The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-11
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT.

The following is the message of President
Buchanan sent in TO Congress on Wednesday
| last:
| To the Senate and House OF Representatives.
AT the opening OF your present session, l
called your attention to the dangers which
threatened the existence of the Union. | ex.
pressed my opinion freely concerning the ORR
sinal casues of these dangers. and recommend
ed such measures us | believed would have the
effect OF tranqaliizing the country, and saw
lhg II from the peril In which il had been need
essy and most unfortunately Involved
Those opinions and Recommendations do not
propose now TO repeat My own convictions
upon the whole subject remain unchanged.
Ihe fact that great calamity was impend-
ing over the nation was even at that time ac-
knoWledged by every intelligent citizen. II had
| already made ITSELF felt thro roughout the length
and bread th OF the land. The necessary cons..
quences OF the alarm thus produced were most
| depiorabie. he imports fell of with a raDidi-
| ty never known before, except in time OF war
| IN the history OF our foreign commerce the
| Treasury was Unexpectedly left Without the
| means which il had reasonably counted upon
| 10 meet the public engageLasnts trade was
| paralyZ yZed manufac lures were stopped the
| best public securities suddenly sunk in the
| market every species OF property deprecated
| more or less aud thousands of poor men, who
| depended upon their daily labor for their daily
| brtat, were turned out OIL emf loymeEt
| l deeply regret that l am not apIe to give
you any information upon the state OF the
| Union which is more satIs fac terry than what
| was then Obliged to communicate. On the
| contrary, matters are still worse at present
| than they then were When Congress met
| strong hope pervaded the whole public mind
| that some amicabIe adj US tment of the su biect
would speedily be made by the Representatives
of the ) ates and Of the people which might
| restore peace between the conflicting sections
| Of the country. That hope has been dimln-
ished by every hour of delay and as the pros
pect Of bloodless settlement fades away the
| public distress becomes more and more agra
az .lf his fS ,,,fr
sary 10 say that the Treasury notes au thorIZed
| 10y the act of 18th (seventeenth) December last
were advertised according 10 the law, aud that
no responsible bidder offered To take any con-
siderable sum at par at a lower rate OF terest
than twelve per cent. From these facts il ap-
pears tnat, in Government organized ike
ours, domestic strife, or even well-grounded
fear of civil hostiiities more des tructlye to
our pu bile and private Interests than the most
formidable foreign war.
In my annual Message l expressed the con-
viction, which l have long deli bera teIy held.
and Which recent reflection has only Tended
TO deepen and confirm, that no STATE has
right, by its own act, To secede from the Union,
or throw Oft its Federal obligations at pleas
ure. also declared my opiEion TO be, that
even IL that right existed, and should be exer.
cised by any State OF the Confpderacy, the Elk.
ecutive department of this Government had
no authority, under the Constitution, 10 re-
cognize its validity by acknowledging the In-
dep ndence OF sucn State. This lett me no air
Tentative, as the Onief Executive officer unde-
the Constitution of the United Sla,es, but 10
collect the public revenue aud 10 pro lect the
public property, SO far as this might be prac-
tcabie, under existing laws. This is still my
purpose. My province is to execute, and not
TO make the laws.
II belongs to Congress exclusively to repeal,
to modify, or to enlarge their provisions, to
meet exIgencieS aS they may occur possess no
dispensing power. l certainly had Lo right To
make aggressive war upon any State and
am perfectly satisfied that the Constitution
has wisely Withheld that power even from
Congress. But the right and the duty to use
military force defensiveiy against those who
resist the Federal officers in the execution OF
their legal functions, and against those who
assaii the property OF the Federal Govern.
ment, is clear and undenlaple.
But the dangerous and hostile attitude of
the States towards each other has already tar
transcribed and cast in the shade the ordinary
Executive duties already provided for by la w.
and has assumed sucn vast and alarming
proportions as 10 place the subject entirely
above and beyond Executive control The
fact cannot be disguised, that we are in the
midst of a great revolution. In all it's yari-
Gus bearings, therefore, 1 commend the ques-
tion to Congress, as the only human tribunal.
under Providence, possessing the power to
meet the existing emergency. To them exclu-
sively belongs the power to declare war or to
authorize the employment of military force
in all cases contemplated by the Constitution;
and they alone possess the power TO remove
grievances which might lead to war, and to
country. Ca them, and on them alone, rests
the responsibility.
The Union is sacred trust left by our revo
lutionary fathers to their descendants, ard
never did any other people inherit SO rich
legacy. It has rendered MS prosperous in
peace and triumphant in war. The nation nj
flag has fioated in glory over every sea- Un.
der its shadow American citizens have found
protection and respect In all lands beneath the
sun. 1--we descend to considerations of pure
| iy material terest, when, in the history of
all time, has a Confederacy been bou nd togeth-
sr by such strong ties OF mutual interest T.
Each portion of 1t is dependent on all, and ali
upon each portion, for prosperity and domes-
| TIC security. Free trade throughout the whole
supplies the wants OF one portion from the
productions of another, aud scst,ers w raith
| every where. The great planting and farming
| States require the aid OF ths commercial and
| navigating States to send their productions to
domestic and foreign markets., and to furnish
| the naval power 10 render their Transports.
| tion secure against all hosttie attacks.
Should the Union perish Ia the midst Of the
present oxcttemeut We have already had a