Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-03-13
Opinions of the Press Upon the I'm.
auguraI.

The INAUGURAL OF President LINcoLS.-The
inaugural of President Lincoln appears in our
columns this morning. We are inclined to think,
from its clumsy and awkward construction of
sentences and want of literary excellence, that it
is labored composition. We see traces OF the
author of the silly and senssless speeches from
Springfield to Washington-in the i'll taste which
introduced almost in the commencement of the
address, an allusion to extract from the Chi
cago platform of the Republican party, which
good judgment and correct policy would have
carefully excluded from it. 1t shows that Mr..
Lincoln's thoughts are upon his party and his
party creed-how the former may be preserved
and the latter carried out--when he thus brings
them so pror.ss emily n the foreground.
The general character of the message is not
conceived in happy spirit, neither is it appropri
ate or judicious. The discussion OF the abstract
right OF secession is preposterous and idle, for 1t
is with stern facts and realities that we have now
TO deal, rather than with metaphysical disputes
The friends Of compromise and Union will ind
little or nothing to rejoice over in the Message.
It speaks the views not of conservative Repubi-
cans but Of the radicals-of the Chase and Gree
ley stamp, who are opposed to all compromise.
There is, it is true, faint approval of National
Convention to amend the Constitution; but he
saws nothing of what his friends would do In that
body to bring about a pacifcation. There IS n
shorter way to amend the Constitution than that
of a Conventon-much shorter-but he approves
the longer method. The fact that he advocates
no general principle of compromise or pacfca-
ton, a measure which is imperatively demanded at
the present time, is most disheartening especially
to the friends of the Union in the border slave
States, who have relied upon the hope that he
would take some tangible ground which they
could maintain at home against the secessionists
He indicates very decidedly his sentiments to
be for coercion Of the South. Ii is plainly inti
al thokh ha fl11tv fO
the revenue in the seeding States, enforce the
laws there, and hold occupy and possess the fort:
and property belonging to the General Govern
ment in those States. The wisdom of policy
is to be judged by its fruits. We religiously be
lieve that if this programme is carried out, IT vii
drive every border slave State from the Union
bring on sanguinary civil war with all the South
ern States, from Delaware to Texas. 1t will de
stroy the Union permanently. beyond any pros
pect of reconstruction. 1t will infliet upon th'
country calamities and miseries which will maxi
our era memorable in history, and from whicl
humanity will stand aghast.
Nothing is more certain than that will be tn
effect of Mr. Lincoln's force programme. 1t
impoliey, madness and blindness can not be to-
strongly condemned. We trust that the "curren
of events and experience" to which he alludes
will induce him to abandon the idea of coercion
for otherwise the nation will be plunged into II
retrievable ruin. Sagacious men of all partie
long since made up their minds that coercion
not to De thought of-that it is 10 remedy fol-
but would be aggravation of all our ills.
We fear the message will have a very unhapp
effect in the South, and tend to widen the chasr
which separates it from the North, and render
solution of our difficulties more difficult; that
will tend, in fact, to precipitate the crisis. W
have the most painful evidence in this inaugurs
that Mr. Lincoln is not a statesman; that he Ina
not the least conception of that character, an
that the destinies of our country, at this critics
period in its history and fortunes, have been CON
mitted to one incompetent to hold them: IL
evident that we must rely upon Mr.. Lincoln ha'
ing good advisers, the most terrible dlsaste
will overtake us.-Cin. Enquirer.
The address, as we understandit, proposes,
far enforcing the laws is concerned, to leay
the present status untouched, and favors, with II
spect to remedial measures, the assembling of
National Convention. In other words, we unde
stand Mr.. Lincoln, instead of contemplating tI
recapture of the forts and other impossib
achievements, to adopt essentially the line of Al
ton pursued by Mr.. Buchanan, with the assu