Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-01-05
bEsIDENT's MESSAGE.

We aud uN T5A--slzs. s.-,--,--4-------4!- "
d S,Srst,S" s.iy !" s,ilissns. a hs Ssnnts
RMS or aid ,Hoiss Of Rspreenio iiues!
~ 'ssNr dssn5Rnd heartfelt gratitude is due to
, hatAfmI bsy Powef which has bestowed
MN % tuSh ysflea MD nunerJcl blessings
,h4uahout SsSe< year. Tie genera!
,bdltPa Paf ths, coupQ has,been excellent;
ourhsryssts hws been unusually plentiful,
fni yrosni1D5 sm ilsssshtossssst, land,
sndsed} 8tvlshsty Hing oar d1mcrits, we
lhavS mud 'reA Ason 10 believe ffom ilr<P past
,ssvsnts inl our kistenu, hs, we have enjoyed
She .spee6h protecti5F Of Divine Providence
y evetsIske, our Origin ss nation. We hays
been exposed to many threatening .aSd
Slarniq difficulties 10 bur prcgross; but on
each Successive bccssion the. nnpeuding
cltud has been dissipa,sd dt tse momept i,
#, appeared reudy 10 burst ofon our head, and
tho danger to our institutions has passed
sway May we ever be under The divine
guidance and protection!
Whilst it is the duly. OF tho President
''from time to time to give to Congress in
Formation OF the state Of the UniIn.'
shall not refer ir detail to the recent sad
and bloody occurrences at Harper's Ferry.
Sullit ia proper to observe ,hit these events
however bad and cruel in themselves, derive
their chief importance from the apprehen-
!, sion that they ure but symptoms of an in
durable disease in the public mind, which
mny break out in still more dangerous out.
RACES and terminate at list in an open war
by the North to abolish slavery in tho South.
Whilst, for myself, entertain no such ap.
prehension they ough, to afford solemn
warning to us all to beware of the approach
of danger. Our Union is a stake Of such
inestiulsble value as to demand our constant
and vstehful vigilance for its preservation
In this view, lei me implole my country.
men. North and South, to Gu tivate the an.
cient feelings oi mutual iorbeGrance and
good.w i'll toward each other, and strive to
alay the demon spirit Of sectional hatred
and strife nov alive IN the land. Tnis al.
vice proceeds from the heart Of an old pub.
Tic iunctionary whose services commenced
in the lust generation, amung the wise and
conservative statesmen OF that day. now
nearly all passed away, and whose first and
dearestssearthl wish to leave his country
tranquil, prosperous. united, aud powerful.
We ough, TO reflect that in this aye, and
especially in this country, there is an in.
cessint fux and rtflux Of public opinion. -
Questions which in their day assumed II
must threatening aspect, have now nearly
gone from tho memory of men, They are
'volcaEces burnt ou'sand on the ,liva and
ashos and s1ualid ,scoriD OF cd eruption
grow The peaceful olive, ibe ckeeks,g vine !,
.nd1 sns,afiing cen." .sucb, :, in a,y
opi'iiRn, will prove 10 b. the fate Of Tie
g.esent SECTIONAL exuituen', should ih,se
hs wita;y seek to apply lie renledy, con-
tiEus ais sys te.con,iaa thor efoffs within
ths pale of the Constitution. lf this course
be pursued, the existing agitation ON the
subject OF domestic slavery, like everything
human, will have lis day and give place to
ether and less threatening controversies.
Pubic opinion in this untrv SIS al-power-
ful, and when it reaches dangerous excess
upon any question, itle 60 ID sense of the
penp,e will furnish t1e corrective aud bring
il back within sac limits. Sill, to hasten
this suspieous result, at the present crisis.
We out to remember that eveIy rational
creature must be presumed to intend the
natural cDnsequen noes Of his own teachings
Those who announce ab.tract doc,r nes
subversive Of the Cunstilu ion and the Tn
ion, must not be surprised should their
heated purllsans advance one step turrher,
and attempt BY violence TO carry thrs. doc
irines into practical effect. In this view OF!
the subjec It ought never 10 hej forgotten
that, hos ever great may have been The. DO.
litical advan ayes resulting from the Union
to every portion OF our common country.
these v ould ali prove IT, be rs no.h NJ should
tho time ever arrive when they cannet be
enjoyed without serious danger to the per-
svnal safety of the people of fifteen mem.
bsrs of The conicderucv. Il he peace Of
lheldomestic f.esde throughou: these States
should ever be iLvuded--if the mothers of
families within this extensive region should
not be able to retire 10 rest al night with
out suffering dreadful apprehensons Of wha,
may be their own fate and that of their
children before the morning-it would be
vain TO recount to such people the polite.
si benefits which result to them from the
Union. Seli-pressrvation is the first inslinc,
st nature; and therefore any state of so
siety 10 which the sword is all the time
suspended over the heads of tho peope
must Al last become intolerable. Bat in
~dulge in no such gloomy forcbodings. On
the contrary, firmly believe lhrt the events
a, Harper's Ferry, by causing the people ,c
pause and renect.upon the possible peril t(
their cherished institutions, will be tht
means, under Providence, of allaying til,
existing excitement and preventing iutur,
eutbresks of a similar character. The,
will resolve that the Constitution and tn,
Union shall not be endangered by rasl
eounsels, knowing that, should "rhe slve
cord be looscd or the golden ow be broker
= at the founlsin," human powe
could never reunits the scattered AMI hostil
fragments.
cordially congratulate you upon tn
final settlement by the Supreme Court q
the United States of the question of SLAYER
in the Territories, which had presented a
aspect so truly formidable at the commence
mont of my administration. The right ha
seen established Of every citizen to tax