The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-03-06

IL compliance with custom as old as the
-.rernment itsef, | appear before you 10 sd'
dress you briefly, and 10 take, in your presence,
lie oath prescribed by the Constitution OF the
United States, to be taken by the President be-
for he enters on the execution OF his ONCE
30 not consider II necessary at present Tor me 10
discuss those matters Of administration about
which there is no special anxiety or excitement.
Apprehension seems to exist among the people
oi the southern States. that, by the accession OF
Republican administration, their property, their
peace and personal security are 10 be endangered.
There has never been any reasonable cause for
lch apprehension. Indeed, the most ample ev-
i!erce TO the contrary has all the while existed
and been open 10 their inspection. 1t is found
in nearly all the published speeches OF him who
on addresses you. do but quote from one OF
those speeches when declare that | have 40
purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with
slavery where it exists. l believe | have 70
lawful right 10 do SO, aud have no inclination TO
10 so. Those who nominated and elected NE
did so with the full knowledge that | had mace
this and many similar declarations, and had never
recalled them; more than this, they placed In
the platform for my acceptance, as law to them
.-lves and to me- the clear. emphatic resolution
which now read:
"Resolred, That the maintenance invioiste OF
the rights of the States and especially the rights
of each State, to order and control its own do
uls site institutions according TO its own ludS-
meut exclusively, is essential 10 the balance Of
rosyr on which the perfection and endurance o'
our political fabric depends and We denounce
the lawless invasion by an armed force oi the
government of any State or Territory, 10 matter
under what pretext, as among the greatest OF
! crimes"
now reiteTate these sentiments and IN dong
so, Only press upon the public attention the
most conclusive evidence OF which the case l.
susceptible that the property, peace and securi-
" of no section 10 be in any wise endanGer-
ed by the now incoming admin -tiaiion add,
100, that all the protection which, consistently
with the Constitution and the laws, can be gwen,
will be cheertuy given 10 all the States when
lawfully demanded, for whatever cause, as cheer
| fully to one section as TO another.
! There is much controversy about the deliver
| ing of fugitives from service or labor. The
clause | now read is as plainly written IN the
Constitution as any other Of its provisions.
"NO person held 20 service or labor IN one
| State under the laws thereof escaping iato an
other shall in consequence q any law or ieeui
ton therein, be discharged from such service or
labor but shall be delivered Or claim 81 the par
| ~ to whom such service or labor may De due
| 1t was intended By those who made il far the
retaining of what We call fugitive slaves, atd
! the intention OF the law given. Is the law all
members of Congress swear their support Ia,
when they swear TO support the wh he ton-ti;u
| ton, and to this provision, IA much rs TO anr
other. To the proposition then, that slaves.
whose cases come within The terms of this clause,
and shall be delivered, their oaIh- unanimous
| Now, if they would make the effort IL good
temper, could they not with nearly equal una
L l.. . 20,
To keep good tina: unanimous oath: There is
some difference of opinion whether this clause
should be enforced NV National ar Stale au,io'i
": but surely that difference i rot very ma
terisl one if the slave is 10 br surrendered. II
can be of but little consequence to him or 10
others, by which authority it is done, and should
anv one in any case be content that has oath
shall be kept, or a merely uu>ubsta,tial coniro
very a. to how il shall! he kept Again III any
| law upon this subject ought not at the sale
| guards of liberty known in civilized ana huiDa
jurisprudence 10 BE- introduced, 50 tnar a oenia
NAV not be, III any ease, suri sHuervd As Il sitV'
and might it not b., w,I az the same tine, [
provide by law for the enforcement al that
clause in the Constitution which guarantees that
the citizens of each state shall he entitled 10 a!
the privileges and n,uniiies 81 citizens IA '''
several States?
! , take the official oath to day with uo me! tai
reservations. ard with no purpose Ia consirut
the Constu ior or laws b, ANY hypocrItica' rules,
and while do not choose nov - specify par &c
MAR acts q Congress a. proper 10 b. ,ni"tced
| do suggest ;u3t il viii be much safer, iu bes
in official and private stations TO cotoim to, AND
/; abide by, ali these acts which stand unTepealeG
than to violate any Of them. trusting to find
mpunty in having them held Ia b. urconsiitu
tional
1t Is seventy 40 Years since tue first Inaugn
! ration OF "A President under our National Const
tuition. DurIn.s tha. period, fifteen different aHC
greatly distinguished citizens have n. succession
administered the Executive branch OF Govern
inent. They have conducted it through MANY
perils and generally with great success, vet viii
all this scope for precedent, enter upo!
the same task i,r tie bret constitutional ters
of four years, under great aad peculiar difficult
ties Disruption oi the Federal Union, hereto
totore only uensced, u nov toItnidabis attempted
l hold that IN contemplation OF universal law
and OF the Constitution, the Union OF these
States is perpetual. Perpiinity l. implied II no
expires ,ed Ia the fundamental laws OF al naIioua
Governments. Ii is safe 10 assert that 40 GOV
ernmeut proper ever had provision in its organic
law for il termination. Continue TO exc
cute all the express provisions o. oUr Nationa
Convention. and the Union viii endure forever
it being impossible 10 GestIo, il except by SOU.
action no; provided for in the instrument itself
And /. the United States be not a government
proper, but an association of States III the la
ture OF a contract merely. can il, as contract
be peaceably unnt de by less than all the parties
who made il. One party 10 a contract may vio
late il, break it, 10 speak but does il not re-
quire all to wiully rescind it? Descending from
these general principles, We find the proposition
that in legal contemplation the Union is pernetl
al, confirmed by the history of the Union itself
| The Union is much older than the Constitution
Ii was formed, in fact, by the articles of a.soci
alton in l11i. Ii was matured and continued by
the Declaration of independence in l776 il was
further matured and the faith of all the then thir-
teen States expressly pghted and engaged that
it should be perpetual, by the articles o. eon'ed
Grafton in l71S, and finally ia l1S7, one OF the
declared objects for oriaining and establishing
the Constitution, was TO form more perfect Tn
ion, by one or by part only of the States. Can
it be lawfully possible the Union is less than be-
fore the Constitution, having lost the vital Gle
ment OF perpe,uity. IL follows from these view.
that no State upon its own mere motion, can law.
| fully get out OF the Union; that resolves and
ordinances TO that effect are legally void. and
that acts of violence within any State or States
against the authority of the United States are in
surreetionary or revolutionary, according to cir.
| cumstanceS.
| l THEREFORE consider, tina: in view OF the Con.
stitutiOn and laws, the Union is unbroken, aud
TO the extent OF nv ability, shall take Gaze, as
the Constitution itself expressly enioins on me,
that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed
in all the States. Doing this deem il TO be on
| " a simple duty on nv part ard shall perform