The Constitutional. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1860-1861, 1861-03-09
Inaugural Address
-oP-
LINCOLN.

| WASHINGTON, March Felicp-eifizsns of the
United States In compliance with the old Uni
ted States Government ITSELF appear before you
to address You briefly and take in your presence
the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the
United States to be taken by the President before
he enters on the execution of his Office
do not consider it necessary at presen mt for ME
to discuss those matters Of the Administration.
about which there is no special anxiety or excite
ment.
| ApprchensiOns appears to exist among the PEG
pie of the Southern States that by accession Of
a Republican Administration, their property. their
peace and their personal security are to be en-
dangered There HIS never been any reasonable
cause for such apprehension indeed, the most
ample evidence to the contrary has all the while
existed and been open to their inspection. 1t is
found in nearly all the published speeches Of him
who now addresses you. i do but quote from one
of those speeches. when declare that have no
purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with
the institution of slavery in the States where it
exists. believe have no lawful right to do so,
and have no inclination to do so. T..
| Those who nominated and elected me did so
with full knowledge that had made thir and
many similar declarations. and never recanted
then, and more than this they priced in the
platform, for my acceptance and as a law to them
selves, the clear and emphatic rcselurien which
now read:
| +" ResOfred, That the maintenance nvoiate of
the right of the States and especially the right OF
! each State to order and control its own domestic
institutions according to its own Judgment exclu-
sivey, rs essential TO that balance of the power on
which the perfection and endurance of our own
political fabric depends, and we dcnounce the
| lawless invasion, by armed force, Of the soil Of
any State or Territory, no matter under what pre-
text, as among the gravest of crimes"
| Inow reterate theee sentiments, doing SO only
to press upon the public attention the most con-
elusive evidence Of which the is susceptible,
that the property, peace ard security Of no section
are to lie in any way endangered by tie now in
coming Administration. ] add, too. that all the
protection which. consistently with the Constitu-
ton and the laws, can be given, will be cheerful
ly given all States when demanded, Tor whatever
cause, as cheerfully to one section as another
There is much controversy about delivering up
fugtIves from service or labor.
| The clause l now read is as plainly written in
the Constitution as any other Of its provisions
person held TO service or labor in one State
under the laws thereof, escaping to another shall.
| in consequence of any law regulation be dis
! charged from such service or labor bnt be dcliy-
cred up on claim of the party TO whom such ser
vice or labor is due"
1t is scarcely questioned that this provision WAS
intended, by those who made it, for retaining
what We call fugitive slaves and the intention of
the law gver is the law-ali members Of Congress
swear their support to the whole Constitution, to
this provision as much as to any other To this
proposition then, that slaves, whose cases come
within the terms Of this clause, shall be delivered
mp, their oaths unanimous Now, if they
would make an effort IN good temper, could thew
not with nearly An equal unanimity frame and
pass law by means Of which, 70 keep good tina,
unanimous oath
There is some difference Of opinion whether
this clause should be enforced by national or State
authority, but surely that difference is not ma
! teTial one If slave is To be surrendered il ran
be of but little consequences to him or others, by
which authority it is done, and should any one. in
any case, be content, his oath shall 90 unkept on
merely msubstantisl controversy. As how it
shall be kept again, in any law upon this subject
ought not all safeguards of liberty known in civ.
ilized humane Jurisprudence be introduced so that
n free man be not in any case surrendered as
slave, and might it not be well at the same time to
provide 10y law for the enforcement of that clause
in the Constitution which guarantees that the cit
liens of each State shall be entitled to all the priv
ileges and mmunites of the citizens in the sever
al States
| take the official oath to-day with no mental re-
serVAtlons; and with no purpose to c0nstrue the
Constitution of laws by any hypocritcsl rules :;
and while do not chance now TO specify part;cu-
lar acts of Congress as proper to be enforced DO
not suggest it win be much safer for all, both in
official and private stations, to conform to, and
abide by, all those acts which stand unrel-Alr d
than to violate any Of them trusting to find impu-
nifty in having them held to be unconstitutional.
1t is srventy-two years since the first inaucu-
ration of President under the national Constitu-
ton. During that period fifteen different and
greatly distinguished citizens have in succession
administered the executive branches Of the Gov.
eminent; they have conducted them through
many Periis, and generally with great SUCCESS
Yet, with all this scope for precedent, now enter
upon the same task for the brief Constitutional
period of four years, under great and peculiar diff
hcu'ies. disruption of the Federal Union.
heretofore only menaced, is now formally admit
ted lhold that, in contemplation of universal
law end the Constitution the union of the States
is perpetual. It's implied ifnot expressed in the
fundamental law Of national Governments. 1t is
safe TO assert that no Government proper ever had
aprovsion in organic law for its own termination
Continue to execute all express provisions, and
our national Constitution and Union will endure
forever it being impossible to destroy it except
by some action not provided for in the instrument
itself
Again, ifthe United States be not Government
proper, but association of States, in nature of