The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-03-09
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS
OF
PRESIDENT LINCOLN.

address You briefly, and to- Take. in YOUR
presence, the oath prescribed by the Consti.
| tuition Of the United Stated to he taken by
the President before he enters on the cxecu.
| ton Of his office.
do not consider it necessary at present
for me to discuss those matters If ndm!nis-
! traton about which there is no special anxi-
city or excitement.
Apprehension seems to exist among tho
people of the Southern States, that by the &C.
cession of Republican Administration, their
property and their peace and. personal sccuri-
ty are to be endangered.
There has never been any reasonable cause
Tor such on apprehension. Indeed. the most
ample evidence to the contrary has all the
while existed and been open to their inspec-
'tIon. X is found in nearly all the published
specches oil HIM who now addresses YOU
/ do but quote from one of these speeches.
when declare that ~ have no purpose,
direct or indirectly, to interfere with the in
sI'utlon OF slavery in the States where it OK
ISIS. believe have no lawful right TO do
so, nnd have no inclination 10 do So"
nose whn nominated and elected me. did
50 with the fun knowl'd se that had made
'hH and similar declarations, and had never
ana more than TINS, they placed in the
p''.orm' lo1 my acceptance, asa law to
themselves and to me, the clear and enphat-
lc resolution which now read:
heSoirrd' That the maintenance invio!ate
oi 'he igh.s OF Inc states, ana especially OF
'he right o. each State to order and control its
| own domestic institutions. according TO 1t.
own Judgement exclusively, is csscatia! TO
mat balance OF power on which the rrrEec-
ton ana endurance OF our political fabric
oepena' hhc we dcnoucce the lawleSs IN.
vaso"' oy an armed lofce, OF the SOIL Of any
o'a.e or leintofy' no matter under what pre-.
ecX'' rs among Inc grarcst OF cilncs.'
now Ielteiatc these sentiments, ard in
ao'ns so only press upon the public a'teH.
Won 'he most conclusive evidence Of which
'he case IS snsceptlbfe-tha the property.
peace. anu security CT no section are 10 be II:
anywise endangered by the new, incoming
Adm'nstration.
add too, that all the protection which
consistently win The Constitution and the
avs, can be given, will be chcerinliv given
to all the States when lawfully demand d, for
whatever cause, as cheerfuIly to one section
as to another.
There is much controversy about the ID.
livery of fueitiycs from service or l.hor.--
Tic clause / NOW road ;x nc ,I,;,Ir ,,r;,t,,
in the Constitution as ary o.h,.r or lie 49,,
ri .on. O'' VI ''- f''
'', y, ~
G, ~" r,nso' '','u 10 serVlce OF 'aoor iii one
"''.' NV '""" ''''co'' eS'"i''s mo
ano.,',', s',"'' ~ CONSEQUENCES CT any Ia" or
'es"'"''o'' 'nefe'n' oe a'scnafesn i'ohl such
service or LABOR, but Shall bc delivered up on
claim OF the party 10 whom such service
la hnr ,,nt Ie.I t,nN
1t is scarcely questioned that this provision
was intended by those who made il is- the
retaining of what we call fugitive slaves
and the intention of the law.ciyer is the law
All members of Conorcss swcar ,he;r snn.
mort to the whole Cnnst;tut;on VITO Ike nrn.
vision nc ,nrch nc :, ,,v .,t.. .rraH f'
nos;,;on ,h.n ,I,.t 49,. ''' Wv
With, III. to,,,s I'LL. aI. 's ,u ,m
H.. vi. III, " 'H'S 'i1use' anu shat
~ ne:c.,'" up ,ie'r oalns are unanimous:
No" u'ey "ou'o make Inc eliUrt III good
TEMPER coulu thcy not with nearly cq'al
unh'i'hi'y' frame ana pass law by means
OF which to keep good that unanimou. oath
There il some difference Of opinion WHISTLER
this clause should be enforced by National or
State authority; hut surely that difference is
not very material one. ii the slave is TO be
surrendered, it can be but Of It'll" consequ-
encc 10 nm or to others by which, authority it
is done. And should any one, in any case,
be content that his oath shall go unkept on Il
merely unsIbstantial controversy as TO how
It shall be kept.
Again In any law upon this snl.icct, ought
not all the safeguards Of liberty known in cl-
vilzrd and humane Jurisprudence to be intro
dnccd, so that free man may not DC, in any
case, surrendered as slaec?
And might it not be as well. at the same
time, to provide by law for the enforcement
OIL that clause in the Constitution which guar
an'ees that 'the citizens of each State shall
be entitled to all the provisions and immuni-
ties of citizens in the several States?;'
take the official oath to-day, with no men
tai reservation, and with no purpose to con-
strue the Constitution or laws by any hyper
critical rules. And while l do NUt choose
now to specify particular acts 10 Congress rs
proper to be enforced, l do suggest that it
will be much safer for all, both in official and
private stations, to conform to, and abide By,
all those acts which stand unrepealed, than TO
violate any Of them, trusting to fad inlpuny
in having them held t0 be unconstatu-
tional.
1t is scarcely seventy-two years since the
first Inauguration of President under or
National Constitution. During that period,
fifteen different and greatly distinguished citi-
zens have, in succession. administered tho
Executive branch OF the Government. They
have conducted it through many perils, and
generally, with great success. Vet. with all
this scope for precedent, l now entcr upon
the same task, for the brief term Of four Years
under great ana peculiar difficulty. A dsrup.
ton of the Federal Union, heretofore only
menaced, is now formidablr attempted. /
i