The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-03-08

abide by the dry legal obligation in both
cases, and few break over in ench.--
This, think, cannot be perfectly cured,
and II would be Worse in both cases after
the separation of the sections, than be.
fore. The foreign slave trade now inn
perfectly suppressed. would be ultimately
revived without restriction in one section.
while fugitive slaves now only partially
surrendered. would not be surrendered
at all by the other.
Physically speaking. we cannot sepa-
rate. We cannot remove our respective
sections from each other, nor build an i'm
passnble wall between them. husband
and wife may be divorced, and go out of
the presence and beyond the reach of
each other but the different parts Of our
country cannot do this. They cannot
but remain face to face and their inter-
course must be eitheG amicable or hos
tile and continue so between them. Is
IL possible, then, to1make such inter
course more advantageous or more salts
factory after separation than before p
Can aliens make treaties easier than
friends can make laws? Can treaties be
more easily enforced between aliens than
laws between friends? Suppose you go
to wnr-you cannot always fight, and
when, after much loss on both sides, and
no gain on either, you cease fighting the
identical old questions as to terms of in
tercourse are again upon you.
| This country, with its institutions, be-
longs to the people who inhabit it-when-
ever they shall grow weary OF the exist
| ing government they can exercise their
constitutional right OF amending it or to
their revolutionary right of dismember-
| ing or overthrowing H. | cannot be ig-
nornnt of the fact the. many worthy and
patriotic citizens arevklpsirous of having
the National Constitution amended. ]
make no recommendation rs to amend
ments. fully recognize the rghtiul au-
thority of the people over the whole sub
ject. to be exercised in either of the
modes prescribed in the instrument itself.
should. under existing circumstances,
favor rather than oppose fair opportu-
nifty being afforded the people to act up
on it. ! will venture to add that to me
the Convention mode seems preferable,
in that il allows amendments to originate
with the people themselves, instead of
only permitting them to take or reject
propositions originated by others not es-
pecially chosen for the purpose. and
which might not be precisely such ms
they would wish either toaccept or refuse.
! understand that proposed amendment
to the Constitution, which, however. I
have not seen. has passed Congress to the
effect that the Federal Government never
shall interfere with the domestic inStitu-
tions of the States, including that of per-
sons held to service. To avoid all mis-
construction Of what ! have said. ] will
depart from my purpose MOTTO speak of
particular amendments so far MS to say
that holding such provision now to be
implied in constitutional law, have no
objection to its being made express and
irrevocable.
The Chief Magistrate derives all his
authority from the people, and they have
conferred none upon him to fix terms of
separation between the States. The peo-
Pile themselves can do this if they choose,
but the executive as such has nothing to
do with it. His duty is to administer the
present government as it came to his
hands; and should there not be a patient
confidence in the ultimate justice of the
people,? Is there any better or equal
hope in the world? In our present diff
culties is either party without faith in its
being right? If the Almighty Ruler of
Nations, with His eternal truth and
justice be on your side of the North, or
yours of the South, that truth and that
Justice will surely prevail by the judgment
of this great trbunal-the American peo-
pie. By the frame of the Government
under which we live. the same people
have wisely given their public servants but
little power for mischief, and have with
equal wisdom provided for the return of
that little to their own hands at very
short intervals. While they retain their
virtue and vigilance, no administration,
by any extreme of wickedness or folly,
can very seriously injure the government
in the short space of four years.
My countrymen! one and all. think
calmly and well upon this whole subject.
Nothing valuable can be lost by taking
time. If the object be to hurry you in
hot haste to a step which you would never
take deliberately, that object will be frus-
trated by taking time, but no good object
can be frustrated oy it. Such of you as
are now dssatiified, still have the old Con-
stitution unimpaired, and on the sensitive
point, the laws Of your own framing under
it. The new administration will have no
immediate power to change either, if it
would. If it were admitted that you who
are dissatisfied hold the right side of the
dispute, there still is no single good rea-
son for precipitatng action. Intelligence,
patriotism. Christianity, and firm reli-
ance on Him who has never yet forsaken
this land, are still competent to adjust in
the best way all our present difficulties.
In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow
countrymen, not in mine. is the moment
Gus issue of civil war. The government
will not assail you. You can have no
conflict without being yourselves the ag-
gressors. You have no oath registered
in heaven to destroy the government,
while have the most solemn one to pre-
serve, protect and defend it,
| am 10th to close. We are not enc
mics, but friends. We must not be ene-
mics. Though passion may have stained,
it must not break our bonds of affection.
The mystic chords of memory stretching
from every battle field and patriotic grave
to every living heart and hearth-stone all
over this broad land, will yet swell the
chorus of the Union when again touched,
as surely they will be, by the better in
stincts of our nature.
Senate Last Night.
Washington, March 4.-The Dissertation
of the Sabbath last night by the United
Sfotns Il