The national Republican., 1861-03-05

"
extended. This is the only substantial dispute
The fugitive slave clause Of the Constitution,
and the law for the suppression Of the foreign
slave trade, are each as well enforced, perhaps,
as any law can be in a community where the
moral sense Of the people imperfectly supports
the law itself. The great body Of the people
abide by the dry legal obligation in other cases,
and O lew break over in each
This, think, cannot be perfectly cured and
it would be worse in both cases after the sepa-
ration of the sections than before. The foreign
slave trade, now imperfectly suppressed, would
be ultimately revived without restriction, in
one section while fugitive slaves, now only
partially surrendered, would not be surrendered
at all by the other. ..,-.....--- -..-.--.s-, ..
Physically speaking, we cannot separate.
We cannot remove our respective claims from
each other, nor build an impossible wall be.
tween them. A husband and wife may be
divorced, and go out Of the presence and beyond
the reach of each other but the different parts
Of our country cannot do this. They cannot
but remain face to face, and intercourse, either
amicable or hostile, must continue between
them. Is it possible then to make that inter.
course more satisfactory, after separation than
betoref
Can aliens make treaties easier than friends
can make laws? Can treaties be more faith.
fully enforced between aliens than laws can
among friends2 Suppose you go to war, you
cannot fight always; and when, after much
loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you
cease fighting, the identical old questions as
to terms Of intercourse, are again upon you.
This country, with its institutions, belongs to
the people who inhabit it. Whenever they
shall grow weary of the existing Government,
they can exercise their constitutional right Of
amending it, or their revolutionary right to dis.
member or overthrow it. / cannot be ignorant
OF the fact that many worthy and patriotic cti.
zens are desirous Of having the National Con.
stitution amended. While make no recon.
mendation of amendments, fully recognise
the rightful authority Of the people over the
whole subject, to be exercised in either Of the
modes prescribed in the instrument itself; and
l should, under existing circumstances, favor,
rather than oppose, a fair opportunity being
afforded the people 10 act upon it. ... :
will venture to add, that to me the Conven.
tion mode seems preferable, in that II allows
amendments to originate with the people them.
selves, instead Of only permitting them to take
or reject propositions originated by others, not
especially chosen for the purpose, and which
might not be precisely such as they would wish
to either accept or approve. Understand pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution, which
amendment, however, have not seen, has
passed Congress, to the effect that the Federal
Government shall never interfere with the do
mestic institutions Of the States, including that
Of persons held to service.
10 avoid msconstruction Of what have said,
depart from my purpose not to speak of par.
tcular amendments, so far as to say that, hold
ing such provision to now be implied eonsti.
:uti.LS.' !aTE, l have no objection to its being
made express and irrevocable. .
The Chief Magistrate derives all his authori.
ty from the people, and thew have Conferred
none upon him to fix terms for the separation
Of the States. The people themselves can do
this also, If they choose but the Executive, as
such, has nothing to do with it. His duty Is
to administer the present Government, as it
came to his hands, and to transmit it, unim.
paired by him, to his successor
why should there not be patient confidence
In the ultimate justice Of the people Is there
any better or equal hope in the world In our
present difficulties, is either party without faith
OF being in the right? If the Almighty ruler
Of nations, with His eternal truth and Justice.
be on your side Of the North, or on yours OF
the South, that truth and that justice will surely
prevail, by the judgment of this great tribunal,
the American people.
BY the frame Of the Government under which
we live, this same people have wisely given
their public servants but little power to do mis-.
chief; and have, with equal wisdom, provided
for the return Of that little to their own hands
at very short intervals.
While the people retain their virtue and vigil.
ance, no Administration, by any extreme of
wickedness or folly, can very seriously iniure
the Government in the short space of four
years. =
MY countrymen, one and oil, think calmly
and 'ceH upon this whole subject. Nothing
valuable can be lost by taking time. If there
be an object to hurry any Of you, in hot haste,
to step which you will never take deliberately,
that object will be frustrated by taking time;
but no good object can be frustrated by it.
Such OF you as are now dissatisfied still have
the old Constitution unimpaired, and, on the
sensitive point, the laws Of your own framing
under it; while the new Administration will
have noimmediate power, if it would, to change
either.
If it were admitted that you who are dissatis.
lied hold the right side in the dispute there
still! is no single good reason for precipitate
action. Intelligence, patriotism, Christi anity,
and firm reliance on Him who has never vet
forsaken this favored land, are still competent
10 ADJUST, In the best way. all our present diff.
Guilty.
In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow.coun.
trymen, and not in mine, is the momentous
issue of civil war. The Government will not
assail you. You can have no conflict without
being yourselves the aggressors. You have no
oath registered in Heaven to destroy the Gov.
ernment, while shall have the most solemn
one to preserve, protect, and delend" it.
am 10th to close. We are not enemies, but
friends. We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained, it must not break
our bonds Of affection. The mystic chords Of
memory, stretching from every battle field and
patriot grave to every living heart and hearth
stone all over this broad land, will yet swell
the chorus of the Union, when again touched,
as surely they will be, by the better angels Of
their nature.