Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-12-13
. The Presidents Message.


Throughout the year since our last meeting, the
country has been eminently prosperous in its ma
ter;al interests. The general health has been ex-
ceIlent our harvcsts have been abundant and plen-
Nv smiles throughout the land Our commerce
and manufactures have been prosecuted with ener-
gy and industry, and have yielded fair and ample
returns In short, no nation IN the tide OF time,
has ever presenteda spectacle OF greater material
PROSPERITY than we have done until very recent
ncriod WHY isit then that discomfort now extern
svelv preyais and the union OF the States, which
is the source of all these blessings, is threatened
with destruction? The long continued and intcm
perate interference CT the Northern people with the
question of slavery in the Southern states. mas at
length produced its natural effects. The different
| sccfions of the Union are now arrayed against
each other and the time has arrived SO much dread
cd by the Father Of His Country, when hostile
rco1raphical parties have been formed. / have
| long forcscen, and often forcwared, my country
men of the now impending danger. Ihis docs
not proceed solely from the claim on the part OF
] Congress or the Territorial Legislatures to ex-
ciude slavery from the Territories; nor from the
efforts of different States 10 defeat the execution oil
the Fugitive Slave Law. All or any of these evils
/ might have been endured by the South, without
danger TO the Union, as others have been in the
hone that time and reflection might apply the rem
cdy. The immediate peril arises, not so much
! from these causes as from the fact that the vio-
lent agitation of the slavery question throughout
the North for the last quarter of century, has at
length produced its malgn influence on the slaves,
! and inspired them with vague notions of freedom;
hence n sense of security no longer exists around
the family altar. This iecling of peace at home
has given place to apprehcnsicns OF serrle lnsur-
rcction. Many matron throughout the South re-
tires at night in dread Of what may bcfall herself
aud her Children before the morning. Should this
apprehension of domestic danger. whether real or
Imaginary extend and intensity itself, until it shall
pcryade the masses Of tie Southern people, then
disunion will be inevitable. Self preservation Is
the first law Of nature, and has been implanted IN
the heart of man by his Creator for the wisest pur
poses. and no political union, however frauSht with
blessings and benefits in all other respects, can long
continue if the necessary consequences bc to rem
der the homes and firesdes of nearly half OF the
parties to il habitually and hopclessly insecure
Sooner or later the bonds Of such n union must be
severed. Ii is my conviction that this fatal period
has not yet arrived, and my prayer to God Is that
/ he would nrcscrye the Constitution and the Union
throughout all generations. But let Us take warn
| ing in time and remove the cause of danger 1t
cannot be denied that for FIVE and twenty years,
the agitation against Slavery in the South has been
incessant. In 1885, ,pictorialhand bills and infarn
atory appeals we're circulated extensively through
out the Sout Of character to excite the passions
of the slaves-and in the language ofGen- Jackson,
to stimulate them to insurrccton, and produce all
the horrors of a scrvile war. This agitation has
ever since been continued by the public press, By
/ the proceedings of State and County Conventions,
and by abolition sermons and lectures. The time
of Congress has been occupied in violent speeches
on the never ending subject, and appeals IN panph
let, and other forms, endorsed by distinguished
Names have been sent forth from this central point,
and spread broadcast over the Union. How easy
would it be for the American people to settle the
slavery question forever. and to restore peace anu
harmony to this distracted country. They alone
can do il. All that is necessary to accomplish
this object, and all which the slave States have
ever contended for, is to be let alsnc, and per-
mi.ted to manage their domestic 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 are not more respon-
sib.e, and have no more right TO interfere, than
with similar institutions in Russia or Brazil. Upon
their good sense and patriotic forbcarance con-
n fess greatly rely Without their aid It Is beyond
the power OF any President no matter what may be
his own political procyitics. 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
4 lood or evil, on such nomentous question;
and this brings me to observe that the election ol
any one of our fellow citizens to the Office OF Pres
dcnt, docs not in itself afford just cause for dis
solving the Union. This is more especially trne il
his election has been effected by mere plurality,
and nota majority of the people, and has resulted
from transient and temporary causes winch may
probably never again occur. In order to justify a
resort to revolutionary resistance the Federal Gov
crnmcnt must be guilty Of q deliberate, palpable,
anc dangerous exercise of powers not granted by
the Constitution. The late Presidential election,
however, has been held in strict conformity with
its express provisions How then can the result
justify revolution to destroy this very Constitu-
ton! Reason, Justice aud regard for the C0nsttu-
ton all require That We shall wait for some overt
and dangerous act the part of the President elect
before resorting to such remedy. IL Is said,
however, that the antecedents OF the President
elect have been sufficient to justify the fears of
the South that he will attempt TO invade their con
stitut onal rights; but are such apprchensons OF
contgcnt danger in the future sufficient to Justify
the immediate destruction of the nobest system of
Government ever devisedby mortalsl From the
very nature of bis Office and its high responsible
ties he must necessarily be conservative. The
ssern duty of administering the vast and compca-
ted counscis of this government affords in itself n
guarantee that he will not attempt any violation oil
a clear Constitutional right. After all he is no
more than the Grief Executive officer of the Gov
crnment His province is not to make, but exc
cute its laws, and it Is remarkable TACT IN cur
history that notwithstanding the repeated efforts OF
the anti slavery party. no single act has passed
II Congress- unless we nav possibly except the Mis-
souri, Compromise, impairing in the slightest de-
gree the rights of the South to their property IN
slaves. Ard II may also be oLserv cd. judging from
present indications, that no probability exists oil
the passage Of sucl, act by majority OF both
! Houses either in the present or next Congress
/ Surely under these circumstances we ought to be
restrained from present action by the prccept of
| Him who spake as never man spoke. that, "sufi
cicnt unto the day is the evil thereof" The day
of evil may never como unless shall rashly bring
it upon ourselves Itis alleged as ono cause tor
Immediate secession that The Southern States are
| denied equal rights with the other States in the
common territories. But by what authority are
these denicd7 Not by Congress, which has ncvcr
passed, and believe never will pass. any act 10
exclude slavery from these territories; and GER
tainly not by the Supreme Court which has solemn
ly decided that slaves arc property, and, like all
other property, the owners have right to take
! them into the common territories and hold them
there under the protection Of the Constitution. So
far then Congress Is concerned the objection is
not to anything they have already done, but to
| what they u1ay do hereafter. Ii will surely be adj
mitted that this apprehension offlturc danger is no
good reason for an immediate dissolution Of the
| Union t iflqilfi
| 1t is true that the Territorial Legislature of
Kansas, on the 23d Of February, 1850, passed in
great haste an act over the veto of the Governor.
declaring that slavery is, and shaIl be forever pro-
hibitcd in the territory. Such act, however,
plainly violating the rights Of PROF e.ty secured by
1 the Constitution will surely be declared void by
| the Judiciary whenever it shall be presented in
! a legal form. Only three days after my naugura-
| tion the Supreme Court of the Uvifcd States sol
| emily adjudged that this power did not exist in