Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-12-05
LATEST NEWS 81 TELEGRAPH.
Presidents Message.

WASHINGTON, December 4--After alluding
TO the great commercial, agricultural and
! other material properties of the country,
the President asks, why sit that discomfort
now so extensively prevails, and the union
of the States which Is the source of all these
blessings threatened WITH destruction The
long continued and intemperate interference
of the Northern people with the question OF
slavery in the Southern States has at length
produced its natural effect. The different
sections of the Union are now arrayed.
against each other, and the time has arrived,
much dreaded by the Father of his Country,
when hostile geographical parties have been
formed. This does not proceed solely from
the claim on the part of Congress or the Ter
ritOrial Legislatures, TO exclude slavery from
the Territories, nor from the efforts of the
different States to defeat the execution of
the Fugitive-slave Law, but the immediate
peril arises from incessant aud violent agita-
tion of the slavery question throughout the
North, for the last quarter of century, has
produced its malign influence on the slaves,
and inspired them with vague notions of
freedom; hence a sense of security no longer
exists around the family altar.
This feeling of peace at homo has given
place to apprehensions of servile insurrec-
tion. Many a matron throughout the South
retires at night in dread Of what may befall
herself and children before the morning. H
Should this apprehension Of domestic
danger extend and intensity itself until it
shall pervade the masses of the Southern
people, the disunion will become inevitable.
Self preservation is the first law of nature
and no political union, however fraught with
blessings, and benefit, and in all other
respects, can long continue, if the necessary
| consequence be to render the homes and
firesides of nearly half the parties to it
habitually and hopelessly insecure. Sooner
or later the bonds of such union must be
| severed. 1t is my conviction that this fatal
| period has not yet arrived.
| After referring to the incessant agitation
| against slavery at the North, for the last
twenty five years, both by the press and the
people, and asserting that the time of Con-
this never. ending subject, he remarks how
easy would it be for the American people to
! settle the slavery question forever and re-
store peace and harmony to the distracted
country, which can be done by letting the
slave States alone and permitting them to
manage their own State affairs, as they only
| are responsible before God for slavery exist
ing among them, and with which the North
has no more right to interfere than with the
similar institutions in Russia or Brazil.
The President relies on the good sense of
foTbearance of the people, alleging that it is
out of the power of any President to accom-
plish but little, which leads him to observe
that the election of any one of our fellow
citizens to the Office of President does not of
itself afford just cause for dissolving the
Union.
The late election having been held in strict
conformity with the provisions of the Con-
stitution, does not justify a resolution tC
destroy this very Constitution. Reason
justice and regard for the Constitution, all
require that we shall wait for some overt
and dangerous act on the part of the Presi-
al haf ff aI,
He refers to the fact that the President
province is not to make, but to execute the
laws. 1t is alleged as one cause for imme'
diate secession, that the Southern States art
denied equal rights with the other States il
common territory. But by what authority
are these denied2 Not by Congress, whicl
has never passed, and, believe, never will
pass, any act to exclude slavery from thes,
Territories; and certainly not by the Su
preme Court, which has solemnly decided
that slaves are property, and, like all othel
property their owners have right to taxi
them into the common territories and holC
them there under the protection of the Con
stitution. The anticipation, that Congress
may pass some law obnoxious, is no gooC
reason for dissolution.
The President reasserts the power of Con-
gTess over property in the Territories, anC
the sacred rights Of property are secured by
the Constitution. The most palpable viola
tions of constitutional duty which have beef
committed, consist in the acts of differen
State Legislatures to defeat the execution O
the Fugitive slave Law. 1t will be the dut,
of the next President, as it has been my own
to act with vigOr in executing the Fugitive
slave Law against conflicting enactments o
State Legislatures. Let us trust that tn
State Legislatures will repeal their unconsti
| tutional and obnoxious enactments; unles
! this shall be done without unnecessary delay
r it is impossible for any human power to say
: the Union, and the Southern States have
right TO demand this act of justice from tn
| Northern States. The alleged principle tha
/ as each State became party to the Unio
| by the vote of its own people assembled i
) Convention, so any one of them may retir
from the Union in similar manner by th
! vote of such a Convention, is wholly incon
e sistent with the history as well as the char
acter of the Federal Constitution.
q He then rehearses a portion of GenerS
Jackson's message of 1888, relative to th
! nullifying ordinance of South Carolina, an
! says this Government was intended by i
I founders to be perpetual, and not to be al
a nulled at the pleasure of any one of the COZ
a tracing parties. Secession is neither moi
nor less than revolution. 1t may or ma
not be justifable revolution, but still it
revolution. What, in the mean time,
the responsibility and true position of Il
. EXecutlve} de is bound TO take care tn
4 the laws be faithfully executed, and fro
p this obligation he can notbe absOlved by ar
y human power. But what if the perform
y ance of this duty, in whole or in part, hi
: been rendered imperative by events ov,
4 which he has no controR Such, at the pre-
4 ent mement, is the case throughout the Sta
. of South Carolina.
= So far as the laws of the United States
secure the administration of justice,
means of the Federal Judiciary, are col
}. cerned, the Federal officers within its limit
through whose agency alone those laws CO
l. be carried into execution, have already T
signed, and we no longer have Distri
+ Judge, District Attorney, or a Marshal,
n South Carolina. In fact, the whole I'M
h chineTy of the Federal Government, nece
sary for the distribution of remedial justi
n among the people, has been demolished, an
it would be difficult, if not impossible,
replace it.
The only Acts of Congress ON the statut
book, bearing ON this subject are those
February %, 1895 and March g. 1907. The
> authorize the President, after he shall ha'
e aseertained that the Marshal, with his pos
/ eoRitatHs is unable to execute civil or erin
{. nal process in any particular case, TO ca
g forth the militia, and employ the army al
sr navy to aid him in performing this serviC
h having first, by proclamation, command
= 4 \