Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-01-18

| hreateuetl the existence or the Union nv,
pressed my opinion freely concerning the orig
| inal canseS Of these dangers and reeeomp,sn-
Did such measures as believed would have the
. effect Of tranquiIizng the conntrv. and sayinr
II from the peril in which il had bad been need
lcss'y and most unfortunately involved These
opinions and Recommendations / do NOT. pro
I pose now to repeat My own convictions nm
on the whole subject remain unchanged The
! fact that a great calamity was impending over
! the nation was even at that time aciCnowlelg-
cd by every intelligent citizen II had alteaby
y made itself felt ii ro giout the length and
/ breadth Of the land The necessary cona,-
/ quenccs of the alarm prolneed were most de-
! plorlble. Tie imports fell off with rapidiiy
never known before except in time Of war III
tie history of our foreign commerce. The
! Treasury was unexpecirdiy left without the
means which it had reasonably counted ur6n
to meet its pubic engageni nts, trade was p.tr-
| aiyz'd, manufactures were stopped, the be4t
public securities Suddenly SINK in the market
every species of property d,preciatod mora or
'eSs and thousands of pior inen, who depend
ed on their daily labor f,r their bread. vrerS
turn u out of employment. | deeply regrct
that am not able to give you any iuforma-
lion upon the Stale of the Union which is
more satisfactory than | was then obliged to
communicate. On the contrary, matters are
still worse al the present time than they then
were When Congress met a strong hope
pervulcd the whole public mind that son,,
amicabe adjustment of the subject would be
speedily made by the rcpres .ntatives of the
States and of the people, which mi .ght restore
peace between the conflicting sections of the
country. Tha. hoper has been diminished by
every hour Of delay, and as the prospect Of
bl0odess settlement fades away, the pubic
distress berones more and moro aggravated.
As ap evidence Of this, it is only necessary
that the treasury notes Authorized by the net
of 18th of December last; were advertised ae-
eortling to law, and that 10 responsible bidder
ptered to take any comsftlsFable sum at viii
at lower rate of interest tiian l2 per cent
From these facts it appears that, In a govern
ment organized like ours, domestic strife OF
even well grounded fear Of civil hostilities,
is more destructive TO our public and private
interets than the most formidable foreign war
In my annual message expressed the con-
vicIioa, which | have long deliberately held,
and which recent reflection has only tended To
deepen and confirm that no State has right
10y its own act to sscede from the Union. or
throw off its Federal aElegianse at pleasure.
also declared my opinion to be- that, even Il.
that right existed, AID should be exercised by
any State of the Couiederacy the Executive
Department of this Government had no au-
thority, under the Constitution, TO recognizes
its validity, by acknowledging the inlePend-
ence Of such State.
This left me no alternative ais the Chief
Executive officer under the Constitution Of
the United States, but to collect the public
revenue, and protect the public properly 50
far as this might De practicable under the ex-
i-ting laws. This is stll my purpose. NJ
province is to execute not to make the law
1t belongs to Congress exclusively to repeal,
modify or enlarge their provisions to exig,1l-
cics as they occur. p,lssess no dispensing
power ! certainly had 10 right TO make ag-
grcssive war upon amy State, and / am per
lecty satisfied that The Constitution has wise
ly withheld that power even from Congress
But the right and the duty to use the military
force delensively against those who resist tho
Federal officers in the execution Of their legal
functions. and against those who assail tha
property of the Fe leral Government, is clear
and undcniab e. Bat the dangerous and hos
tile attitude Of States towards each other has
already fitr trap+5esccnlesl and cast into th.
shade the ordinary Executive duties alrealy
provided for by law, and has assumed such
vast md alarming proportions as to plaee the
subject entirely above and beyond the ExeeI-
tive control. The fact cannot be disguised
that wc arc in The midst Of a great RcvU,n.
ton. in all its various bearings, therefore, I
commend the question to Congress as the on.
" human tribunal under Providence posse-=-
ing the power to meet the existing cmergenrT.
To them exclusively belongs the power To H.
clare war or auihorizs the employment OF fi'S
nTitgrf force in all cases contemplated by the
constitution, and they alone possess the pOw'r
to renf,vc the grievances which might lead io
war, and to secure place aud uni0R 10 this
distracted country. On them, and on ths.a
alone rests the responsibility.
The Union is sacred trust left by our rev.
oIuiionary fathers to their descendants, anl
never did any people Inherit so rich legacy.
1t has rendered us prosperous in peace anl
triumphant in war. The National flag has
hoated with glory over every sea. Unler ia
shadow American citizens have found prOtoc-
tion and respect in all lands beneath the sun.
IL We htSCtllu " NOl chftstbtbhS " PNAN9
terial interest, when, in the history of all tins
has a Conledency been bound together with
such strong ties of mutual interest Each
portion of il is independent on all, and all up
on each portion for prosperity and domestic
security. A free trade throughout the whole
supplies the wants of one portion from tue
productions of another, and scatters wealth
everywhere.
1lc great planting and farming States re-
quire, and commercial navigating States senl
their productions to domestic and foreign mar
kcts, and furnish a naval power to render their
transportation secure against all hostile at
tncks Should the Union perish in the mi'lSt
of the present excitement, we have already had
n sad forctslstc Of The universal suffering which
would result from lis destruction. The calam
ity would bc severe in every part ofthe Union,
and would be quite rs great to say the least,
in the Southern us in the NortherA States.
The greatest agg4avatioR Of the evil, and
that whirh wonl,l place ms in a most uniavOr-
able light both before tn, world and posleriiy
is, | am firmly convinced, that the secess.cn
movement has been chiefly basel upon mis-
apprehension at the South of the sentiments
of the majority in several of the Northern
States. Let the QUESTION be transferred frnm
political assemblies to the ballot box, and the
people themselves would speedily redress th4
serious grievances which the South have suE
lercd.
But, in Heavens name, let the trial be made
before We plunge into an armed conflict upon
the mere assumption that there is no other al
tentative Time is great conservative pow
er. Let MS pause at this momentOus point,
and afford the people Of both North and Soa'h
an opportunity for reflection. Would that
South Carolina had been convinced OF this
truth before her precpitate action. J. there