Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1869-03-12

to direct at pleasure the destiuies of th'
Republic, and to make secure my contin
uance in the highest Office known to oul
laws. \
Let the people whom am addressing
from the Presidential e. x:k. during tb'
hours of a laborious i4ass1ider aasider how
different would han geen their presen
condition had I yielded to the dazzling
temptation Of foreign conquest, of person
al aggrandizement, and the desire to wielt
additional power. Let them with justice
consider that, if 1 have not unduly "mag
niied mine Office" the public burden:
have not been increased by my acts, and
other and perhaps thousands or tens o1
thousands of lives sacrificed to visions Of
false glory.
1t cannot, therefore, be charged that
my ambition has been of that ordinary OF
criminal kind which, to the detriment oi
the peoples rights ard liberties, ever seeks
to grasp more and unwarranted powers,
and, to accomplish its purposes, panders
too often to popular prejudices and party
aims.
What. then, have been the aspirations
which guided me in my official acts p
Those acts need not, at this time, an Ella
borate explanation. They have been else
where comprehensively stated and fully
discussed, and become part of the ma
TONS history. By them am willing to
be judged. knowing that, however imper-
feet, they at least show to the impartial
mind that my sole ambition has been to
restore the Union of the States faithfully
to execute the Office of President, and i,
to the best of my ability, to preserve, pro-
tect, and defend the Constitution. I can
not be censured if my efforts have been
impeded in the interests Of party faction !;
and if policy which was intended to re-
assure and conciiate the people Of both
sections of the country was made the oc-
casion of infaming and dividing still far
ther those who, only recently in arms a.
gainst each other, yet. as individuals and
citizens, were sincerely desirous, as shall
ever believe, of burying all hostile feel
ings in the grave Of the past. The bitter
war was waged on the part of the Govern
ment to vindicate the Constitution and
save the Union; and if I have erred in
trying to bring about more speedy and
lasting peace, to extingpish hear. .h.isaz.
ings and enmities. and to prevent troubles
| in the South which, retarding material
prosperity in that region, injuriously af-
fected the whole country, am quite con-
tent to rest my case with the more delib-
crate judgment of the people, and, as
have already intimated, with the distant
future.
The war, all must remember, was a
stupendous and deplorable mistake. Mel
tber side understood the other; and had
this simple fact and its conclusions been
kept in view, all that was needed was ac-
complished by the acknowledgment of the
terrible wrong, and the expressed better
feeling and earnest endeavor at atonement
shown and felt in the prompt ratification
of constitutional amendments by the South
ern States at the close of the war. Not
accepting the war as confessed false step,
on the part of those who inaugurated it.
was an error which now only time can
cure, and which even at this late date we
should endeavor to palliate. Experience
ing. moreover. as all have done. the fright
full cost of the arbitrament of the sword |,
let us, in the future. cling closer than ever
to the Constitution as our only safeguard.
1t is to be hoped that not until the bur-
deps now pressing upon US with such
fearful weight are removed will our peo-
pie forget the lessons of the war +; and that,
remembering them from whatever cause,
peace between sections and States may be
perpetual.
The history Of late events in our coun-
try, as we'll as of the greatest governments
of ancient and modern times, teaches that
we have everything to fear from depar-
ture from the letter and spirit Of the Con-
stitution, and the undue ascendency of
men allowed to assume power in what are
considered desperate emergencies. Sylla,
on becoming master of Rome, at once a.
dopted measures to crush his enemies, and
to consolidate the power of his party
He established military colonies through
out Italy; deprived of the full Roman
franchise the inhabitants of the Italian
towns who had opposed his usurpations :;
conGseated their lands, and gave them to
his soldiers: and conferred citizenship
upon great number of slaves belong e
to those who had prescribed him, thus
creating at Rome kind of body guard
for his protection. After having given
Rome over to slaughter, and tyrannized
beyond all example over those opposed to
him and his legions. his terrible instru-
ments of wrong, Sylla could yet feel safe
in laying down the ensig gns of power SO
dreadfully abused, and in ngling freely
with the families and friends of his myriad
victims. The fear which he had inspired
continued after his voluntary abdication.
and even in retirement his will was law to
people who had permitted themselves to
be enslaved. What but subtle knowl-
edge and conviction that the Roman peo-
pie had become changed, discouraged, and
utterly broken in spirit could have induc-
ed this daring assumption What but
public Indifference to consequences so ter
rible as to leave Rome open to every ca
lamity which subsequently befell her,