Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-12-12
President Lincoln's Message
BEAD IN CONGRESS. TUESDAY DEC. sra 81

Fsllos0 citizens Of 1s Senate aad House OF
Representatives.
In the midst Of unprecedented political
troubles, We have cause of great gratitude to
God for :nusual good hu6lth ard abundant
harvests.
You will not be surprised to learn, that in
the peculiar exigenciss of the times, our in
terc ,urse with foreign nations has been at
tended with prufuuud solicitude, chiefly
turning upon our domestic affairs. A dis
loyal p, riioE Of the American people have.
during tie whole year been engaged in an at
tempt "a divide and destroy the Union.
A nation which endures factious domestic
division is exposed to disrespeet abroad. and
enc party. il no; both, is sure, sooner or la
ter. to invoke foreign Intervention. Nations
thus tempted to interfere are not always able
20 resist the oounsels of seeming expedieDcy
and ungenerous ambition, although measures
adopted under such influences seldom fail to
be unfortunate, and Injurious to those adopt
ing them.
The disloyal citizens Of the United States
who have offered the ruin of our country in
return for the aid and comfort which they
have invoked abroad. have received less pa
tronsge and encouragement than they pro-
baby expected. If it were just to suppose,
as the insurgents have seemed to assume,
that foreign nations, in this case, discardiug z
oil moral. social and treaty obligations,
would act solely and selfshly for the most
speedy restoration of commerce including es-
pecially the acquisition of cotton, these ma
tions appear as yet not to have seen their
way TO their object more directly or clearly
through the destruction, than through the
preservation of the Union.
II we could dare believe that foreign ma
iions are sctuated by no higher prin ciple
than this, am quite sure q sound argument
could be made TO show them that they can
reach their aim more readily and easily by
aiding to crush this rebellion than BY giving
encouragement to it. The principle lever
relied on by the insurgents for exciting for
egn nations to hostility against ua, as al
ready intimated, is the embarrassment of
commerce These nations, however, not i'm
probably saw from the first that it was the
Union which made as well our foreign as oul
domestic commerce. They can scarcely have
failed to perceive that the effort for disuniou
produces the existing difficulty, and that one
etrong nation promises more durable peace
and more extensive and reliable commerce
than can the same nation broken into hos,
tile fragments. 1t is not my purpose to re-
view our discussions with foreign States be-
cause whatever might be their wishes or dis
positions, the integrity Of our country and
she stability of our government mainly de-
pend not upon tbem but on the loyalty, vir.
sue, patriotism and intelligence of the Amer.
ican people.
The correspondence itself, with the usua
reservations, is herewith submitted. ven
'ure to hspe it will appear that we hav,
practiced prudence and liberality towards
foreign powers. averting causes OF Irritation
and with frmness maintaing our rights anC
honor. Since, however. it is apparent .ha
here. as in every other State, foreign DANCE
necessarily attend domestic difficulties !;
recommend that adequate and ample meas
ures be adopted for maintaining the publ,
defences on every side.
While under this general Recommendation
provision for defending our seacoast line ec
ours 10 the mind.