of prscticsl value has been decided, and 40
oher question Temsias for jjusnent, because ell
agree that under the constitution, slavery ia the
States is beyond the reach Of any human power
except Of tie respective States themselves
wherein it exists May we not then hop. that
the long agitation on this subj ct is pprCaChing
its end and that the geographical parties TO which
it hiss given birth, go much dreaded cy the Father
Of bis Country, will speedily BIC ma e1tn,t.--
Most bsppy will 1t be tor the country wien tie
public mind snail be diverted from this question to
offers Of more pressing and prscucal Importance
Throughout. the whole progress OF tits agitation,
which has scarcely known Intern sson for more
than twenty Yeas, while it mas been productive
Of 10 positive good to any human being, it has
been the pr,l f. source OF great evils to tns ma.
ter to the s.sca and to tne whole country. 1t
has Renatea estrsngei the people of the sister
States from eScI other, and endangered tue veY
existence Of the UiIou, nor has the danger set
entirely ceased. Under our system there ia Q
remedy for all mere political evils in The sound
sense and sober judgment Of tie pc pie. Tine is
great corrective.
The political SUI eC :, which but a few years ago
excited and eEaspersted the public mind, have
passed LAY, and are now nearly fcrgJ But
this question Of dOleslc5 slavery is Of far greater
Importance than any mere political lestion, be-
cause, should the agitation continue IL may event
usiy endsDger the P.rsonsl ss!e.y of large por
ton ofCur COuntrymen where the institution exists
IL that event no form OF government, however
admirable in ilseit--howe7er productive Of mate
risl benefL5-can compensate Tor the lOss OF peace
and domestic security aToInd the family altar
Let every Unlon.loglDg man, therefore, exert bis
best Influence to suppress the agitation which nee
the recent legislation OF Congress, is without any
legitimate Jest lis az evil of the times that
men have uldertaksl to calculate the mere ma
rial value O! the Union
Recent estimates have been presented o. III
pecuaisry prof ard local advantages which would
result to different States and sections IRON its dis.
solution; Of hs comparative Irju5Ies whick such
50 event would nd.ct ca other States and sec-
tons; even descending to this l)w and narrow
view Of the mighty question All su d Ca2ula iOns
are at fault The care reference 10 a single c1n-
siderstion will he conclusive on this polnt We
at present erjoy tree trSds throughout our ex.
te1slVe and expsns We country, su,h as tho world
never wtnes ed. Tn trade IS conducted o. rail-
roads and canals, on the noble rivers and arm of
the SEA, which bind t0gerFer the North sud The
Sou h, the East and The West OF Our conede-ucy.
Animate tbl5 tTsae arrest its free PFC gees by
geographical lines Of jsa0ul snd Lo'ul5 SttteS
and you destroy The prosperity ana Onward march
Of the whole aud every part, bnd involve all IN one
Common ruin. Bu. tu.n considerations, important
as they sre in thems5lJe, sink into insgDfcarce
when We reflect on the rife evils which would
result from disunioa, TO every portion of the Con-
federscY-to The North rot more than t. the South,
to the East not more than TO the West. TnCse |
shal let attempt to portray, because l feel an
humble confidence that the kind Providence which
inspired our fathers with wlsd N to frame the
mcs. perfect form Of government and union ever
devised by maD, will not suf:r it TO perish until it
stall hEve been peacefully detrimental, by It's ex
ample, il the extension o! civil aad religious bery
throughout tho world
EsxiR importance to lie maintenance Of the Cousttu
ton aud the UniOn is she duty OF preserving the goCeru
fTes from the taiut suspicion Of corruption
Public virtue the vital spirit VI Republics snd history
proves that when this has dscacd and the love OF mOasy
has usupsd its place although The forms OF free govern
FOR season, the substance has departed
f1reTcr Our present financial condition is without par
Gsl il history. No nation has bsIcre been embar
ressed from large surplus It's treasury. This 81
most necessarily gives birth to eTavagant legislation It
produces Wild schemes OF -zpeadtlres and gets ace
Of spectators and O555r whose ingenuity IS eEeTed IL
cOnTiTng aud promoting ezpedents to obtain tas pabLe
money.
PaTtT through its ci,4i agents. whether rgh.flJ
wro0guv is suspected and the character Of the govern
mgnt suffers in the sstist OF the pc pc THIS s in l.
self very great evil Ths national mode OF relief from
embarrassment 10 appropriate lac surplus in the Treas
uTy great national G, for winch clear warrant can
fn-n -nfrHr ma