Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1861-03-09
wA@HtNsToM March 4,

Gnyernment itself, appear before syuu t1 adj,
dress YOU briefly, and TO takeSthe oath presoris
| hed by the Constitution 0f the United Slates.to
be taxed by tho President before he se6tsrs on
| the execution of his Office, \ ! 81 8 &
| do not consider it necessary. at present to
! discuss sh,,Se matters Of administration ah,ut
which there Is no speeipll Anxiety orexeitemctt.
I Arprehensi0n seems to exist 'ah,nng thespe0Fie
| of the Southern States that. by the aceessiun Of
| u Republican Administrator, their property.
peace and personal security are tu be endanger-
ed. Thcre'never has bech any reasonable cause
for such apprehension.;. IiIdped, ihe mnstanl-
pie evideuce tu tile contrary has all the whilc
existed. and hoen apen to their inspcctiun. IL is
found in nearly all the public speeches of him
who now addresses you. | do but qmute from
of those speeches when, declare, ,hat
have no purpnSe. directly orindirectlystO inter
/ fere with the Institution nf slavery ia fhe States
whefeit exists, and beiieee / have no
luwtul right to doosl, aud EhaVe nn inclinutinn
; todo so. Fhnse whTnnminated and elected me,
did sn with, foil ktuW ledge that 1,had made this
and MANS similar declarations. and had never
recalled thrm: and, more than this, they pl,iced
m the platform for my acceptance, rs II law to
the n'splveS aud toino,, the clear and emphatic
resolution which | now read:
+ - ReSaiced. That the maintenahce inviolate
OF the rights ofthe" States and especially the
right of each State to order and, CONTROL its own
domestic institutions according to its aSyn judg-
ment exclusively, is esscntial,to that balance of
power on which the, perfection and endurance
OF our political fabric depend and> We de.
| nounec The lawle4s' invasion. ;hy armed forces,
of the suil nf any State or rerritory, npMratter
>under what ,prctcxt, as an,oiIg tho gravest."f
crimes" ..~..s-S &. ,r.-'.
now reiterate those. sentiments. and judo
/ ing So only press upon the public attention
the most conclusive evidence Of which the case
is susceptible. that the property, peace, and SO.
! onriiy ot no section are to be in anywise en-
* \.
add To that all the protection which. consist
eht!y with The Constitution and the laws can
lie given. will he checrfuily given to all the
States, when lawfully demandad for whulcycr
cause, hs chcerfulIyto one scctim as to anoihcr.
There is moeh controversy abtut ille deliver
! inSup If fugitves from service ur mbur The
clNuSe now read is as pLtinly writton IN tho
Consultation AZ any other af it's provisions
No perSnn held to service ar labor in one
State hnder the laws thereof escupipg inin an
! other. shall IN consequence "f any law or reg
untlpn therein. be discharged from speh service
| or labor; hat shall he delivered up on claim of
Ethe party TO whom such service, Or labor may.
! be}dbe."t 4 1;, 5@NT s.,. - :
1t scarcely questioned that this provision
waS intendedsby those who made it for the re-
claiming Hf what we call fugitive saros and
the intenti"n Of the law given S;he law. All
members of Congress swear their support to the
| whale C0hsIitutiun-to tlIis provisinn as much
NJ to cny other. To the proposi ,ion then, that
| slaves, whose cases cnnle withn the terms of
| this clause. shall lie deleercd up their oaths
are unanimOus. Now, ifsthcy wuuld,,nake the
effort in, good temper. wuuld. they mt with
nearly equnl unanimity frume and pass a law,
10y means Of which ttT keep c,md that ,,nani.
nous "Ntl There is some difference df orin.
ION whether this clause should bc enforced hv
nptional ar hy State authority but surely Tint
diferencc Is not n very material one, If lie
slave is he surrendered it can be uf but Iiuc
consequence to him or to others hY which au--
| thority-t is done; aid should any one in any
ease he eoutent thnt>h oath shall go unkept IN
n>meroly unsubstantal controversy as To how
| II shall he kept? Again in any kiw upon this
subject ought not all tho AafeSnarls of liberty
known in civilized and humane Independence,
to be introduced. so Tint n free nun be not in
any case surrendered us n slave and might it
not be well, at tile same time. to provide bv
law Tor tho enforcement Of that cl,use in the
Constitution which gnaraneeS that 81 the CHI
Zens Of each State shall be enti,.ed' TO all the
| privileges and mmunites of citizens in the
several Stnies 2''
~ i take the official oath to day with nomen-
tal reservations, and with no purpose to COR
strue the Constitution Or laws by any hypo.
critical rnles. &nd willie I do not choose
now to specify particular acts of Congress az
proper to be enforced, do suggest that IT
will be,nuch safer for all, both in oficialand
private statiops, to eonform to and abide by
all thosc acts which stand unrepealcd, than
to violate my of them, trusting to fud'inImu-
nifty in having them held to be ,uncoustitu
tional, -
1t isseventy two eT29 years since the first
inauguration Of n President, under our marion.
nj Constitution During TINT period fifteon
different and greatly distinguished citizens
have, In succession, administered the execu
tive branch of the. government They have
conducted it through many pcrils, generally
with great success. Yet, with all this hope
| for precedent, / now enter upon the sanle
task, for the brief constitutional term Of four
years, under great aud peculiar difficulties -
a disruption of the FedersI Union, hereto.
fore menaced, is now for nally admitted {
hold that in contemplation of universal law,
and of the Constitution, the Union of these
States is perpetual. PerPeiuity is implied,
not expressed, ia the Fundamental law. Of
National Governments. l. is safe to assert
that no government proper over had provi.
sion in its organic law for it's own tcr,ninaLiou
Continue to executeall the express provisions
Of our national Constitution, and the Union
will endure forever; it being inrpussible to
destroS 1t except by some action nj provided
for in the instrument itself =
! Again, if the United States be not {, Gov-
| ernment proper, but an association. of States
In the nature of a coutraet merely, AN it, as
a contract, be practically unmade by less than
all the parties who made it.? One partv to u
contract may violate it, break it, SO TO cpeak (;
| hut doHa mt fann;ra al ~ A