Year: 1861




ON COERCION.


To the Senate an1 Huse Of Rep,esenta-
tires:


At the opening of your present session,
] called your attention to the dangers
which threatened the existence of the
Union. 1 expressed my opinion freely
concerning the original causes of those
dangers, and recommended such measures
as | believed would have the effect of
tranquilizing the country, and saving it
from the peril in which it had been need
lessly and most unfortunately involved.
Those opinions and recommendations ]
do not propose now to repeat. My own
conviction. upon the whole subject remain
unchanged. The fact that great ca
lamity was impending over the nation was
even at that time acknowledged by every
intelligent citizen. 1t had already made
itself felt throughout the length and breadth
of the lard. The necessary consequences
of the alarm thus produced were most
deplorabla. The imports fell off with a
rapidity never known before except in
time of war in tho history of our foreign
commerce. The Treasury was unexpect-
edly left without the means which it had
reasonably counted upon to meet the pub
lie engagements trade was paralyzed /;
manufactures were stopped; the best pub
lie securities suddenly sunk in the market (;
every species of property deprecated more
or less and thousands of poor men, who
depended upon their daily labor for their
daily bread, were turned out Of employ
ment.


deeply regret that am not able to
give you any information upon the state o'
the Union which is more satisfactory than
what 1 was then obliged to communicate
On the contrary, matters are still worse
at present than they then were. When
Congress met, strong hope pervaded the
whole public mind that some amlcable ad
iustment of the subject would speedily be
made by the representatives of the States
and of the people, which might restore
peace between the conflicting sections o
the country. That hope has been dimin
ished by every hour of delay; and as tn
prospect of bloodless settlement fade
away, the public distress becomes NOR
and more aggravated. As evidence o
this, it is only necessary to say that tn
Treasury notes, authorized by the act o
December last, were advertised ACCORDING
to the law, and that no responsible bldde
offered to take any considerable sum
par at a lower rate of interest than lively
DER cent. From these facts it appear
that, in a Government organized like our
domestic strife, or even well-grounde
fear of civil hostilities, is more destructlV
to our public and private interests than I'll
most formidable foreign war 81,


In my annual message, expressed Il
conviction, which have long deliberateI
held, and which recent reflection has onl
tended to deepen and confirm, that
State has right, by its own act, to
cede from the Union, or throw oil
Federal Obligations at pleasure. al
declared my opinion to be, that even
that right existed, and should be exercis
by any State of The Confedorncy, the c
ecutive department of this Governme
had no authority, under the Constitute
TO recognize its validity by acknowledge


the independence of such State. II
left me no alternative, as the chief exec


tive officer under the Constitution OF


United States, but to collect the pub