Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-03-08
INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF
PREsxDENR xxNc0EEg.

WASHINGTON, March 4.
Fsllog-Cdisens of the United S:afss II
compliance with custom as old as the Go,
eFnment itself, appear before you to addres
you briefly, and to take in your presence tn
oath prescribed by the Constitution of tn
United States, to be taken by the Presiden
before he enters on the execution of his Office
do not consider it necessary. at present
for me to discuss those matters Of adminstra
tion, about which there is no special anxiety
or excitement. Apprehension seems to exis
among the people of the Southern States that
by the accession of a Republican administra
ton, their property. and their peace, and per
sonai security are to be endangered.
/ There has never been any reasonable cause
/ for saeh apprehension. Indeed the most ample
evidence to the contrary has all the while ex-
listed and been open to their inspection. 1t is
found 10 nearly all the published speeches o.
him who now addresses you. do but quote
! from one of these speeches, when / declare
| that have no pdrpose directly or indirectly
| tointerEere with the institution Of slavery in
/ the States where it now exists. / believe |
/ have no lawful right to do so, and / have no
| inclination TO do it. Those who nominated
and elected me did so with the full knowledge
| that had made this and many similar declar-
ations, and had never rrcanted them. And
more than this, they placed in the platform
| for my acceptance, as law to themselves, and
I to me, the clear emphatic resolution which
now read:
! Resolued, That the maintenance involate OF
| the rights OF the States and epcecially the
| right of each State, to order and control its
domestic. Institutions according TO its own
| Judgment exclusively. is essential to that bal
ancc Of power on which The perfection and Gu
durance Of our political fabric dep nd, and We
denouLce the lawlcss invasion Try an armed
| force Of the government Of any Slate or Ter
/ ritOry, no matter under what prcIextt as
among the gravcst Of crimes.
! i | now reiterate these sentiments, and in do
ing 50 1 ouly press upon the public attention
the most conclusive evidence Of which the
cause is susceptible, that the property, pace
and security Of no section are TO be ia any
wise endangered by The incoming admini ,tra-
tion add, too, that all the protection which
consistently with the Constitution and the
laws can be given, will be cheerfuly giver. to
all the States when lawfully demanded, for
| whatever cause. IA chcoFfIIy to one section a,
another
Is there much controversy about delivering
of lugitives from service or labor? the clause
now read, is as plainly written in the Consti-
tuition as any.oth Of its provisions. No pei
son held to service OF labor in one State, un-
der the laws thereof escaped into another,
shall in consequence Of any law or regulation
| therein be discharged from such service or Ia
Dor, bat shall be delivered up OIL claim OF
the party to whom such service or labor may
| be due.
1t is scarcely questioned that this provision
was intended oy those who made it for re-
claiming of what we call fugitive slaves and
:he intention of law given is the law. All
members of Congress swear their support to
the whole Constitution, to this provision as
much as to any other; to the proposition, then
that slaves whose cause come within the terms
of this clause and shall be delivered up, their
oatLs are unanimous. Now if they would
make the effort in good tenlper, could they
not. with nearly equal Duanimiiy, frame and
pass law by means Of which tU keep good
that unanimous oath?
These is some difference Of opinion whether
I
State authority, but surely that difference is
not a very material one. If the slave is to
to be surrendered, it can be Of but little con
sequence to him or to others by which author
ity it is DONE and should any one in any case
be content that his oath shall be unkept or a
merely unsubstantial controversy as to how il
shall be kept2 Again in any law upon this
subject ought not all the safeguards Of liberty
known in civilized and humane Jurisprudence
to be introduced so that a freeman may not ir
any case be surrendered aS a slave; and might
it not be well at the same time to provide by
law for the enforcement Of that clause in tht
Constitution which guarantees that the citi
zeus of each State shall be entitled to all tht
privileges and immunites of citizens in tn,
several States? r. ....
3 take the official oath to-day with no men
tai reservations, aud with no purpose to con
strue the Constitution or laws by any hyper
critca! rules and while do not choose nov
to specify particular acts of Congress a
proper to be enforced, l do suggest that i
will be much safer for all in official and pr
vate stations to conform to, and abide by al
these acts which stand unrepealcd, than to vi
olate any of them, trusting to find impunit,
in having them held to be unconstitutional.
1t is seventy-two yoars since the first inau
guration of President under our nationa
Constitution. During that period fifteen dif
ferent and greatly distinguished citizens hav,
in succession administered tie executive b. ancl
of the Government. They have conducted i
through many perils. and generally Will
great success. Yet with all this scopo 70
precedent, now enter upon the same task 70
the brie constitutional term of four years un
der great and peculiar difficulties Disruption
of the Federal Union, heretofore only mena
ced, is now formidobly attempted. hold tina
in contemplation of universal law and of tn
Constitution, the Union of these States j
perpetual. Perpetuity is implied, if not ex
pressed in the fundamental law of all nationa
governments II is safe to assert that n,
government proper has provision in its or
eanic law for its own termination. Continue 4
execute all the express provisions of our ua
tioual Constitution and the Union will endur
forever it being impossible to dissolve it, ex
cept by some action not provided for in th
instrument itself.
Again, if the United States be not gov
ernlnent proper. bot an association of State
in the nature of contract merely, can it as
: contract be peaecably unmade by less thai
all the parties who made it? One party to
, contract may violate it, break it, so to speak
but does il not require all to lawfully resein'
it? n
Descending from these general principles
we find the proposition that m legal contem
/ plation the Union is perpetual. confirmed b.
the history Of the Union itself The Unio
is much older than the Constitution. 1t wa
D formed, in fact, by the articles of association
. I in 1774. It was matured anu continued b
}. the Daclarati on of Tndependencein F16.
IL IL III. EniLh of nu lh