East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-01-17
MESSAGE OF THE PREsIDENT
ON THE CRISIS.
DELIVERED TO CONGRESS, JAN. 9. 1861.
To the Senate and House Of Rspressntatirs

Union. / expressed my opinion freely
concerning the original causes oi the
dangers, aud recommended such measures
as | believed would have the effect OF
the country, saving II from
the peril in which il had been needlessly
and most unfortunately thrown.
Those opinions aud recommendations
I do not propose now to repeat. My own
upon the whole subject re-
main unchanged. The fact that great
calamity was impending over the ration
was even at that time Acknowledged bv
every intelligent citizen. Ii had already
made itself felt throughout the i"npth
anil breadth of the land. The necessary
consequences of the alarm thus produced
were most deplorable. The imports fell
off with rapidity never known before,
except in the time of war, in the history
of our foreign commerce. The Treasury
was unexpectedly left without means
which it had reasonably counted upon to
meet its public engagements. Trade
was paralyzcd, manufactures were stop
ped, the best pnblic securities Suddenly
sank in the market, every species of prop
erty deprecated more or less, aud thouS-
ands of poor men who depended upon
their daily labor for their daily bread
were turned ont of employment. ldeeply
regret that am not able to give you in
formation upon the state OF the Union
which is more satisfactory than what |
was then obliged to communicate. On
the contrary, matters are still worse at
present than they then were. When
lApnyress met, strong hope pervaded
the whole public mind that some amlcahle
adjustment of tie subject would be speed
ily made by the Representatives OF the
States which might restore peace between
the conflicting sections of the country.-
That hope has been diminished by every
hour Of DELAY, aud aS the prospect of a
bloodless settlement fades away, the pub
lie d stress hccomes more and more az
yra>ated As all evidence of this, 1t Is
nuly necessary to say that the Treasury
notes authorized 10y the ac. ut the lIth
of December last were advertised accord.
inu to law, aud that no Responsible bld-
der offered to take any considerable sum
Mt par az q lower rate of interest than IL
per cent. From these facts, it appears
that in Goverement organized like ours,
! domestic strife, or even a well-gr1undc,l
fear of civil hostligies, Is more destructive
of G,.11miic and private interests than the
most formidable foreign war.
La nv annual message | expressed the
conviction, when | have long deliberate
" held, aud which recent reflection has
only tended to deepen and confirm, that
no State has the right by its own act e
secede from the Union, or to throw oil
it's Federal obligation at pleasure. alst
declare my opinion to be that even
that right existed, and should be ex
ercised Ivy any State Of the Conf'der
acy, the Executive department of TIM
government had no authority under the
constitution to recognize its Validity T.,
acknowledging the Independence of sucl
a State. This left me no alternative a
the chief executive officer under the con
,titution Of the United States bat to col
lect the public revenue and protect th
; public property ST. far aS this might u
practicable under existing laws. This
l,;I, ,,r ,,urnose Nv nrov;nce il to exc
o,,,, ~ ~ .. -, moLe the laws II belono
,"tr ~ ran,'ra,. ' ~ sv,l,siyclv 10 rencL. molit
, y, ~ enIar,,e % ,bcir nrovi.ion, To- meet cxi
, rana;"s thcv NAV occur. posse.
81 ,I;..,ons;n,, nowcr certainly had II
= right to make aggressive wal upon All
{ State. and ] an perfectly satisfied tia
f, .l'' 80 '''a,;,n,;on a Los wisely withheld tha
!, ". ...a., e., Con,r,ss
;, Po .
y. But the ,'gnt a"' '"o "u'. " w. ",s '"'I w.
!. tary force 1etehsINe,y "s",n'' t"o'o w w"
I, resist the eHera, cu'o.;' :" I 'nI .a,v, .nu
y ton oi the'r ieSa' iu'v'.o"s' "ns' 81 ~"
a those VINO aSSa', 'ne p'oP.'t w. It'll ,
a sfal gole'o'ie"', % . i III, .,,,,nJ
Du, '"e oa"Se.o"S I .n - has a
/. I's :" Wv e. 80 .rsnsoonJ.d and cast into Il
G .e'i, 49, ,h. ,I nrJ;~arv Exscu,;ve duties a
# Sn"Iu I'. '"s s.,;d"J oiJ Ca hv law a,L has a
is as"uy @ lp",h vas, .rd .l.rm;ng propo
s" 80 ~ L. ~. snh;.ct en,ir.
!. .In 81 haronJ E,ocn,;y. con,rol-
- Tyv IT, s.c, CT can1o, no discussed that we a
20 ), ,ho nil, ofa GREAT rev yoln,ion. Ther
- e.. 7 Ino,nnend Tho ones,ion 10 Conore
: ~ ,he onlv humau tribunal under Pro,