Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-03-09

own Legislature and abolish slavery an aur own
SOIL nor hsrhor our fugitivss when they attempt to
escape from us, We have reason to be grateful for
tn indulgence accorded to uss The right 60 breaI
is as much we should venture to claim. You
may exist as States, and manage yourselves
at home-We viii not abrogste your sovsreiontv
Yeur runaways We dc not want aud we nav
occasionally send them back to you'' We have no
intention Of sending an invading army into your
territory and emaneipate your slaves. You ray
stay where you are, and enjoy your property. yeu
peace and personal security unmolested And for
this most gracioue dispensation Of his Ezcellencvs
favor. We OF the South, are called upon 10 be pro-
foundry thankful.
But what Of the great territorial question. which
underlies this whole political controversy? Hear
him, Nay Congress prohibit slavery in the Terri
tories7 the Constitution does not expressly saw
Mus. Compress protect slavery in the Territories
the Constitution does net expressly saw" Who
then, ask, shall determine these ouesiiopsY The
Constitution does not decide them, saws Mr.. Lin
coin. II of course, then an open QUESTION: ana
if majority In Congress is opposed to the extea-
sion Of slavery, Why they have the right to forever
bar 1t from any Of the territories In home psr-
lance it is whipping the devil round the stump, .
instead Of Affirming in plain English, that there
shall be no more slave territory You Of The South
may live and breathe where you are, shut if you
think you have right to be heard as Washington
upon this great subject it is time your presumption
en0ui0 De reOuKeu Inc NOTE - the thlDk11E DOW
er--the soul Of the Governmsnt. The life Of the
Government is Northern, nos Southern; the type 10
be impressed upon ell future States is Northern not
Southern. The North becomes the United States
and the South subject provinces"
But what ssys Mr.. Lincoln of the decisions of The
Supreme Court? Not TO be tedious, he admits that
their decisions ars entitled to some considerations
bat to be bound irrevocably by their decisions upon
questions of vital interests Would be for the people
to 10 be their own rulers, aud 10 resign their
government into the hands Of this tribunal. 1t
would have been moro manly had Mr.. Lincoln ex-
pressed himself more clearly upon this subject,
But the plain import of bis IsDguage s that be viii
not feel himself baud to aIl the decisions Of that
tribunal And yet this is the man whs regards
himself as bound by cath to 'hold, occupy, and
possess the property and places belonging to the
Government, sud to collect duties aud iBpsrts,"
&c.
And this lesds me to the doctrine of COERCION,
which is most unequivocaIly svowed in his inaugu-
raj address, Disguise il as we may the doctrine Is
there, and it would have been far more honorable
and manly for Mr.. Lincoln to have made known
bis purpose in more direct and perspicuous Ian
gusge He assumes that the Union is per.
petusl; that il cannot be dissolved. He assumes
to be the President Of the whole thirty-four
States Of this once United Confederacy, q d de-
clsres his fixed purpose, to the extent Of his abi-
ty to execute the laws Of the United States in ALL
the States. / am awaFe that some Of Mr. Lincoln's
apoogiss deny that the doctrine of esercion is con-
tanned in his Inaugural Well the old maxim still |
holds good, 'None so blind as those who will not
see." Let us examine Mr.. LincOln's language He |
says that, sin view Of the Constitution and the
laws, the Union is unbrsken," (entiraly ignoring
the stubborn facts to which have REFERRED sand
to the extent of my ability shall take care las She
Constitution itself enjoins upon me, that the laws
of the Union be faithfully executed in all the |
States." Now, in the name Of common sense. how
can Mr.. Lincoln execute the laws Of the United |
States in those States which have formally and open
~ abjured all further allegitnce to the Federal 1
Government, and which have erected themselves /
into a separate and Independent confederacys He
claims to be their President; they reneunce him
and his authority. he claims to hsvs the right to
extend over them the Federal arm; they abjurs all
such right He says they are still members of the
Union-that the Union Is perpetual and can never
be dissolved; they deny that they are any longer
in the Union, ami afism hat the Usion is not per-
petual put has been dissolved. Now,I ask, how can
Mr.. Lincoln execute all the laws Of the United |
States over such people without hostile COLI.
ZION .e..
