The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1861-03-07
From the Columbia carOzrnian Of Tuesday.
Inaugural Address of President Lincoln.
WASHINGTON, March 4, 1861.

EELLOW-lITIZESS OF TIE UNITED STATES. LII
compliance with custom, as old as the Govern
ment itself, appear before you to address you
briefly, and TO take in your presence the oath pre-
seribcd by the Constitution of the United SIaJes'
and to be taken by the President before lie enters
on the execution of his Office. do not consider
necessary, at present, for me to discuss those mat
ers of administration about which there Is no spe-
cial anxiety or excitement. Apprehension seems
to exist among the people of the Southern states
that, by the accession Of Republican Admins
tration, their property and peace ana personal Sc
curty arc to be endangered lhefc mas never
been any reasonable cause for such apprehension.
Indeed. The most ample evidence TO the contrary
has all the while existed, and been open to their
inspecton. It is found in nearly all the public
sneeches of him who now addresses you. do but
ouotc from one of those speeches when declare
that have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to
Interfere with the institution of slavery in the
States where it now exists, and believe ! have no
lawful right to do so and have no inclination TO
do So Those who nominated and elected ME dld
SO with full knowledge that had made this and
many other similar declarations. ana had never re-
canled them: and, more than this, they placed IN
the platform for my acceptance, as law TO them
selves aud to me, the Gear ana cnipE"'ic reso!u-
iion which now read:
Resolrcd That the maintenance, inviolatc, OF
the rights of the States. and especially the right
of each State 10 order and control It's own domcs-
tic institutions according to its own Judgment, cx-
clusyelv. is essential to that balance of power on
which the perfection and endurance of our poliil-
cal fabric depend and we denounce the lawiess IN
vason by armed force of the soil of any State or
Territory. no matter under what pretext, as among
the gravcst Of crimes"
now rcitcrate these sentiments, and in doing
so. | only press upon the public attention the most
conclusive evidence Of which the case is suscepti-
BILE, that the property peace and security oil no
section arc TO be in any wise endangered by The
incoming Administration. add to that, all the
protection which, consistently with The Consti.n-
ton and the laws, can be given TO all the States,
when lawfully demanded for whatever cause, as
chccrfully TO one section as TO anothcr~
There is much controversy about the delivering
up of fugitiycs from service or labor The clause
now read is as plainly written in the ConstiltI-
tion as any other of its provisions:
no person held TO service or labor in one state,
under the laws thereof, escaping into another,
SHALL in consequence Of any law or regulation
therein be discharged from such service or labor,
but shall be delivered up on claim Of the party TO
whom such service or labor may be due
1t is scarcely questioned That this provision was
intended by those who made ii, for the rcclamnG
of what We call fugitive slaves, and the intention
CT the law given, is the law. All members OF Con-
gress swear their support to the whole Consiiiu-
ton, to this provision, as much as TO any other.
To The proposition, then, that slaves whose cases
come within the terms Of this clause. shall be de
livcred up, their oaths are unanimous. Now, ii
they would make the effort in good temper, could
they not with nearly equal unanmiiy frame and
pass Il law by means of which TO keep good that
unanimous oath. There is some difference OF
opinion whether this clause should he enforced by
national State authority; bni surely that differ
encc is not very material one; If the SLAVE IS to
be surrendered, 1t be Of but little consequence
to him or to others by which authority it is done;
and should any ore in any case be content that
his oath shall 30 unkcpt on merely unsuhstan-
tal controversy MS 10 how shall hc kept? Again,
in any law upon this subject, ought not all the
safeguards of liberty known in civilized and hu-
name Jurisprudence to be introduced so that a
free man be not in any case surrendered rs
slave. and might il not be well. ut The same time,
10 provide by law for the enforcement CT that clause
in the Constitution which guarantees that "ilc
citizyns of each State snail be entitled TO all privi
lcrcs and immuntics OF citizens il the several
States"
Itakc The official oatI, to-day with no mental re-
servai:ons, and with no purpose 10 cons;rnc the
Constitution or laws by any hypocriical rnics :;
and while DO not choose now TO specify partcll-
lar acts of Congress propc: TO be enforced. do
suggest that il will be much safer nj, both in OIL
cal and private stations, - conform la and ab!Gc
by all those acts which stand unrepcalt,. than TO
violate any OF them, trusting 10 find intqrnitf il
having ;!.em held 10 be unconstitutional.
1t is scycn;y-iwo years sircc lie first inaugn"a-
ton OF President under omr Naioma! Consi;in-
tion. During that period, fifteen different and
greatly distinguished citizens have in succession
administered the Executive branch Of the Govern
mcnt. They lave conducted ii through many
perils, and generally with grea; success. Yet.
with all this scope for precedent. now enter upon
the same task for the brief Constitutional term oil
four years, under great and peculiar difficulties.
\ disruption OF the Federal Union, heretofore
mcnaced is now formdahly attempted. hold
that in contemplation OF universal law and Of The
Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual.
perpciniy is implied, il rot expressed III the fun
d;mcnlal law of national Governments. II is safe
to assert that no Government proper eyer had Il
provision in its organic law Tor lis own lcrl'na-
ton. Continue 10 execute all The express provis-
ions of our national Constitution and The UE;on
will enl,rc tcrcYcr it being Impossible 10 destroy
ii except by somc action NOT provided in the III
strumcnt itself. Again, il the United States be
not Il Government proper, bit an association Of
States in the nature OF contract merely, can il.
Il contract be practically unmadc by less than all
the parties who made il. Ono party 10 Il contract
NAV violate it, break il, 50 TO speak. but does il
not require all 10 lawfully rescind ii Descending
from these general principles, We find this proro-
siiion, that in legal complications Ihe Union is
perpetual. confirmed by the history oil the Union
itself The Union is much older than the Con-
sti:uion; it was formed in fact ly the articles of
association in l774. 1t matured and con-
tined By the Declaration Of Independence in 1l16.
1t was further naturcd, and the faith OF ali these
thirteen States expressly pledged and cngnged
that it should be perpetual. The Articles of Con
federation in l77S, and finally in l7S7. one of the
declared objects for ordaining and establishing the
Constitution was to form more perfect Union.
But if destruction Of the Union by one or by Il
part only of the States be lawfully possible, the
Union is less perfect than bcorc-ihc Constitution
having lost the vital clement of pcrpctuity. 1t fol-
lows from the views that no Stale, upon lis own
mere motion, can lawfully go out of the Union {;
that resolves and ordinances TO that effect arc le-