, 1861-01-15
PresIdent Buchannn's Special Message


The following is tho specl.! ,.4r:saye Of Pre-
Eideut Buchanan, Of which g ir':f teie5raphic
synopsis WIS published III orr columns few
days since:
To the Senate aud House # Representatives:
At the opening Of yo,:s present session
called your attention to lr dangers which
threatened the existence OF tile Union. I cx-
pressed my opinion freely concerning the orig
inal causes OF these dangers, aud recommend
ed such measures as believed would have the
effect Of tranqui1izinE the country-saving it
trum the peril in which it had been nccdlessly
and most unfortunately thrown.
Those opinions and recommendations do
not propusc now to repeat. N: own cunylc-
cd The iact that great calamity was infp pend
ing over the nation was, even at that time, ac-
knoWlcd.cd by every intel;iItrt citizen. It had
already made itself felt throughout the length
and breadth Of the land. The necessary con-
sequences Of the alarm thus produced were
most deplorablc. Imports fell off with 4 ra-
pitity never known before, except in time vi
war, in the history Of oEr foreign commerce.
The treasury was unexpectedly LETT without
means, which it had reasonably counted upon.
to meet the public engagements. Trade WIS
paralyzcd, manufactures were stopped, t1,-
best public securities suddenly sank ii tie
market, every Species Of properly t.eprcciatc.l
more or less, and thousands VI poor men, vito
depended upon their daily labur for their daily
bread, were turned out Of cmploym,At
deeply rrgret that oul no; able to give
you any Information upon the state of the
Union which is more satisfactory than what
was then obliged TO communicate. On tho
contrary, ntltttrs arc still worse at present
than they then were. Wl,tn Congress met, Il
strong hope peryadcd tho Whole public mind
that sou,c. anicahle adjustment Of the subject
would be speedily made by the rcscntat:.es
or tht States, which might restore peace be-
tween the conflicting sections Of the country.
Tint hope has been diminished by CrcrY hour
Of delay, aud rs tic prospect Of a biood"ss
settlement fades away the public distress be
comes more and mote aggravated. AS on cyi-
drucc Of this it is only ne.cssaFy 10 say The
treasury notes authorized hy the act Of the | 1ti
OF December last were advertised according. tu
Law, aud that no responsible bidder Offered to
take any considerable sum ut par ut lower
Mte OF Interest than twelve per cent.
From these facts it apEclFs that, in Il govern
ment organized like ours, domestic strife, or
even 4 wcll:rountlcd fear Of civil ilostilit cs,
Il more destructive to our public and private
interests than the most formidable foreign
war.
In my annual message expressed the con-
yictiop, which I hive long deliberately held,
aiSt which recent reflection has only tended to
deeper. and confirm, that no state has the right
by its own act to ecccdt from the Union, OF
throw off its federal obligations at pleasure,
also declared my opinion to be that, even ii
that right existed, uud SHOULD be exercised by
any State III the Conleder1cy, the executive
department OF this Government lad no au-
thoTity under the Constitution to recognize its
validity by acknowledging, The independence
Of such State. This LETT inc no alternative, as
the chief executive officer under tn: Con-
stitution IF the United States, III: to
collect the public revenues aud project the
public property, 80 far is this might he
practicable under existing laws. This is still
my purpose. My proyincr is to execute, not
to make the laws. It belongs to Congress tx
clusye!y 10 repeal, modify OF enlarge their pro-
visions To meet cxiCenc;es Us they may uec;ir.
| possess no dispensing power. l certainly
had nn right to make ag!,rcssi- war E,r,l any
Stale, and | am perfectly salts fed that tile
Constitution ll.ss wisely withheld that power
even from Congress. Eut the right and the
duty to use military f,,rce defensiyesy, against
those who resist the Federal officers in The tx
ecntion Of tltcir legal functions, aud ,-ains:
those who aesai1 tie property Of tn: Fed. ral
Government, Is clear and 1lnlcniable. But the
dangerous and hostile attitude Ut the States
towards each other has already far traueccnded
and east into the shade the ordinary executive
duties already provided for by law, anL haa as
s1ttlci such vast and alaguIills proportions ny
to place the subject entirely above and beyond
executive control.
The fact cannot be disguised that VIC are in
the midst Of great revolution. Therefore, I
E0AIQEuu luE tllEsl5tu u NDu1IE-St 1e l1lE
only human tribunal under Providence, pos
sessiny the poWer 10 meet the existing clncT-
gency. To them exclusively belongs tile Pow
er 10 declare w:,r, or to authorize the employ
mcnt Of military force III all eases coutcEnflt cd
by the Constitution, and they .lone possess
the power to remove all the grievances which
might 1tad to war, and to secure Peace and
union to this distracted country. On them,
and on them alone, rests tue responsibility.
The Union is sacred trust, left by pnr reyo-
lutlonary fathers for their descendants, and
never did any other people iahtrit 81 rich Il
legacy. It has rendered US prosperous in
peace aud triumphant in war. The national
1ay has tloated in glory over every sea-, and
under its shadow American citizens have found
protection and respect in MI Euds beneath the
sun. five descend to considerations Of pure
II material Interest, when- in the history Of all
tine, has contedcracy been bound tegetlser
BY such strong. ties Of lnutEa, interest Each
portion Of 1t Is dependent upon NIL, and alt up
on each portion, for prosperity aud domestic
security. Free t1ade throughout the whole
productions Of another, and seatters wealth
eyeEywh here. The grrat planting and farming
States require the aid Of the commercial aud
navigating States to send their productions to
domestic and foreign markets, ami furnish the
naval poEer to render their transportation Sc
cure against all hostile attacks.
Should the Union perish in the midst Of the
the present excitement, VIC have already bad
Fad fo1etastc. Of the universal suffering which
results from its destruction. The calamity
would be severe in every portion OF the Union
and would be quite as great, to say the least,
in the southern rs in the northern States.
The greatest nggrayation of the evil, nud
that which would place US in the most unlay-
orable light both before the world and pos
tc1ity, is, as nm firmly convinced, that the Sc
cession movement has been chiefly based upon
misapprehensions at the South of the scnti
ments Of the majority in seyerel Of the north
crn States Let the question he answered
from the political assemblies to the bal1ot-boy,
and the people Themselves would speedily re-
dress the serious grievances which the South
have suffered. But In Heavens namc let tho
trinl be made before we plunge into IN ARMED
conflict upon the mere assumption that there
is no other alternative. Time is great con-
servatire power. Let us pausc at the mo-
mentous point, nud afford the people, both Of
the North and South, m opportunity for re-
fectIon. Would that South Carolina had been
convinced Of this truth before her precipitate
action. I therefore appeal thfough you to the
people Of the country to declare In their might
that the Union must and shall be preserved. by
Ill constitutional means. I most earnestly r.
commend that you devote yourselves to tie
question, how this can be accomplished in
peace. All other questions, when compared
with this, sink into iusiguIfcauce. The pres-