The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1861-03-06
President Linooln's inaugural.
FslI0,s Citizens Of tas UniIsd States;

| presence the oath prescribed Dy the Consu.
tuition Of the United States to be taken BY
the President before he eLters on the exc
cutiOn Of his Office. IAo consider 4
necessary, at preseR SSM discuss
those matters Of adniA u. en- We
there is no specialxK T ~
Apprehension seeh 0m ~
people of the Sop,f fyE& Z sG GS n
accession Of ReM fo6 M GTS i
their propsflb 4EAlit 4 TjS Z Q
sss sssf ssfs..sSeEQys=sN&6 H. &6ss y !
prshension. InA&AQ .sost ample evl-
dence to the contrary has ell the while ex'
listed, and been opent to their Inspection. II
ia found in Deariyall. the published speeches
OF him who now addresses you. do but
quote from one OF those speeches when l
declare to you that have no purpose, d.
: rectly or indirectly, TO interfere with the
institution of slavery 10 the States where it
exists. believe have no lawful right to
do 80, and have no inclination 10 do so.-
Those who nominated and elected me, did
80 with the full knowledge that had made
this and many similar declarations, and had
never recalled them; and more than this,
they placed in the platform for my accept.
ance, ss a law to themselves and to me, the
clear and emphatic resolution which now
read: "ResolUed, That the maintenance in.
violate of the rights Of the States, and espe-
cially the right of each State to order and
control its own domestic institutions accord
ing to it's own judgment, exclusively, is es'
sential to that balance of power on which
the perfection and endurance of our political
fabric depends, and we deneunce the law
less invasion by an armed force OF this sort
OF any State or Territory, no matter under
what pretext, as among the gravest of
crimes" | now reiterate these sentiments,
and in doing so, only press upon the pub
! lie attention the most conclusive evidence
Of which the case is susceptible, that the
property, peace and security of no section
are to be in any wise endangered by the in.
coming administration. | add too that all
the protection which, consistently with the
Constitution and the Laws, can be given,
will be cheerful given to all the States
when lawfully demanded, for whatever
cause, as cheerfully to one section as to an
other. There is much controversy about
the delivery of fueiGyes from service or la.
Dor. The clause lead is as plainly written
in the Constitutionbs any other of its pro.
visions. "No peraon held to service or
labor in one State. gnAer ths laws thereof,
escaping into anoth AO'l, in consequence
of any law or reg&OlAherep, be dis.
charged from suck L---=A,sxs,
shal be deIiyefeaa&<A - AG-zz..:.1eS1 =
to whom such seryfSSS@.....- -.
1t is correctly questiJ n thai. tits provision
was intended by thoA 4 Sassa.o made it, for the
reclining of what call fugitive slaves,
and the intention oft6e fswgiver is the law.
All members of Congress swear their sup.
port to the whole Constitution, to this pro.
vision rs much as TO any other. TO the
PROPOSITION then, that slaves whose cases
come within the terms of this clause, and
shall be delivered up, their oaths are unani.
nous. Nov, it they would make the effor
in good temper, could they not, with nearly
equal unsnimty, frame and pass a law, BY
means of which to keep good that unan
nous estb. There is some difference o
opinion whether this clsuse should be en-.
orcsd, by National or State authority, bu
surely that difference Is not very materia
one; II the slave is TO be surrendered, it car
be of but little consequence to him or tt
others by which authority it is done, ant
) should any one, in any case. be content tha
his oath shall be unkept on merely unsub
stontial controversy os 10 how it shall b.
: kept Again, in eHy law upon this subject
ought not all the safeguards OF liberty knowI
in civi zed and humane Jurisprudence be in
troduced, so that a freeman may not be il
any case surrendered os a slave. Ant
i,hk ) hn oil af INN .,
provide by law for the enforcement of tho
clause in the Constitution which guarantees
2, that the citizens of egch Stste shall be en-
titled to all the privileges and immunitiel
OF citizens in the several States. take the
lfficial o4th to-day, with no mental reserva
tior, and with no purpose to construe the
Constitution or laws by any hypercritica
rulea, and while do not choose now t.
specify particular acts Of Congress as prope
to be enforced, | do suggest that it will b.
much sufcr for all, s on lin official and pri
vate stations, TO conIim. IEn n IN nsnd.. abidsis
, oil these acts whicblal sets Of teeth inserted Q
violate any f0I whch viii presef,
punty ipshs: rIss. teethinserted. Teeth reno,
tutionsl. as possible, or with no pain I
1t is seventy tw0s' lin line of rnce Aafst IN
auguration of Pres eaass under our Nationu
Constitution. During that period fiftee
different and greatly distinguished citizen
have ia succession administered the execu
tive branch of the Government. They hav
{ conducted it through many perls, and gen
I orally with great success; yet with all thi
scope for precedent, now enter upon tn
q same task for the brief constitutional tern
of four years, under great and peculiar diff
= cultles. A disruption OF the Federal Union
: heretofore only menaced, is now formidabl
attempted. hold that in contemplation
o OF universal law, and Of the Constitution
the Union OF these Ststes is perpetual
:. Perpetuity is implied, if not expressed, i
= the fundamental law of ell national govern
II ments. 1t is safe to assert that no govern
h ment proper ever had provision in its orgen
iC law for its own Termination. Continu
e to execute all the express provisions of ou
d National Constitution, and the Union wi
endure forever. it being impossible to des
J. troy il, except by some action not provide
for in the instrument itself.
n Again, if the United States be not 90,
8 ernment proper, bot an association of State
in the nature of contract merely, can it, {
9. a contract, be peaceably unmade by lei
le than all the parties who made it? Or
party to a contract may violate it-brea
r. it, so to speak, but does it not require all
\. lawfully rescind itl Descending from the'
general principles we find the propostit
n. that in legal contemplation the Union
perpetual, confirmed by the history of Il
,e Union itself. The Union is much old
than the Constitution; it was formed in ia
by the Articles of Association in 1774;
NJ WAC m sturad and coDtinued 2hv the Declar