The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1860-12-13
ON PREBIE COUNTY, OHIO THURSDAY, DECEMBER 49, 1860

hHletlCui 'cuplc ~ nStClc lIlc SId-
very question forever, and to re-
store peace and harmony to this
distracted country They, and
they alone, can do Il. All that is
necessary to accosnnlish, the OBJ
jcct, and all for wtsch the slave
states have ever contcnded, is to
be let alone, and permitted to
manage their DOM sic institutions
in their own Way, as sovereign
states. They, and they alone, arc
responsible before God and the
world for the slavery existing
among them. For this the people
of the North arc not more rcsp0n-
siblc, and have no more right to
interfere than with similar institu-
tons in Russia or in Brazil. Upon
their good sense and patriotic for
bcarancc | confess / greatly rely
still, without their aid it is beyond
the power Of any President, NO
matter what may be his own polit-
ical proclivitics, to restore peace
and harmony among the states.
Wisely limited and restrained as
is his power under our Constitution
and laws, he alone can accomplish
but little for good or for evil on
such IA momentous question; and
this brings me to observe that the
election Of any of our fellow citi-
zens to the office of President, does
not, of itself, afford just cause for
dissolve the Union. This is more
especially true if his election has
been effected by plurality and not
a majority Of the people, and has
resulted from transient and tempo
rary causes which may probably
never again occur. III order to JUS
tify u resort to revolutionary re-
sistance, the Federal Government
must be guilty Of a deliberate, pal
pabIc and dangerous exercise OF
powers not granted by the Consti.
tuition. The late Presidential
election, however, has been held il
strict conformity with its expires:
provisions; how, then, can the re.
suit justify a resolution to destroy
this very Constitution? Reason
justice and regard for the Consti.
tuition all require that we shal
wait for some overt and dangcrou,
act on the part Of the President
elect before resorting to such /
remedy.
1t is said, however, that the an.
tcccdcnts of the President elect
have been sufficient to justify the
fears Of the south that he will at
tempt to invade their constitutions
al rights. But are such apprehen-
sions of contingent danger in the
future sufficient to Justify the i'm
mediate destruction Of the noblcst
system Of Government ever devised
by mortals? From the very ma.
ture of his Office and its high re.
sponsibilities, he must necessarily
be conservative. The stern duty
Of administering the vast and com,
plicated concerns of this Govern.
mcnt affords in itself a guarantee
that he will not attempt any viola
ton of clear constitutional right
After all he is no more tllan the
Chief Executive officer of the Gov
crmont.
His provicc is not to make, but
to execute the laws; and it is a re-
markablc fact in our history, that
Notwithstanding the repeated eff,
forts Of the Auti-slavery party, no
single act has ever passed Con-
gress, unless we may possibly cx-
cept the Missouri Compromise,
impairing the slightest degree the
rights of the south to their prop
crty in slaves; and it may also be
observed, Judging from present in
dications, that no probability ex-
lists Of the passage Of such an act
by a majority of both Houses, eth
cr in the present or next Congress.
Surely, under these circumstances,
we ought to be restrained from the
present action, by the precepts OF
Him who spake as never man
spakc, that "Sutficient unto the
day is the cviI thereof" The day
of evil may never come, unless we
shall rashIy bring it upon our
selves.
1t is alleged as a cause for i'm
mediate secession, that the south
crn states are denied equal rights
with the other states in the COM
mon Territories; but by what au-
thority are these denied? Not by
Congress, which has never passed,
and, l believe, never will pass any
act to exclude slavery from these
Territories, and certainly not by
the Supreme Court, which has
solcmnly decided that slaves arc
property, and, like all other prop
erty, their owners have the right
to take them in the common Ter,
ritories, and hold them there under
the protection of the Constitution
So Cav. then, as Congress is con-
ccrncd, the objection is not to any
thing they have alrea3yy DONE but
to what they may do hereaftcr.-