But, say his apologisis, Mr.. Lincoln will carry
,ut his policy only ESQ far as is prsctieabe:n and
hat he has promised that he will not use force
wherever hostility to the government is such as 10
prevent competent resident citizens from holding
Federal Offices and there reed be no bloodshed Sc |
That is whenever he finds il impossible 10 get com
,etent resident citizens to perform the duties Of
Federal officers, why, he viii let things quietly pass
md that therefore. he does not intend to use coer-
ion.
But let US hear Mr. Lincoln himself. after an
Isunoing the declared purpose Of the Union that
will consttutionally defend and maintain ITSELF"
nd after saying ''there need be no blood .hed or
oleDce, and there shall be none unless it be forced
pon the national authority" he then adds 'the
'oWer coufded to me will be used to hold occupy
al |
he Government, to collect duties and imports; but
eyond what may be necessary for these objects,
here will be no using Of force against or among
eople any where whose hostility to the United
ates in any interior locality shall be 80 great and
universal as to prevent petcnt resident citizens
rom holding Federal Offices" l give the whole
entence that 1 may do Mr.. Lincoln full JUS
ce And now I ask any unprejudiced mind
almy and dispassonately to weigh that language
let the reader bear in mild that Mr.. Lincoln as
umes the perpetuity and indisolubty of the Union;
nat he utterly ignores the fact that there has been
actual secession of any of the Sates he says the
MON is unbroken; and claims that his jurisdiction
5 President, extends over the whole thrty-four
tates. Now, bearing these facts in mind, what
oes ne mean by tine property and places belong
Iouses Forts, Arsenals, &c. as well as other Fed
raj property places in the seeding, well the
on-seceding States 1t is impossible to conceive
ow any man of common sense. can give any other
depreciation of Mr.. Lincoin's language Mr.. Lin
lln means. if he means anything that the custom
buses forts, arsenals and munitions Of war, once
eld by the Federal Government in the seeding
ates, as well As those now held by the Federal
overnment in those States,-that they all belong d
the Federal G0vernment-they are 1.-THE proper
and places belonging to the Government. Now
hat does ne say concerning thems Hear him.
The power confded to me will be used to hold &C
lpy and possess the property and places belonging
the Government, to collect the duties and i'm el
'rts" This is plain and unequivocal The power
ntided to him, as President twill be used'i-not v
ay be, or ought to be-but WILL be used used -
what purpose ',Uused to hold, occupy. and pos y
So" these forts, arsenals munitions of war, &c. in
G seeding, as well as the non-seceding States d
heh he claims to be 'the property and places be W
that power for why "to collect duties and ne
lports." Where? In all the States.
But it is whispered, that whenever hostility to I
General Government is 50 great that competent ~
sident ciiiZsps cannot be found to hold Federal Ii
bees, that Mr. Lincoln has promised that he will I
t use force to execute the aforesaid purpose Pr
1t Mr. Lincoln ssys no such thing. His Language
''But beyond what may be necessary for these TT!
jecs, there will be no usi1g Of force" sc. For u
lat object? Most obviously the aforementioned Vi
jects, viz; :" To hold, occupy, and possess the vii
operty and places beOHging to the Government, en-
to collsct duties and imports" For these OBJ II,
rs he will use all the power canddsd to him; he orr
use the whole Federal arm, to the extert Of his 1
erogaiive, to hod,cecupy and possess the forts and
ssnals and collect the revenue 10 sil the States,
4 beyond what is necessary for theoe purposes, =.
will not violence to force obnoxious strangers
on the disaffected people in the interior, by sp :
hitting such to Federal Offices in their midst. II
,h be not the plain purport Of Mr. Linoslns Ian Ii
age, then confess am wholly incompetent to
derstsnd him Though an not given to call IN rer
estion the motives of others, yet free to say fro
II envy neither the hesrt nor head Of the man be-
o can give any other Interpretation to this Ian Bo
sge prc
md now Messrs. Editors, what is the plain issue vii
ore us? We may close eyes to the TRUTH or 30,
the foolish bird of the DESERT hide our heads ans
heath the sand from the storm, but all this will sal
change the facts or avert the danger. t Sni
Seven of the States have secedsd; nc man can
y that. They have set up for themselves, and =
end to manage their own interests They have ID
en- possession, and now hold many of the forts
arsenals, claimed by Mr.. Lincoln as belonging IN
he United States. This property he declares he
''hold, occupy aud possess" aad further that n
will collect the revenue from these Ststes. This me-
whole power oonfded to him. shall be ussd 10 viii
- ~ / an