The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-10-22
PRESIDENTS PROCLAMATION.
"0ld Abe's" Talk to the People of This
City in the Year of 1851.
Transcript from Hstory-A Document Well
Worth Preserving.

The following is literal copy of President
Lincoln's speech, delivered in this city
while on bis way to his Inauguration. 1t
was given in manuscript form to Berry r
Sulerove, then editor of the Journal, and
the following is a literal copy:
FELLOW CITIZENS OF THE SrATEor INDIANA
Il am here to thank you much Tor this mag
nificent welcome, and still more for The very
polite j cause which thins is the true and
world.
Solomon says there Is ga time to keen ST.
lepce," and when men wrangie by the month,
with no certainty that they mean the same
were as well If they woulo keep silence. The
words coercion" AID ''invasion" ara much
used in these days. and often WITH some
temper and not blood. Let us make sure, II
We can, that we do not mIs rderstand the
meaning of those who use them. Let as get
exact definitions of these words not ON die
tionaries, put from the men themselves, who
Ger ainly deprecate the things they would
then, is "coercion." What Is Invasion ?"
Would the marching of an army lnto South
Carolina without the consent of her people,
be "invasione" l certainly think 1t would,
and it woald be "coerc on also IL the :;outh
Carolinians were forced TO submit. But if the
United States should mercy bod and retake
It's own forts and other property, and collect
the duties on foreign 1nlDortai Ions, even
WI hho d the mails from places where they
we've habitually violated, woull any all
our protested lovers of the Union but who
spiteiui,y resolve that they II resist coercion
and invasion-undeTstand that sucn things as
these on the part of the United = ates would
he coercion or invasion of a state? IL 81, their
idea OF means TO pre- erve the object IF their
great affection would seem to De exceedingly
thin and airy. III sick, the little pills of the
homoeo atulstS would be much too large for it
| 10 swallow. la their view, the Union, as a
| family relation, would Seem to ne no regular
marriage, but rather a sort OF free love" ar
rangement, to be maintained only ON "pas-
! sional attraction"
/ speak not of the position as
signed TO State in The Union
| oy the constitution; for that, by the
| bond, all recognize. That position, how
ever, State can not carry ut of the Union
wi it. speak of that assumed primary
right of a State to rule all which is less than
ltsslf, and to ruin all which l. iarg than itself.
If a State and a country IN a given case should
| be equal in extent Of territory and equal in
number OF Inhabitants, in what a matter
| of principle, is the State better than the coun-
| Try? Would an exchange OF names be an
| exchange of rights, upon principle? On what
| rightful principle may State being not more
than one hftieJh part of the ration in soil and
| population break up the nation, and then
coerce proportionably larger ubdivision of
| itself i'll the most arb trary way? What mys-
| terious right to play tyraDt is conferred a
| district OF country, with its people, by merely
| calling II a state?
/ FellOw-cItizens, 1 am not asserting any
| thing. am merely asking questions tor you
| to consider. And now allow me to bid you
| farewell