The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1861-01-23
THE SPEClALdESSAGE,
CLAUDE.

THE SPEClALd MESSAGE.
The following is the Message co,nmu.
nicated on Wednesday
TO tie Senate and Hose of Representa.
tiues q:
At the opening o! yer present session,
l called your ntlentloIto the dangers
which threatened the existence Of the
Union. expressed y opinion freely
concerning the orieiai causes Of those
dangers. and Iocomm.ded such meas,
ures as | believed wod have the etfec,
OF lrauquilizing the coatry and saving il,
iruun the purll in which, had been need
lessIy and most uniortustely involved
Those opinions and cominenda,ions |
do not propose now tuspeat. My own
convictions upon thesDole subject re
mann unchanged. =
The fac, that gro. calamity was IN
pending over the nxlls was even al that
time knowledged tsevsry in,elliyen,
citizen. |, had alresy made itself fel,
throughout tue leng! aud breadth of
the land. Tho necesg consequences Of
the alarm thus protkd were most Go
p'orab!s. The impo4 fell of with IA
pldiiy never known L tprs, sxcep, in time
Of war, in the bis,oryf our foreign com.
lherce ; tho iru.'nFy EM unexpectedly
lef. without the nea.J which II had rea
souabsy counted upo1 he teo,a the public
engagements; trade Pa,a!yzed man.
uisctures were stopE(; lhs best public
securities suddenly sJk 10 The msrke. {;
every spscies OF prber,y deprecated
more or .ssS, and tho}ands Of poor men.
who depended upon sir daily labor for
lbeiy daily bread, we turned out of em,
pOyment.
deeply Iogisi thI l am hot able TO
give you any inforinson upon The state
Of the Uuiou which more satisfactory
than what l wss theub'iged to commu.
nic.,.. Ga the corary, matters are
still worse at rre.en than they then
we're. Whom Congn met, n strong
hope psrvaded the xeie public mind
that some amicaLle ns,'nent Of the
subject would speedI be made by the
representatives Of the Astes aud OF tho
people which might reore peace between
the conflicting sec,ionaf the county
That hcra hss been dpinished by every
hour Of c.lay and al, ,hs prospect Of
bloodlsss settlement fst away, the pub.
lie distreaa becomes ND and more ag.
gravated. AZ svidsoSbf this, il is only
necessary 70 say .hst Treasury notes
authorized by the Of l7tb (seven'
tesntb) December la wero advertised
according to the law, that no respon.
sibls bidder offered tosEs any considera.
bic anm vt par at lc4r rate Of interest
than twelve per cent. rom these facts
il appears that, IN q uFemmsnt organi
zsd like ours, doInestt ktrife, or even q
we'll grounded fear (isil bostiliiies, 10
more destructive to OF public and private
interests than the modPrmidable foreign
war.
10 my annual messa | expressed the
conviction, which ha long deliberate
ly held, and which rbt reflection hs.
only tended to dsepeu pd confirm. that
no State has right, It's own act, TO
secsde from the Uniolor throw Off lis
federal Obligations al sasurs. also
declared my opinion be. that even IL
that right existed, and liould 10 sxer.
cissd by any State Of Confederacy.
the Executive departing Of this govern
ment had no authority der the Cons,i.
tuition, TO recognise i,1Sahdi,y by ack.
nowlsdging the indep Hence Of such
State. fhis left me ndksrnative as the
Chief executive officer utpr the Copslitu,
ton Of ifs United Siat buf collect
the public revenue al TO s0tect the
public property III this might be
practicable, under lave. This is
still my purpose. NY vincs is to exc.
cute, and not 10 make laws
il belongs TO ConRf} exclusively to
repeal, to modify, or io1::.sEs their pro.
visions 10 meet sxiger As they may
occur. ] possess no did bsing power. /
csrtsinIy bad no right make sggrss
siys war upon any Stn,S and / ara per.
fe,,ly sssistied that lhs Constitution has
wisely withheld tha. wer sren from
Congress. but the IL and the do,y
to use military force d uaivsIy against
those vbo resist the fsd j officers 10 The
execution Of their legal nctioOs, end
gainay those who assanlbs property Of
The Federal Govsrnmsn& = clsrs and un.
dsnisb's.
But.hs dangerous al hostile attitude
of ihs States towards s other has Al,
sesdy far transcsnded Csc, in the
shada fha osdinarx sxsxis. r4usias "A.