The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1867-12-10
M r S S A G E
OF THE

President of the United States,
TO THE FORTIETH CONGRESS.
Fslzo,o Citizens of the Senate and House
of Representatives.:
The continued disorganization Of the
Union, to which the President has SO Of
ten called the attention of Congress, is
yet a subject of profound and patriotic
concern. We may, however, find some
relief from that anxiety in the reflection
that the painful political situation, al
though before untried by oprselves,is not
new in the experience of nations. Pelit-
ical science, perhaps as highly perfected
in our time and country as in anyl othsr,
has not yet disclosed any means by which
civil wars can be absolutely prevented
An enlightened nation, however, with a
wise and benefcent Constitution of free
government, may diminish their frequen-
cy and mitigate their severity by direct
ing all its proceedings in accordance with
it's fundamental law. lTf9
When civil war has been brought to
close, it is manifestly the first interest
aud duty Of the State to repair the inju
ries which the war has inflicted, and TO
secure the benefit Of the lessons it teach
es as fully and as speedily as possible
This duty was, upon the termination Of
the rebellion, promptly accepted mot only
by the Executive Department, but by the
insurreetionary States themselves, and
restoration, in the first moment of peace,
was believed to be as easy and certain as
| it was indispensable. The expectations,
however, then SO reasonably and conf
IDENTIFY entertained, were disappointed by
Legislation from which I felt constrained,
by my obligations to the Constitution, to
withhold my assent.
'THERE is NO UNION. u
It is therefore source Of profound re-
gret that, in complying with the obliga-
ton imposed upon the President by the
Constitution, to give to Congress from
| time to time information of the state Of
the Union, am unable to communicate
any definite adjustment, satisfactory to
the American People, Of the questions
(which, since the close OF the rebellion,
have agitated the public mind. On the
contrary, caDdor compels me to declare
that there is no Union as our Fathers un
derstood the term, and as they meant it to
be understood by US. Tie Union which
they established can only exist where all
the States are represented by both Hou.
ses of Congress; where one State is as free
as another to regulate its internal CO n
Germs according to its own will; and where
the laws of the central Government, strict
| ly confined to matters Of national juris-
dictiou, apply with equal force to all the
people of every section. That such is
not the present estate of the Union" is .
melancholy fact; and we must acknowl
! edge that the restoration of the States tc
their proper legal relations with the Fed
eral Government and with one another
according to the terms of the origina
compact, would be the greatest temporal
blessing which God, in his kindest prov
idence, could bestow upon this nation. i
becomes our imperative duty to consider
whether or not it is impossible to effec
this most desirable consummation.
i THE UNION AND THE CONSTITUTION INsEP
i ARABLE.
! The Union and the Constitution are in
separable. As long as one is obeyed BY
all parties, the other will be preserved
and if one is destroyed both must perish
together. The destruction of the Con
stitution will be followed by other ani
still greater calamities. Itwas ordained
net only to form more perfect union be
tween the States, but to establish JUS.
tice, insure domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote the gen
eral welfare, and secure the blessings oI
i liberty to ourselves and our posterity.'
j Nothing but implicit obedience 20 its re,
quirements in all parts of the country
| will accomplish these great ends. With
out that obedience, we can look forwarG
only to continual outrages upon indiyid.
! nal rights, incesssnt breaches of the pub,
ilic seace. national weakness, financial dis
honor, the total loss of or prosperity, thu
general cerruptisn Of morals, and the fna
extinction of popular freedom, To save
our country from evils SO appalling as
these, we should renew our efforts again
}and again.
REsToRATIoN-THE SIMPLE PLAN.
/ To me the process Of restoration seems
perfectly plain and simple. 1t consists
merely in a faithful application of the
! Constitution and laws. The execution oi
the laws is net now obstructed or opposed
by physical force. There is no military OF
other necessity, real or pretended, which
can prevent obedience to the Constitution
either North or South. All the rights
and all the obligations of States and in.
diyiduals can be protected and enforced
iby means perfectly consistent with the
fundamental law. The courts may be
everywhere open, and, if open, their pro.
cess would be uninpeded. Crimes agains
the United States can be prevented Of
punished by the proper Judicial authori
ties, in manner entirely practicable ant
legal. There is, therefore, no reason why
the Constitution should not be obeyed
unless those who exercise its powers hav.
determined that it shall be disregardet
and violated. The mere naked will o
this Government, or some one or more o.
its branches, is the only obstacle that car
exist to perfect union of all the States
| On this momentous question, and some
of the measures growing out of it, I have
had the misfortune to differ from Con
gress, and have expressed my convictions
without reserve, though with becoming