The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-03-16
ls For The Cecil Wing.
The Democrat and the Inaugural.
PoRr DEPOSIT, Mar. 18th, 1861

| Union ~ papers, makes the Inaugural of
! Mr. Lincoln "a declaration Of War ms.
| the Confederate SinirS," and labors very hard
TO show that it is The policy Of the present
administration to wage eternal hostiliticS
against those S,atts. Blu, here does The
Democrat get the basis of tl,rsc conclusions
1t offers quotations from the Inaugural itsclt
as a sure foundation for its declarations.
do not profess to defend Mr. Lincoln or his
administration He never. was NV choice.
and he never will be in nil probability: bnt
| dc. like fair Jay and even handed dealing ;
and think. with all due respect to the dis.
tingnishcd views Of The Democrat, that even
Mr.. Lincoln is entitled to justice.
will beg to quote the extract quoted by
The Democrat, and which it furnishes as
evidence Of declaration of war on the Com
fedcrate States, and will try to show that no
such evidence exists and will try to prore
that The Democrat is wrong in all Its calcua.
tons and premises, upon this subject. The
Democrat qnotes:--
lst. 81 therefore consider, that in view
of the Constitution and the laws. the Union
is unbrokcn, (thui is, The Constitution and
lars triucn he has suorh 10 ''dcfend. prcserre
end tnforcc,' do not recognize the d,smcmbcr.
mcnt Of the Union) and to the extent Of my
ability, I shall take care, as the Constitution
expressly MONS npon me- that the laws of the
Union be faithfully executed in all the States"
Is there Il single word in This quotation that is
out Of place Is :hcle one that can he so
distorted as to mean war! Could anything
less be- said by aEy man on ASSUMING the
Slrorn obligations of the Chief Mngstracy OF
the United States Of America The Consti,
tuition under which he was sworn, according
to rules coeval with the government, did not
acknowledge broken Union How then
could MIR. Lincoln acknowledge it, The
Democrat acknowledges the existence OF a
Southern C"n(rderacy, albeit it Is Il onion
Journal. but Mr.. Lincoln could not acknowl.
edge it because his oath of office forbid such
u thing. even if his personal proclsi,ies were
in that direction. And If he conld not ac-
know ledge "a broken Union,' the least he
could do, was TO declare his willingness and
purpose 10 defend and preserve the Consti,u-
tion and enforce the laws to the extent of
his ability (uSins his own woldS) in all the
States The nature Of the oath as well as
its terms, the awful solcmnity of the occasion.
and The magnitude of surrounding existing
circumstances, dcm0nhed this frank avowal
OF the purpose of the President. declare it,
according to my humble Judgment, at war
win every principle Of common just ice, to
attribute to Mr.. Lincoln, any sinister motive
upon the ground Of anything said in the fore,
going quotation. But The Democrat says the
Inaugural means what it don't say, and
don't say what il means. and read on down.
and It again says that it Uhe inaugural does
mean what it says" Is this not strange talk
The above quotation from the Inaugural W i'll
bear but one construction, and that is, chat MI
Lincoln will perform .hc duties imposed up.
on him by the Constitution ani laws of our
Onion, and defy" The Democrat" or any
other Union e? Journal TO get anything else
out of it. Whether Mr.. Lincoln ,eiN do his
duty or not remains to be seen, but no fault
Inn be found, in justice, to anything he has
sad IN has Inouenral. But just here. let me
give the old "Public Func." a collateral
compliment lfLincoln does not perform his
duty 10 the country as we'll as Buchanan has
done, and little better then we had better
al, bid adieu to suhnnary cares and dig
| out"
The Democrat quotes 2nlly. Doing this
defending the ConStilulion) deem it to be
only simple duty on my part, and | Shall
perform ii as far as practicable, unless my
rightlnl masters, the American people, shall
Withhold the requisite means, or in some
d"thot'iire manner direct to the contrary"
| This The Democrat quotes to show that the
| President intends to make war on the South
What is the matter with The Democrat g.
W here is there word or implication in this
quotation that Will justify the Interpretation
Of The Democrat Is The defence of the
Constitution, the preservation OF the Union
aud the entoi cement of the laws, as far as is
practicable on the part Of the President, a
wasing of war on the South? That is all
that MIR. Lincoln sald he would do, as The
Democrat shows by this quotation and vet
the President has here, in this extract, de.
clarrd war against the "Con frderntc States
of America" Really The Democrat seems
to be bcfogscd in the dismal swamps" Of
Sc ccssion
But The Democrat quotes 3rdl y" trust
th,S ,r'H moi be regarded as a menace, but only
as the declared purpose Of the Union, that 1t
1.-THE Union) will defend md maintain itself.
In DONG this, there need lie no blood shed or
violence, and there Shall be none unless il BIZ
forced upon the National authority" Now
is there wold wrong here? Can anything
be more plain Or explicit on this point g
Is there any evidence of ACCESSION here 3
But The Democrat says this means 1rar oil
the Confederate States" Well. if what Mr..
Lincoln here says means war, the regerSc
of what he says, would mean peace. There
FORE to say that the Union can not lie "Con.
stiIutionally "" drfeudcd and maintained u
and that there need be bloodshed and vio-
lence, and that " it shall be forced" upon
the people by the National authority "
would mean peace The Democrat is Ger.
tanly in the bushes
But again it quotes, 4thly-" The power
confid,d to me will be used to hold, oscup,
and possess the property and places belonging
to the government; and to collect the duties
&c, but beyond what may be accessory for
these objects, there will be 20 mras,on. no
using OF force against or omong the people
any"he,e."s And The Democrat says it
" understands this to I've :" a declaration of
war on the Confederate States ~. Therefore,
according to The Democrat, Mr.. Lincoln
ought TO have said. when Chief Justice fancy
administered the oath of Office to him, the
power contidsd to me will be used to let 60,
to unoccnpy and disposcss the property and
places belonging to the government !" Sure
~ The Democrat is barking up the wrong
tree Bot scr iou>ly. could Mr.. Lincoln, or
any other President soyor do less than is here
quoted by the Democrat from the inaugural
Must he not according to his oath. do all that
Is SAIL IN this extract or shall he stand a
pcrjured wretch before high Heaven and the
world, least he might give offence to a set of
oHt lawcd tylants, and constitutional uSur-
pers, and Union cut throats! But The
Democrat requotes the latter quotation and