The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-03-08
President LincOln'S
INAUGURAL,
Delivered at washington,M Ma rch
Ath, 1861.


compliance with custom as old as tho Gov
erDment itself. | appear before you to nd
dress you briefly, and TO take in your pres
ence, tho oath prescribed by tho Constitu.
ton of tho United States, to DO taken by
tho President before bo enters on the exc.
cution OF his Office. do not consider IL
necessary at present for mo TO discuss those
matters of administration about which there
is no special anxiety or excitement. Appre.
housion scems to exist among tho people Of
the Southern States, that by tho accession
of Republican administration. their prop
erty aud their poGce md personal security
are to DO endangered There has never
been nuy reasonable cause for such nppre-
hcnsion. Indeed. the most ample evidence
to tho contrary has all the whilO existed.
and been open to their inspection. 1t is
found in nearly all the published speeches
Of him who new addresses you. do but
quote from one Of .hese speeches. whom |
declare that havo no purpose directly or
indirectly to intcrforo with tho institution
of Slavery in the States Where it exists.
holievo / have no lawful right TO do 90,
and bnve no inclination to do so. Those
who nominated and elected mo, did so with
tho full knowledge that had made this and
many similar declarations, and had nevor
recalled them; and, moro than this, they
placed in tho platform for my acceptance,
as law to themselves aud to me-, tho clear
and emphatic rC solution which now read.
| ResOIued, That the maintenance icviolato
of the rights of the Satos, and especially
| tho right Of each State to order and control
/ its own domestic institutions accOi ding to
its own judgment exclusively. ~ essential to
that balance of power on which tho porfcc-
tiou aud endurance OF our political fabric
depends; aud VIC donounce the lnwless in
vasion by an armed force, of tho soil Of any
State or Toiritory, no matter under what
protext, as among tho greatest of crimes.
] now roitcrato these sentiments, and in
doing so. only press upon tho public at
! tentiOD tho most conclusive evidence OF
which the case is susceptible, that the prop.
efty, peace and security of 10 section are
to be in anywiso endangered by tho now in
coming Administration. add, too, that all
tho protection which consistently with the
Constitution. and the Jaws can DO given,
will DO chcorfully given to all tho States,
whom lawfully demanded for whatever cause,
as choerfuly to one section as to another
There is much controversy about the duliv.
eriug of tugitives from service or labor -
The clause row read is MS plainly written
in tho Constitution as any othor of its pro.
visioDsi ... ... -.. ..
i mo person held to service or labor in one
State. under tho laws thereof, escaping into
another, shall, in consequence OF any law or
regulation therein, DO discharged from such
service or labor, but shall DO delivered up
on ciam of tho party to whom such service
or labor may bo duo" II was intended by
those who made it, for tho reclaimiug OF
what VIC call fugitive slaves, aud tho inton-
ton of the lawgiver is law. All members
of Congress swoar their support to the whole
Constitution, to this provision as much as
to any other. To tho proposition, thcn,
TINT slaves whose cases come within the
, , terms of this clause, shall be delivered up
! their oaths arc unanimous. Now if they
would mako the effort in good temper, could
they not. with nearly equal uuanimity frame
and pass law by means of which to keeT
good that unanimous oath? There is somt
r difference Of opinion whether this clause
, should be enforced by national or State nu.
thority, but surely, Tint difference is not Il
very material one. II tho slave is to be
, surrendered, it can DO Of littlo consequence
! 10 him or to othors, by which authority it ia
done. Should any one in any case DO con.
= tent that his oath shall be unkopt on a
merely uusubstnntial controversy us to how
1t shall bo kept? Again, in any law upon
this subject, ought not all the safeguards o
liberty known in civilized and human juris
: prudence to be Introduced, so that q FREQ
: man may not bo in any cuso surrendered III
! q slave, md might II no: be well at th,
: samo time 10 provide by law for tho enforce
. mept Of tho claSse in tho Constitution tha
guarantees that tho Citizens of Zach Stat,
shall be entitled TO all tho privileges and im
. munitios of citizens in tho several States?
> take official oath today with no menta
y reservation, and with no purpose to con
slrue tho Constitution or laws by any by
e percritical rules, and whic do not choose
n TO specify any particular acts of Congress
s as proper to DO enforced, do suggest tha
o il will be much safer for all, both in oflicia
n and private stations to conform to, ant
r abide by all those acts which stand unre
y pealed, than to violate any o: them, trust
ing to final impuuity in having them hel,
= to be unconstitutional. o..
1t is soyenty-two years since tho first in
e auguration Off President under our Na
, tional Constitution. During that period
= fifteen different and greatly distinguished
citizens have in succession administered ths
Executive branch of the Government =
; They have conducted 1t through many per
u ills, and generally with great success, ye
with all this scope for precedent, now on
s. ter upon tho same task for tho brief CoUsli
tutoncl torn of four years under great an,
nj peculiar difficulties. Disruption Of the Fod
"A eral Union, heretofore only menacod. is no.
=. formidabiy attempted. l hold that in con
temptation of universal law.and of the Cor
'e s;itution. the Union of those States is poi
20 petual. Perpetuiiy is implied, if not o,
$, pressed, in tho fundamental law Of all M
n. tional governments. II is safo to asse
u, that no government proper ever had PR
ID vision in its organic law for it's own termil
n. alton. Continue 10 execute all tho expre
i, provisions of our national Constitution, M
)" tho Union will endure forever, il being in
possible TO destroy it, except by somo ac'io
n not provided for in tho Instrument itself.
e. Again, if the UGited States DO not go
pc ornment proper, but an association Of Stat
on in the nature of a contract, moroly, can it
,e. a contract be peaccably' unmade by 10
than all tho parties who made il oI
party to . contract may violate it aud brci
II, 30 TO speak, but does II not require all
h' lawfully rescindit? Descending from the
on general principles, We fnd the propositi'
, chat in legal contemplation tho Union
perpetual, confirmed by tho history of q
OF unien itself. The UGion is much old
than tho Constitution; it was formed.
OF fact, by the articles of association in III
il was maturod and continued by tho De