The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-03-05

OJQeE D6leVeS II IS wrong ana UilY nj net II
be extended. This is the only substantial
dispute, for the fugitive slave clause of th,
constitution, and the laws for the suppress
SION of the foreign slave trade, are each a.
we'll enforced, perhaps, as any law can be il
a community where the moral sense of the
people imperfectly supports the law itself
Would the great body of the people abide
by the legal obligation, iii both cases, after
the separation of the sections, more will
ingly than before? The foreign slave trade,
now impertecty suppressed, would be ulti-
mately revived without obstruction in one
section, while the fugitive slaves now only
partially surrendered would not be surren-
dered at all. Physically speaking, we cannot
separate cannot remove our respective
boundaries, nor build an impossible wall
between them. The husband and wife may
be divorced and go out of the presence and
beyond the reach of each other, but the
different parts of our country cannot do
this. They cannot but remain face to face
and an intercourse either amicable or hos
tile must continue between them. Is it
possible, then, to make that intercourse
more advantageous or more satisfactory
after separating than before Can aliens
make treaties easier than friends can make
laws? Can treaties be more faithfully en-
forced between aliens, than laws among
friends ? Suppose you go to war, you can
not fight always, and when, after much loss
on both sides and no gain on either, you
cease fighting, the all-essenti questions as
to terms in intercourse are again upon you.
This country, with it's laws and institutions,
belongs to the people who inhabt it.
Whenever they shall grow weary with the
existing government they can exercise their
0f -
their revolutionary right to dismember
or overthrow it. | cannot be ig-
norant of the fact that many worthy
and patriotic citizens are DESTROYS of having
the National Constitution amended. While
make no recommendations of amendments,
1 fully recognize the rightful authority of
the people over the whole subject, to be ex-
ercised in either of the modes prescribed in
the instrument itself and | should under
existing circumstances favor, rather than
oppose, fair opportunity being offered the
people to act upon it.. I will venture to
add that TO me, the convention mode seems
preferable, inasmuch as it allows the amend
ments to originate with the people them
selves, instead only of permitting them to
take or reject a proposition originated by
others not specially chosen for the purpose,
and which might not be precisely such as
they would prefer. | understand a propos-
cd amendment to the Constitution, which
amendment however l have not seen, has
passed Congress, to the effect that the
General Government shall never interfere
with the domestic institutions of the states,
including that of persons held to service
To avoid a misconstructon of what | have
said, | depart from my purpose to speak of
that particular amendment Sc far as to say
that holding such a provision to be now
implied as constitutional law, | have no OBJ
lection to its being made express and ire
vocable. The chief magistrate derives all
his authority from the people and they have
conferred none upon him to fix terms for
the separation of the states. The people
themselves can do this, also if they'choose,
but the Executive, as such, has nothing to
do with it. His duty is to administer and
preserve the government as it came to his
hands and transmit it unimpaired by Linn to
his successor. Why should there not be
patient confidence in the ultimate justice of
the people2 Is there any better or equaIhope
in the world In our present differences, is
either party without faith, in the sight
of the Almighty Ruler of nations, with His
eternal Justice, be he on our side of the
North or on yours of the South,
that truth and justice will surely prevail,
by the justice of this great tribunal, the
American people By the frame of the
government under which we live, this same
people have wisely given their public ser
wants but little power for mischief and have
with equal wisdom provided for the return |
of that little to their own hands at very |
short intervals. While the people retain !
their virtue and vigilance, no administra- |
ton, by any extreme of wickedness or |
coI ~, fho
ment within the short space of four years. |
Ny countrymen one and all, think calm
ly and well upon this whole subject. Moth
ing valuable can be lost by taking time
If there be an object to hurry any of you in
hot haste to a step which you would never
take deliberately, that object will be frus-
trated by taking time, but no good object
can be frustrated by it. Such of you as are
now dissatisfied, still have the old constitu-
ton unimpaired, and on the sensitive point
the laws of your own framing under it,
while the new administration will have no
immediate power, if it would to change
either. Even if it were admitted that you
hold the right side in dispute, there still is
no single good reason for precipitate action.
Intelligence, patriotism, christianity, and
firm reliance on Him who has never yet
forsaken this favored land, are still compe-
tent to adjust in the best way all our pres
ent difficulties. In your hands, my dissat-
isfied countrymen, and not in mine, is the
momentous issue of civil war. The gov
eminent will not assail you. You can have
no conflict without being yourselves the ag
gressOrs. You have no oath registered in
Heaven to destroy the government, while |
shall have the most solemn one to preserve,
protect, and defend it.
I am 10th to close. We are not enemies
but friends. We must not be enemies.
Though passion may have strained it must
not break our bonds of affection. The
mystic cords of glory stretching from eve
ry battlefield and patriot grave to every
loving heart and hearth-stone all over this
broad land will yet swell the chorus of the
Union when again touched, as surely
they will be, by the better angels of our ma
ture. ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
WASHINGTON, March "A special envoy
left Montgomery several days ago for
tJ,o Ea1nro1 (fopf+aI H i cuDr,, I'd ~ no