Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-03-08
Inaugural ADDRESS, Of abraham
Lincoln.
7ellctg CGii1csls or the United STATES =

execution OF his office.
| do not consider il necessary at present foF me
to discuss those matters Of administration about
which there il no special anxiety or excitement.
Apprehension seems TO exist among the people
Of the Southern States that ny the accession OF
Republican Administration, their property aud their
peace and personal security are 70 be endangered
There has bes any reaSona ble Cause for such
an appreheusion- IrGecd, the most ample evidence
to the contrary has all the while existed and been
open to Their inspection.
Ii is found in nearly all the published speeches
Of him who now addresses yoa. / do but quote
from one of those speeches when declare that 81
have purpose directly Indirectly, to interfere
with the institution Of Slavery the States where
il exists, believe have no lawful right TO 60 so
and have nO inclination to do so. Those who
nominated and elected me did SO with the full know
ledge that h.ld tnade this and many smiar decla-
rations, ana had Eeyer reclnted them. And more
than this, they placed in the platform for my ac
ceItance as d Law to themselves and to me, the
clear ana empiatc resolution which | now read.
Resolved ssPhat the mainteaance inyiolate Of
the rights of the States, and especially the right ot
each State TO orier ami conGr3i owa domestic
institutions according 10 its own Judgment excla-
siVey, is essential ha; balance opower on which
tns perfection aai eliarAncs ot our political fab
ric depend. And denounce the lawess in
vasi2n ty an armed force OF the soil OF any state
or territory, no matter under WhAt pretext, as
among the graYest of crimes.
now reil.rate these sentiments, aRd IN doing SO,
I only press upon the public attention the most
conclusive evidence of which the case IS sascertl.
ble--that the property peace ana security OF no
section are to be ia anywise endangered Dy the new
incoming Administration.
| add, TOO, that all the protection which, consis-
tenily with the Constitution aud the laws, can be
given will be eheerilIy gwen to all the States,
when lawfully demsnied, for whatever cause, as
eheerfuy to one section as To another.
There is much controversy abou. the delivering
l&l4 he 1
read is as pEsuly written In the Constitution,
as any other CT It's PROVISIONS
'sNo person held 10 service or labor in one State
under the ilws thereof, escaping into another shall
in consequence Of any law regulation therein,
be discharged from service or labor, ouE shall
be delivered up on claim OF the party to whom
such service or labor may be duo
Ii is scarcely questioned that this provision was
intended by tLoss who made it tor the reclaiming
Of what we cali fugitive slaves, aud the Intention
of the law -giyer il the law.
All members of Congress sweai their support to
the whole Constilution--to this provision as much
to any otherte the proposition then tnat slaves
whose cases ceme within the terms OF tlis clause,
and shall be delivered nP, their oaths are unAuI
nous
Now il they would make the effort in good tenn
per, could they not, with nearly equal un1nimiiy,
frame and pass Law 10y meaus of which TO Keep
good that unanimous oath
There is some difference Of opinion whether this
clause should be enforced by National or State
authority, but surely that difference is not very
material one.
If the slave ia to b surrendered, it be Of but
little consequence to him TO others, by which
authority it u done. And should any one in aEy
ease be content tnat his oath shall go unkept on
merely unsubstanial controversy as TO bow it shall
he kept2
Again-In any law upon this subject ought not
all the safeguards OF loerty known Ia the civilized
and humane jurispru1ence be introduce,
that freeman may not be, in any CASE surrender
ed as slave?
And might it not be well, at the same time, to
provide by law for the enforcement OF that cause
in the Constitution, which guArantees that s'the
citizens of each Stale sali he entitled To all the
privileges and immunisies of the citizens in the
several States ! take the official oath to-day
with no mental reservation and With no purpose To
construe the Constitution or laws by any hyper
critical rules. And while do not choose to
specify particular acts to Congress proper to ls
enforced, do suggest that il will be much safer
for all, in off ;al anl prvAte 81 ttioas to
form to and abide by all those acts which stand
repealed than to violate any of them trusting To
fnd irnpunity in having them held to DO aneansti-
tutional.
It is scarcely seEenty-two years since the first in
aseuration of Pre- sideht nnier our National Con-
stituton. During that period fifteen different and
greatly distinguished citizens have in succession
administered the executive branch Of the Govern
perils, aud generally with great success Yet with
al this scope for precedent, now enter upon the
task for the brief term of four years, under
great and peculiar difficulty. a disruption Of the
Federal Union, heretofore only menaced, is now
foTmidahly attempted. | hold that in consemnla-
tion of the universal law and Of the Constitution,
the union of these States is perpetual. Pcrp9tugy
is implied, If not expressed, in the fundamental
laws of all national governments. Ii is safe 20 as
sert that the Governments proper never had pro-
T.. "a. - -.
i shall continue to execute all the express provi-
sions OF our National Constitution and the Union
viii endure forever it being impossible to destroy
il except by some action BOT provided for i'm the
instrument itself
Again, if the United States be not government
proper, but an association OF States in The nature
OF u contract merely, can it be peaceably unmade
by less than all the parties who made il 2 One
patty to the contract may yiol ate t, break it
speak, but does it not require all to lawfully res
cInd il Z
Descending from these general principles, we find
the proposition that IN legal contemplation the
Union il perpetual, confirmed by the history OF
the Union itself. Tbs Union is much older than the
Constitution. Ii formed in part by the articles
of association In IVA. 1t WAS maturca and con-
tinued by the Deel4r tion of Independence ia
1916. 1t was further matIred and the faith Of all
the then thirteen States expressly pghted and
gagged that il should be perpetual BY the articles of
confederation in 1913, anl finally in 1889. One OF
the declared objects for ordsinng AMI establishing
the Constitution, WAS to form more perfect Uaon;
hut ii the destruction of the Union by one or BY
part only of the States bo i4wfully possible, the
Union is less than before the Constitution having
lost the vital eemeu. Of pefpetuity it follows from
these views that State upon its own motion
can lawfully get out Of the Unlou and that resolves
or ordinances to that effect legally void, aad
that acts Of violence within any State States
against the authority Of the United States, n-
surreciionary or revolutionary according to cir
cumstaBces.
therefore consiicr that 10 view of the Consitu-
tion and laws tha Union Is unbroken, and the
extsnt Of my ability shall take care, as the Con-
stituion expressly e Joins on me, tee Laws of
the Union be faithfully executed in all the States
Doing this deem b. oRly simple duty Oh
my part, aud | shall perform It so Tar practicI-
Bile, unless my rightial masters, the American
neonEa shall ,rithhald fha r4nttisita man. or in