New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-03-05
reLEeaApHzo ro TIE ngw ORLEANS caeocEnr.
l. LINCOLH'S IN EGURAL.



before you to address ycG' briefly and take in yoUa
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 present for me
10 discuss those matters Of the Administration,
about which there is no specfa!' anxiety excite
| Enent.
Apprehension appears to exist Among the peo-
| pie of the Southern States tha1 by accession of
a Republican Administration, their property, their
peace and their personal security are to be en-
| daDgered. There has never been any reasonable
cause for such apprehension; indeed, the most
ample evidence to the contrary has ali the while
existed and been open to their inspection. 1t is
found in nearly all the published speeches of him
who addresses you. I do but qroae from one
Of those speeches, when declare that : have no
purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with
the institution Of slavery in the Statea where it
exists. believe have lawful right 20 do so,
and hare no inclination to do SO.
Those who nominated and elected me did so
with full knowledge that | had made this and
many SIMILAR declarations, and never :ecanted
them, and more than this. they placed in the plat
form, for IEy acceptance and a law 10 them
selves, the clear and emphatic resolution which
| now read.
tResolrets, That the maintenance inyioate of the
right of the States, and especially the right of each
State to order and control its own domestic inst
tutons according to its own judgment exclusively
is essential to that balance of the power which
the perfection ana endurance of our political
fabric depends, and denounce the lawless inva-
! sion, by armed force, of the soil Of any State or
| Territory, matter under what pretext as among
| the gravest of GriInes.n
now reiterate these sentiments, doing so only
to press upon the public attention the most conclu-
sVe evidence of which the case is susceptible that
the property, peace and security of no section are
| to be in any way endangered by the now incoming
Administration. add, too, that all the protection
which, consistently with the Constitution and the
| laws, can be given, will be cheerfuly given all
States when lawfully demanded, for whatever
| cause, as cheerfIlly to one section as another.
| There is much controversy about delivering up
| fugitiYes from service or labor.
| The clause now read is as plainly written in
| the Constitution any other of its provisions:
No person held to service or labor in State
under the laws thereof, escaping to another, shall,
| in consequence of any law or regulation be dis
charged from such service or labor, but be deliver
| ed up claim OF the party to whom such service
| or labor is due
1t is scarcely questioned that this provision was
| intended, BY those who made it, for reclaiming
what we call fugitive slayes, and the intention of
| the law giTer is the laval members of Congress
| swear their support to the whole Constitution, to
this provision much as TO any other. To this pro-
position then that slaves, whose cases come within
the terms of this clause, shall be delivered up,
their oashs are unanimous. Now, il they would
make an effort in good temper could they not with
nearly an equal unanimty frame and pass law
| by means of which, TO keep good that unanimous
| OATH
| There is some difference of opinion whether this
clause should be enforced by national or State au-
thority but surely that difference is not very ma
teflel one. II save Is 10 De surrendered, IL can
] be OF bnt little consequence to him Others by
| which authority it is done, and should any one, in
| any case, be content, his oath shall 60 unkept
| on merely unsubstanal controversy. As how it
| shall be kept again, in any law upon this subject
onght not all safeguards of liberty known in civil
| Sized humane jurisprudence be introduced, so that
| a free man be not in any case 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 the Constitution which guarantees that the citi
zens of each State shall be entitled to all the prvi-
leges and mmunties Of the citizens in the several
| States?
take the official oath to-day with no mental re-
| servations, and with no purpose to construe the
Constitution of laws by any hypocritcal rules; and
acts OF Congress proper to be enforced, do
! not suggest it will be much safer for all, both in
| official and private stations, to conform TO, and
abide by, all those acts which stand unrepealed,
| than 20 violate any of them, trusting to find iNpu-
nifty in having them held to be unconstitutional
| It is seventy-two years since the first nauguraa
| ton Of a 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
ernment they have conducted them through
many peris, and generally with great success.
Yet, with all this scope for precedent now enter
upon the same task for the brief Constitutional pc.
riod of four years, under great and peculiar diff
entities. 4 disruption of the Federal Union, here
tofore only menaced, is now formally admitted.
hold that, in contemplation of universal law and
the Constitution the union of the States is perpet-
ual. 1t is implied if not expressed in the funda.
| mental law of national Governments 1t is safe to
assert that no Government proper ever had pro-
vision in organic law for its own termination.
| Continue to execute all express provisions, and
our national Constitution and Union Twill endure
forever; It being impossible to destroy it except by
some action not provided for in the instrument
| ITSELF
Again. if the United States be not Government
| proper, but an association of States, in nature of
| contract merely, can it, as contract be pract-
ofn Inv hn rllp pin
| it? One party to a contract mayviolate it, break
it, so to speak but does it not require all to law
| fully rescnd it?
| Descending from these general PRINCIPLES we
Union is perpetual; confirmed by the history of
the Union itself-the Union is much older than the
Constitution. It was formed, in part, by articles
of association in 17I4; it matnred and con-
tnued by the Declaration of Independence in l77G;
it was further ma,ured, and the faith of all the
thirteen States expressly pligl,ed and engaged
that it should he perpetual by the articles of Con
federation in ITS, and finally, in 1857. One of the
declared objects for ordainitg and establishing the
Constitution was to form perfect Union; but,
if the destruction Of the Union by or by part
only of the States be lawfully possible, the Union
is less perfect than before the Constitution, having
lost its vital element of perpetuity. 1t follows
from these views that TO State upon its mere mo-
ton can lawfully go out Of the Union; that Re-
| solves and Ordinances to that effect legally
void, that acts of violence within any State or
States against the authority OF the United States,
are insurrectonary or revolutionary, according to
| circumstances.
| I therefore consider that, in view of the Const-
tuition and the laws the Union is unbroken, and to
the extent of my ability shall take care, the
Constitution itself expressly enjnins upon me- that
| the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all
| the States. Doing this deem it 10 be only simple
duty on my part, and shall perform it, so far as
| practicable, unless my rjghtiul masters the Amer.
lean people, shall Withhold the requisite means or
in some authoritative manner direct the contrary.
| | trust this will not be regarded a menace, but
only the declared purpose of the Union, that it
| will constitutioualy defend and maintain itself.
| In doing this there needs to be no bloodshed or
| violence; and there shall be none, unless it be
forced upon the national authority. The power
conlded to me will be used to hold and occupy
and possess the property and places belonging to
| the Government, and to collect duties on imports.
But beyond what may be necessary for these OBJ
iects there will be no invasion, no using of force
against or among people anywhere. Where hos.
tty to us in any interior locality shall be great
and so universal as to prevent competent resident
citizens from holding the Federal Offices, there will
the people for that object. While the strict legal
right may exist i'll the Government to force and
exercise these officers the attempt to do so would
be so irritating, and nearly impracticable
withal, that deem it may be better to forego for
the present the use of such officers.
The mails, unless repelled, will contiune to be
furnished to all parts of the Union so far posi-
BILE. The people everywhere shall have that sense
of perfect security which is most favorable 10 calm
| thought aRd reflection. The course here indicated