Year: 1860

cOmpliSh the object of peace is for the sav
holding States to helet alone to manage thei
domestic Institutions in their own way. Tn


mere election of any man to Office is not
just measure for dissolution of the Union
The antecedents of the President elect ar
calculated to excite fears in South Carolina
but is the question of contingent DANCE
sufficient to justify the destruction of th
government. He reviews the acts Of tht
different northern States in the passage o


personal liberty bills, and pronounces then
unconstitutional. lie says that it should
not he presumed in advance that the Presi-
dent elect will fail to enforce the Fugitive
Slave Law a5 this would be unjust and con.
trary to Christian charity. Let US wait for
the overt act lie then declares against the
right Of secession, and says to admit it the
Union might be broken into fragments in
less than two weeks. He quotes the Ian
guage of jackson and Madison.


Secession is altogether founded on an in
ference not in the Constitution. The Union
was designed to be perpetual. He then
quotes the Constitution in support of this
view The trainers of this Constitution
never intended to plant in its bosom seeds
for its own destruction. They were not
guilty of the absurdity of providing for its
own dissolution. The right of resistance
against tyranny and oppression, however,
cannot be denied. This right is asserted in
/ the Declaration Of independence. But Sc
] cessOn is neither more nor less than revolu-
ton. He speaks of the affairs of South
Carolina. He does not apprehend that an
attempt will be made to seize the forts, but
if he is mistaken in this the officers have
orders to act strictly on the defensive let
the responsibility rest on the heads of those
who provoke the contest. He invokes his
countrymenjto pause before attempting to de-
stroy the Union which has conferred so
many benefits. He argues that Congress
can do much to restore peace by preparing
and recommending an amendment to the
Constitution for remedying the existing
evils. The very course he recommends is
to have an explanatory clause or amend
ment on the slavery question


lst. Expressly recognizing the right OF
property in slaves in States where slavery
now exists, or may hereafter exist.


2ud. The duty of protecting such rights
in all the common Territories until the latter
are admitted as States into the Union.


3rd. y like recogni .lon-


Here the report broke off.--ED. JoUR.l


Should this apprehension of domestic dan
ger extendand intensity until it shall pervade
the masses ofthe Southern people, then dis
union will become inevitable. Selfpreser-
vatiOn III the first law of nature, and no pO-
litical union, however fraught with bless
ings and benefits in all other respects, can
be Ions continued if the necessary conse-
quence be to render the homes and fresides
of nearly , If the parties to it, habitually
and hopeiessly insecure. Sooner or later
the bond OF such n union must be severed.
1t is my conviction that this fatal period has
not yet arrived.


After referring to the incessant agitation
against slavery at the North for the last
twenty-five ' ears both by the press and
tho people, and asserting that the time of
Congress was occupied with violent speech
es on this never ending subject he remarks
How easy would it he for the American
people u settle !hc slavery question forever
and restore peace and harmony to this dis
tracted country, which can be done by let
ting the slave States alone and permitting
them To manage their own State affairs, as
they only are responsible before God for
slavery existing among them, and with
which the North has no more right to in
tertere than with similar institutions in Rus
sa or Brazil The President relies on the
.rood sense and Ihe forhearaucc of the peO-
pie, alleging il is out OF the power Of any
President to accomplish hut little; which





one of our fellow-ctizcns to the Office of
President docs not of itself afford just cause
for dissolyiug the Union. The late election
having been held in strict conformity with
the provisions of the Constitution, does not
Justify a revolution 10 destroy this very
Constitution. Reason, justice, and a regard
for the c onstitution-all require that we
shall wait for some overt and dangerous act
on the part of the President elect before re-
sorting to such remedy.


Mr.. Buchanan refers to the fact that the
Presidents province IS not to make but to
execute the laws It is alleged as one cause
for immediate secession, that the Southern
States are denied equal rights with the
other States in the Common territories. But
hy what authority are these denied Not
by Congress, which has never passed, and
which believe never will pass, any act o
exclude slavery from these territories and
certainly not by the Supreme Court which
has suemuly acceded that slaves are prop
erty, and like all other property, their own
ers have n right TO take them into the Com
mon territories and hold them under the
protection Of the Constitution. The antici-
patton that Congress may pass some law
obnoxious is not good reason for dissOlu-
ton. The President re-asserts the power
Of Congress over property in the territories,
and the sacred rights OF property are rec
ognized by the Constitution.


The most palpabe violations OF Consti-
tutionnl duty which have been committed
consists in the acts of different State Legis-
latures to defeat the execution OF the Fugi-
| tive Slave Law. 1t ought to be remember
/ ed however, that for these acts, neither
/ Congress nor any President can justly be
! held responsible, having been passed in vio-
/ lation of the Federal Constitution. 1t will
! he the duty of the next President, as it has
! been my own, to act with vigor in execut-
ing the Fugitive Slave Law against conflict
/ ing enactments of State Legislatures. We
are not to presume in advance that he will
violate his duty, which would be at war
with every principle ofjustic. Let US wait
for the overt act.


/ The Fugitive Slave Law has been carried
into execution in every contested case since
the commencement OF the present admins
tration. Let us trust that the State legisla-
| lures will repeal their unconstitutional and
obnoxious enactments. Unless this shall be
! done witb0ut unnecessary DELAY IL is i'm