The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-12-13
sTRoUDsBURG. MONROE COUNTY, PA. DECEMBER ls 1850

no matter what may be his own political
proclivities, to restore peace and harmo.
ny among the States. Wisely limited
and restrained as is his power, under our
Constitution aud laws, be alone can 40.
complish but little. for good or for evil,
on such a momentous question.
And this brings me to observe that the
election of eny one of our fellow citizens
to the Office OF President does not of it.
self afford just cause for dissolvins the
Union. This is more especially true if
his election has been effected by q mere
plurality, and Dot majority, of the peo-
pie, and has resulted from transient and
temporary causes, which may probably
never again occur. In order to justify a
resort to revolutionary resistance. the
Federal Government must be guilty of "a
deliberate, palpable and dangerous exer-
else" of powers not granted BY the Con-
stitution The late presidential election,
however, has been held in strict conform
ity with its express provisions. How,
then, can the result justify a revolution
to destroy this very Constitution Rea-
son, justice. a regard for the Constitution
all require that we shall wait for some
overt aud dangerous act on the part of
the President elect before resortDs to
such remedy
1t is said, however, that the antece-
dent, of the President elect have been
sufficient to justify the fears of the South
that be will attempt to invade their con.
stitutionsl rights. But are such sppre-
tensions Of contingent danger in the fu-
ture sufficient to justify the Immediate
destruction of the nohlest system of gov
ernmept ever devised by mortalsl From
the very nature OF bis Office. and its high
responsibilities, be must necessarily be
conservative. The stern duty of admin
isteriug the vast apd complicated con
Germs of this Government affords in itself
guarantee that be will not attempt any
violation OF clear constitutional right
A !ter all. he is DO more than the chief
executive officer OF the Government.
Hi province is not to u axe, but to ex-
ecute. the laws; and 1t is remarkable
fact in hour history. that, Dotwithstand-
ing the repeated efforts of the auti.slsve-
~ party, no single &C, has ever passed
Congress, unless We may possibly except
the Missouri Compromise, iupairiug, in
the slightest degree, the rights of the
South to their property in slaves. And
it nay also be observed, judging from
present indications, that no probability
exists OF the passage of such an act, by
majority of both Houses, either in the
present or the next Congress. Surely,
under these circumstances, We ought to be
restrained from present action By the
preeept of Him who spake as never man
spoke. that "sufhcieDt unto the day is the
evil thereof" The day of evil may nev-
er come, unless We shall rashly bring it
upon ourselves.
1t is alleged as one cause for immedi-
ate secession that the Southern States are
denied equal rights With the other States
10 the common Territories. But by
what authority are these deniedl Not
by Congress. which has never passed.
and believe rever will pass, any act to
exclude slavery from these Territories;
and certainly Dot by the Supreme Court.
which has soleulnly decided that slaves
are property, aud, like all other proper
ty. their owners have right to take them
into the common Territories, and hold
them there under the protection Of the
CoDstitotioD.
So far, then, as Congress is concerned.
the objection is not to anything they have
already done, but to what they may do
hereafter. 1t will surely be admitted
that this apprehension of future danger is
no good reason for an i'm mediate dissolu.
ton OF the Union. [, is tue that the ter
ritoriaI legislature of Kansas. Cd the 23d
Of February. 1860. passed in great haste
an act. over the veto of the Governor, de-
claring that slavery "is, and shall be-
forever prohibited in this Territory
Such an act. however, plainly violating
the right. OF property secured by the
Constitution, will surely be declared void
by the judiciary whenever it Oball be pre-
septed in legal form.
Only three days after my insugura
ton, the Supreme Court of the Unitet
States solemuly adjudged that this pow
er did not exist in territorial legisla
ture. Yet such has been the fachou.
temper Of the time. that the correetuesi
of this decision has been extensively ion
Plunged before the people. and the ques
ton has given rise to angry political con
1icts throushou the country. 1hos'
who have appealed from this judgeDen
OF our highest constitutional tribunal t.
popular emblies would il they could
invest territorial Legislature with powe
to apnual the sacred rights OF property
This power Congress is expressly forbid
den by the Federal Constitution to exer
else.
Every State Legislature in the Unio
is forbidden by its own constitution to x
ercise it 1t cannot be exercised 10 an
State except BY the people in their high
est sovereign capacity when framing 0
amending their State constitution. L