The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-03-09
The Irauru~al Address.

The style, however, is a small affair, if
tho matter is right. Criticism on this
head can only 10 based on the way in
which we interpret lin. First, then, we
understand Mr. Lincoln a. undertaking to
di2pel the cgprehsTsicns of the South, on
which alone lie thinks their secession
movements ere based, that the accession
OF republican administration would be
dangerous to their property, by assuring
them that the republicans never proposed
in the reTno.est degree to interfere with
their domestic institutions. On the con-
trary, he quotes from the Chicago platform
TO show that they condemned every thing
/ like John Brown raids, and aver willing
ness to have the fugitive slave clause Of
the Constitution executed in good faith
This we think, Er Lincoln can say in all
honesty for himself and perhaps major
| ity Of his Cabinet, but certainly not for a
large proportion Of his party.
Coming, however, TO the marrow of the
document, his exposition Of tho relation Of
the States to each other and the general
government, we understand Nr. Lincoln to
| occupy this position: That the Union is in
! law unbroken that it is and was intended
| to be perpetual that secession is necessa-
! rily unknown to the Constitution, and Is,
| therefore, either instruction or revo!u-
ton, according to circumstances Being
elected Prssiic..s of the whole United
i States, and taking the oath to support tho
| Constitution and see ali the laws faithfully
executed, he Is, per consequence, lett with
! on. discretion, but is bound to protect the
public property, collect the revenue, ard
execute al the laws in the seeding as
well as non-secedng States.
That this portion of the address should
| be differently interpreted, is not surpris
| ing; but IT as somewhat singular tina. the
extreme friends Of the Presiden. aud his
| extreme enemies should interpret it alike
I Both say it means coercion to the full eX-
tent, ard viii bring Oh var between the
/ sections in thirty days Tie big and little
7rijuNe politicians say, the President means
! Immediately TO blockade all the Southern
ports, retabe the forts, and force the re-
! belliorls' States into submission; and The
sacessionists rub their hands in g!ee saying
the same thing and congratulate them
selves that now they shall have all the
slave States join them, for they are all
pledged against coercion.
With due Difference, we thina The Pre5I-
dent means nothing Of the sort Who, II
least at tie North, will venture to question
the correctness cf his position, tina. when
he took the Presidential oath, he became
the President Of the ch9le United States,
and a-sun ID the Obligation to discharge
all his duties as such, as If no secession
had taken place AIhc Constitution knows
/ no divided Union, and Judge fancy admi-
Ni=tered the same oath TO Mr. Lincoln
| that he administered to seven other presi-
dents Bat in executing the laws TIE Pre-
sident has pretty wide discretion, and it
/ is in reference to the use he intends to
make OF this, that we think hi. extremist
/ friends md enemies mistake. Mr. /.
might i'm usii / iv send an armament to
! Charleston to retake Fort Moultrie, and
| this would bring on war forthwith; but
/ does he mean to do this? On the contra
ry, he says there need be no bloodshed,
and he is opposed to such 4 course, unless
it is forced upon him; as By an attack up
on Fort Sumpter, for instance.
Coercion, in its bad sense, then, we are
10th to believe to have been in his thoughts
Why else should lie Immediately follow
/ his statements that look so threatening
with so large saving clause as this:
| The course here indicated will he fol
| lowed, unless current events and expert
/ ences slisi! show a modification or change
! to be proper, and IN every case ard eXigen
cy my best discretion Will be exercised
according to circumstances actually exist
| ing, and with view and hope OF the
peaceful solution OF the national troubles
and the restoration OF frsternai sympa-
thies and affections.
SO far from violent and precipitate mea-
suros, we infer from this extract, and the
whole tone Of the inaugural, that the Pre-
sident r.lcans to act III a spirit Of the ut
most forbesrance, and Instead of looking
upon the address as declaration Of war,
we fully agree with Judge Douglas, that
for the present al least, it must be rather
understood a. proclamation OF peace
The portion of the inaugural devoted to
the Drcd Scott decision Is mere pettifog-
ginr The President thinks decision of
the Supreme Court Is binding only 50 far
a. it touches the immediate parties to the
suit, and may be reversed in the very next
ease Such has not, we believe, been the
commonly received notion among lawyers
as to the binding force Of judicial deci-
sions. If our Supreme Court, after full
investigation and elaboration, make de-
J cision that Court ever afterwards defer to
it, unless il can BE shown 10 have been
made under palpable m;sappreh ension.
.. Law is mighty unsartin'' as it is; but if
the highest judicial tribunals Of tie coun-
try acted on the principle OF ignoring all
previous decisions, the people would soon
rid themselves of institutions so capricious
and unstable.
At Elizabeth, Y j., on Wednes day eve
ming, Il 9th uit, one Archibald Oracle,
IT., was burned in elligy; his offence being
a participation in the Seizure Of Fort Nor
gan Archibald Oracle is a graduate oi
West Point, bub recently joined the seces-
sionists in Alabama, and after the capture
Of Eo,t Mnrrap rat.rrraI IN bis hCna in