Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-01-14


At the opening of your present session !
called your attention TO the dangers which
| threatened thc existence OF the Union l ex-
| pressed my opinion freely concerning the
| original caases of those dangers, and recon-
| nended such measures as | believed would
have the eject of lFanquilizing the country
! and saving il from the peril IN which II had
! been neediess!y and most unfortunately IL
| yolved.
Those opinions and recommendations I do
not propose now to repeat. My oxH cenyic-
tons upon the whole subject remain IN
changed.
The fact that a great calamity was impead-
ing over the nation was even at that time
| acknowledged be- every Intelligent citlz n.
! IL bad already made itself felt throughout
| the length and breadth of the land. The
necessary consequences of the alarm thus
produced were most deplorable. The imports
! fell off with q rapidity never known before,
| except in time of war, IN the history Of our
foreign commerce; the Treasury WAS unex-
peetedly left without the means which 1t had
| reasonably counted upon to meet The public
engagements; trade was paFalyZed; manuiac-
lures were stopped; The best public securi-
| ties suddenly sunk in the market; every spe-
| cies Of property deprecated more or less;
and thousands Of poor men, who depended
upon their daily labor for their daily bread,
| were turned out Of employment.
| j deeply regret that / am not able to give
| you any information upon the state or 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 Congress net
strong hope Pervaded the whole public mind
! that some amiCGbie adjustment OF the sub
| ject would be speedily made By the Repre-
| seutatives Of the States and ot the People
| which might restore peace between the con-
| iiciing sections OF the country. That hope
| has been diminished by every hour of delay;
and, as the prospect of a bloodiess settle
| meat fades away, the public distress becomes
more and more aggravated. As evidence of
this il Is only necessary to say that the Treas
airy notes authorized 10y the act Of 18th De-
| cember last were advertised according TO the
law, and that no responsible bidder offered
to take any considerable sum at par al a
lower rate Of interest than twelve per cent.
From these facts 1t appears that, ia Gov
eminent organized like ours, domestic strife.
or even a weIl-gTounded fear of civil h0stili-
ties. Is more destructive to our public and
private interests than the most formidable
foreign wsr.
In MY Annual Message [ expressed the
conviction, which have long deliberately
held. and which recent reflection has only
tended to deepen and confirm, that no State
has right by its own act to ssCede from
the Union, OF tLTOB of It's Federal GbiIga-
tons al pleasure. also declared nay opinion
to be that, even If that right existed aud
should be exercised By any state of the Con
fsdeTacy. the Executive Department q this
Government had 10 authority u8der the
Constitution 10 recognize lis validity by &C
kHOsledginE the iude PeHdence Of such State.
This lCf5 Tde no alternative, as the chief Tx
eCutive officer under the Constitution Of the
UGited States. but to collect the public reve-
nUss and to protect the public property, so
far as this might be practicable under exist
ing laws.
Iais Is still my purp0s-- 3. : province Is
20 execute, and not 10 make the lass. Il be-
long 10 Congress exclusively 10 repeal, to
modify, or TO enlarge their provisions TO |
meet eGIgsUcz6 - thgF may occur. I pos
seSS no dispensing power
1 certainly had 10 rigGt 10 make aggrss
sIve war upon any State: and 1 avn perfectly |
satisfied that the Constitution has wisely |
withheld that power even from Congress. /
Bat the right aud the duty TO use military |
force detensiyciy against those who resist the |
Federal officers IN she execution Of their le- |
gal iauCtIGuS. and against those VINO a-s.,il |
the property OF the Fe..esal Government Is |
clear aHd uudeEiIbia.
But the dangerous ard hostile attitude Of |
the STAT. = towards each other has already far |
trausceuded and cast ii the shade the OTdi- |
E4At
by law. and has assumed such vast and alar |
ming proportions Is TO place the subject en- l
;ireIy beyond aud above Executive control. !
Ths fact cannot be disguised that We are Ill /
the midst of a great revolution. IN all its /
various bearings, therefore. I commend the |
question 10 Congress as the only human /
tribunal, under Providence, possessing the |
power 10 meet tie existing emergency To /
them exclusively belongs the power TO de-
~. q H.
OF military force IN all cases contemplated |
By the Constitution. and they alone possess
the power 20 remove grievances which might
lead to var, and to SECURE peace and union |
TO this distracted cOuniTy. On them. and
on them alone, rests the responsibility.
The Union Is a sacred trust lett by our
Revolutionary fathers to their descendants,
and neTer did any people inherit so rich a
legacy. 1t has rendered Us prospeTOussin |
peace and triumphant in war. The national |
flag has f0ated in glory over every sea. I'm
der its shadow American citizens have found
protection and respect in all lands beneath |
the sun. If we descend to considerations OF
purely material interest, when. in the histo-
~ of all time, has COnfederacy been bound 1
together by such strong ties of mutual inter-
est? Each portion of it is dependent on all,
and all upon each portion, for prosperity aud
domestic security. Free trade throughout the
whole supplies the wants OF one from the I
productions OF another, and scatters wealth |
every where. The great planting and farm |
ing States require the aid of the commercial |
and navigating states to send their produc |
tions TO domestic and foreign markets. and |
to furnish the naval power to render their
Interpretations secure against all hostile at |
tacks.
Should the Union perish in the midst Of the |
present excitement, we have already had a |
sad foretaste oil the universal suffering which |
would result from It's destruction. The ca
lamity would be severe in every portion of |
the UaiOn, and would be quite as great. 10 |
say the least. 10 the Southern as in the |
Northern States
The greatest aggravation of the evil. and
that which would place us in the most uu-
favorable light both before the world and
posterity, Is, as l am firmly convinced. that
the secession movement has been chiefly
based upon misrepresentation at the South
of the sentiments OF the majority In several
OF the Northern States. Let the question
be transferred f:Um political assemblies to
the b1llOt-bnx, and the people themselves
would speedily redress the serious griegan-
ces which the South have suffered But. in
Heavens name, let the trial be made before
we plunge into armed conflict upon the mere
assumption that there Is no alternative
Time is a great conservative power. Let us
pause at this mOment0Us point, and afford
the people both North and South an oppor-
tunity for reflection. Would that South
Carolina had been convinced Of this truth
before her precipitate action.
l therefore appeal through you to the peo-
pie of the country to declare in their might
that the Union must and shall be preserved
By all constitutional means. | most earn
estly recommend that you devote your
selves exclusively to the question how this
can be accomplished in peace. Ali other
questions, compared with this, sink into in
significance. The present is no time for pal