Year: 1861

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FELLow-C1TIzENs OF THE UNITED
STATES: In compliance with a custom
as old as the Government itself, l ap-
pear to address you briefly, and to take,
in your presence, the oath prescribedby
the Constitution of the United States,
to be taken by the President before he
enters on the execution of his office. l
do not consider it necessary at present
for me to discuss those matters of ad-
ministration about which there is no
special excitement. The apprehension
seems to exist among the people of the
Southern States, that by the accession
of a Republican Administration, their
property and their peace and personal
security are to be endangered; but
there never has been any reasonable
cause for such apprehension. Indeed,
the most ample evidence to the contra
rv all the while existed, and was open
to their inspection. 1t was found in
nearly all the published speeches of him
who addresses you. do but quote
from one of those speeches, when | de-
clare that have no purpose. directly or
indirectly to interfere with the institu-
tions of slavery in the States where 1t
exists. believe l have no lawful right
to do so. / have no inclination to do
so. Those who nominated and elected
me. did so with the full knowledge that
had made this and similardccarations
and had never rccanted them, and more
than this, they placed i'll their platform
formy acceptance rs law to themselves
and to me, the clear and emphatic reso-
luton, which now read:


Resolceu, That the maintenance in.
violate of the rights Of the States, and
especially the light of each State, to or
der and control its own domestic insti-
tutions according to its own Judgment
exclusively, is essential to the balance
of power on which the perfection and
endurance of our political fabric de-
pcnds. and we dcnouncc the lawlcss i'll
vasion by an armed force of the Gov
crnmcnt, of any State CT Territory, no
matter under what prctext, as among
the gravcst of crimes.


| now reitcratc these sentiments, and
in doing SO, only press upon the public
attention the most conclusive evidence
of which the case is susccptiblc--that
the property, peace and security of no
section are to be in anywisc endangered
by the new incoming Administration.
l add, too, that all the protection
which consistently with the Constitn-
ton and the laws can be given, will he
checrfully given to all the Statcs when
lawfully demanded, for whatever cause,
as chccrfully to one section as to an
other.


There ia much controversy about the
delivery of fugitivcs from service or Ia
Dor. The clause Inow read is as plainly
written in the Constitution us any 9TH
or of its provisions:


"No person held to service or labor
in one State, under the laws there
of, escaping to another, shall in consc-
qucncc of any law or regulation there
in, be discharged from such service or
labor. but shall he delivered upon claim
to the party to whom such service or
labor may be due"


1t is scarcely questioned that this pro-
vision was intended, by those who made
it, for the rcclaiming of what VIC call
fugitive slaves, and the intention Of the
law given is the law. All members of
Congress swear their support to the
whole Constitution, to this portion as
much as to any other. To the PROPOSE
ton, then, that slaves whose eases como
within the terms of this clause, and
shall be delivered up, their oaths are
unanimous. Now, if they would make
the effort in good temper, could they
not with nearly unanimity, frame and
pass law by means of which to make
good that unanimous oath? There is
some difference ofopinion whether these
clauses should be enforced by National
or State authority, but surely that differ
ence is not very material one. Ifthe
slave is to be surrendered, it can be Of
but little consequence to him or to 9th
ers by what authority it is done; and
should any one in any case be content
that his oath shall be unkept, or merely
nnsubstantial controversy as to how it
shall be kept! Again, many law upon
tho subject, ought not all the safeguards
Of liberty known in the civilized and
human jurisprudence to be introduced,
so that free man may in no case be
surrendered as a slave? And might it
not be as we'll ut the same time to pro-
vide by law for the enforcement of that
clause in the Constitution which guar
antics that the citizens of each State
shall be entitled to the privileges and
immunities of the several States? l