, 1885-03-14
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
His Inaugural Address Of ls61.-
Model Document.

composition, as II Is OF American |
patriotism. 1t can always be studied
with profit by scholars and by states
men, but at no time would his words
of wisdom be more worthy Of atten-
tion than now Amid the threats of
civil war and slavery agitation, be-
fore people divided into angry fac
tions, clamoring for irreconcilable
concessions, he said:
This country, with It's institutions,
belongs to the people who inhabit it.
Whenever they shall grow weary Of
the existing government they can
exercise their constitutional right Of
amending it, or their revolutionary |
right to dismember or overthrow it.
l cannot be ignorant Of the fact that
many worthy and patriotic citizens
are desirous Of having the constitu-
tion amended. While l make no
recommendation Of amendment, l |
fully recognize the full authority Of
the people over the whole subject, to |
be exercised in either Of the modes
prescribed in the instrument itself;
and l should, under existing eircum-
stances, favor, rather than oppose, =
fair opportunity being afforded to the |
people to act upon it. Twill venture
to add that to me the convention
mode seems preferable, in that it al
lows amendments TO originate with |
the people themselves, instead Of
only permitting them to take or re-
ject propositions originated by others
not especially chosen for the purpose,
and which might not be precisely |
such as they would wish either to ac-
cept or refuse. l understand that a
proposed amendment to the eonsti-
tuition has passed congress to the ei-
feet that the federal government |
shall never interfere with the dOmes-
tic institutions OF states, including |
that Of persons held to service. To |
avoid misconstruction Of what | have
said, depart from my purpose not
to speak Of particular amendments
so far as to say that, holding such a
provision to be now implied consti-
tutional law, l have no objection to
its being made express and irrevoca-
BILE. The chief magistrate derives all |
his authority from the people, and |
they have conferred none upon him
to fix the terms for the separation Of
the states. The people themselves,
also, can do this il they choose; but
the executive, as such, has nothing |
to do with it. His duty is to admin
lister the present government as it
came into his hands, and to'transmit |
it, unimpaired by him, to his sue
cessor. Why should there not be a
patient confidence in the ultimate |
justice of the people? Is there any |
better or any equal hope in the world?
In our difference, is either party |
without faith of being in the right?
II the Almighty Ruler Of nations,
with His eternal truth and Justice, be
on your side Of the north, or on yours |
Of the south, that truth and that jus
tice will surely prevail by the judg-
ment 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 servants 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 peo-
pie retain their virtue and vigilance,
no administration, by any extreme
wickedness or folly, can very serious
ly injure the government in the short
space Of four years My countrymen,
one and all, think calmly and well
upon this whole subject. Nothing
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 frustrated by tak-
ing time; but no good object can be
frustrated by it. Such of you as are
now dissatisfied still have the old
constitut ion unimpaired, and, on the
sensitive point, the law Of your own
framing under it; while the new ad-
ministratiOn will have no immediate
power, if it would, to change either.
If it were admitted that you who are
dissatisfied hold the right side in the
dispute, there is still no single reason
for precipitate action. Intelligence,
patriotism, christianity, and a firm
reliance on Him who has never yet
forsaken his favored land, are still
competent to adjust, in the best way,
all our present difficulties. In your
hands, my dissatisfied fellow-coun-
trymen, and not in mine, is the mo-
mentous issue of civil war. The
government will not assaiI you. You
can have no conflict without being
yourselves the aggressOrs. You can
have no oath registered in heaven 10
destroy the government; while l
shall have the most solemn one to
I"preserve, protect and defend it."
am 10th to close. We are not enc
mics, but friends. We must not be
enemies. Though passion may have
strained, ii must not break our bonds
OF affection. The mystic cords Of
memory, stretching from every bat
tie field and patriot grave to every
living 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 nature.
Copying the article referring Mr.. Kohl
hauh, that appeared in a recent number
OF tina REVIEW, the Walla walla Watch
! - NEnH- -. = ....,..3