M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-12-13
Presidents Message.

md House OF Representatives.
Throughout the year since our last
meeting, the country has been emi.
nently pros porous in its material in.
terests. The general health has been
excellent, our harvests have been
abundant, and plenty smiles through
out the land. Our commerce and
manufactures have been prosecuted
with energy and industry, and have
yielded fair and ample returns. In
short no nation in the tide of time, has
ever presented spectacle Of greater
material prosperity, than we have
done until a very recent period. Why
is it then that discomfort now eXten.
sively prevails, and the Union OF the
States, which is the source Of all these
blessings, is threatened with destruc
tionI The long continued and intem
perate interference OF the Northern
people with the question of slavery il
the Southern States, has at length pro.
duced its natural effects. The differ
ent sections of the Union are now ar
Tayed against each other, and the time
has arrived so much dreaded by the
Father OF Ills Country, when hostile
geographical parties have been form.
ed. | have long ioreseen and often
forewarned my cUuntrymen OF the now
impensing danger. This does not
proceed solely from the claim on the
part Of Congress or the Territorial
Legislature to exclude Slavery from
the Territories; nor from the efforts OF
different States to defeat the execution
.ofthe Fugitive Slave Law. All or any
OF these evils might have been endur.
ed by the South, without danger to
the Union, as others have been, in the
hope that time and reflection might
apply the remedy. The immediate
peril arises, rot SO much tiom these
causes, as from the fact that the VIC
lent agitation of!he Slavery question
through the North for the last quarter
of q century, has at length produced
lis malign influence on the slaves, and
inspired them with vague notions OF
freedom; hence 4 sense of security no
longer exists around the family altar.
The feeling Of peace at home has Civ,
Ell place to apprehensions of servile
insurrection, Many amatron through,
out the South, retires at night,in dread
of what may befal herself and hel
children before the morning. Should
this apprehension of domestic danger
wketherr real or imaginary, extend and
intensity itself, until it should pervadc
the masses Of the Southern people
then disunion will be inevitable. =
Self.preservation is the first law ofna
ture, and has been implanted in the
heart of man by his Creator tor the
wisest purposes, and no political un
ion, however fraught with blessings
and benefits, in all other respects, car
long continue, if the necessary conse
quences be to render the homes anC
1iresides of nearly halt the parties to il
habitua!ly and hopelessly insecure
Sooner or later the bonds of such 6
Union must be severed. 1t is my
conviction that this fatal period has
not yet arrived. and my prayer to Goo
is that he wouh preserve the Consti
tuition and the Union throughout al
generations. But let us take warning
in time, and remove the cause of dan
ger. 1t cannot be denied that for five
and twenty years, the agitation at the
North against Slavery in the South
has been incessant. In 1885, picto
rial hand bills, and infammatory ap
peals were circulated extensively
throughout the South, Of character
to excite the passions of the slaves
and in tue language of Gen. Jackson
to stimulate them to insurrection, ahd
produce all the horrors of servile
war. This agitation has ever since
Seen continued by the public press
by ytheproceedings of State and Coun.
y Conventions, aud BY abolition ser