Year: 1861

eoqs eai sgai5 szsifa9lq grsoa aseg


's.l. [JUNE, 1889.


/ auicscence on the one side or the other. II
| minority in such case will secede rather thar
/ acoujesce, they make precedent which will rHis
| and divide them, for a minority Of their own will
secede from them whenever majority refuse 70
] be controlled by such minority. Forinstance,
4 why may not any portion of a new confcderacy,
a year or two hence, arbitrarily seoede again,pre-
cisely 40 portions of the present Union now
claim to secede from us! All who cherish dis


union sentiments are now being educated to the
exact temper Of doing thia There is such per-
feet identity Of interests among theg States 70
compose q new Union, as to produce harmony
! only, and prevent new secession.


Plainly the central idea of secession is the es.
sence Of anarchy. A majority held in re straint
| by constitutional checks and limitations and al,
ways changing evils with deliberate changes OF
| popular opinions and sentiments, is the only
true sovereignty of free people, Whoever re.
iects does, Of necessity, fly to anarchy or des-
potism---unsnimity is impossible. The rule Of
the minority, as permanentargument, is wholly
inadmisable, so that in rejecting the majority prin-
eiple anarchy or despotisrn, in some form, is all
that is lelt. I do not forget the position ASSUME
ed by some, that constitutional objections are TO
be decided BY the Supreme Court; nor do deny
that such decision must be binding in any case
to the parties to suit as the object of that suit


while they are also entitled to very high res-
pect and consideration in all parallel cases by all
other departments of the government; and while
it is obviously possible that such decision may
be erroneous in any given case, still the evil eff
feet following it being limited to that particular
case with the chance that it may be overruled
and never become n precedent for other cases,
can better be borne than could the evils Of a
different practice At the same time the candid
citizen must confess that if the policy of the
Government, upon the vital question, affecting
the whole people is to be irrevocaby fixed by
the decisions Of the Supreme Court, the instant
they are made in ordinary litigation between
parties in personal actions, the people will have
ceased to be their rulers unless to that extent
practically to resign their Government into the
hands of that eminent tribunal Nor is there in


this view any assault upon the Court or the
Judges. 1t is a duty from which they may not
shrink, to decide cases properly brought before
them 1t is no fault Of theirs if others seek to
turn their decisions to political purposes. One
section Of our country believes slavery is right
and ought to be extended, while the other be.
lieve tits wrong and ought not to be extended.
This is the only substantial dispute.


The fugitive slave clause in the Constitution,
and the law for the suppression of the foreign
slave trade, are as well enforced perhaps, as any
law ever can be, in a community where the NOR.
al sense of the people imperfectly supports the
law itself The great body of the people abide
by the dry legal obligation in both cases, and a
few break over, in each. This think cannot be
perfectly cured, and it would be worse in both
cases after the separation Of the sections than
before. The foreign slave trade now imperfect
lv suppressed would be imperfectly revived,
without restriction in one section while fugitive
slaves now only partially surrendered would not
be surrendered at all by the other. Physically
speaking, we cannot separate at all. We cannot
remove our respective sections from each other,
nor build an impassable wall between them. A
husband and wife may be divorced, and go out
of the presence and beyond the reach of each
other. But the different parts of our country
cannot do this. They cannot but remain face to
face, and intercourse either amicable or hostile,
must continue between them. Is it possible,
then, to make that intercourse more advantage
Gus or more satisfactory after separation than
before ? Can aliens make laws better than
friends? Can treaties be more faithfully en-
forced between aliens than laws can among
friends? Suppose yeu go to war. You cannot
fight always and when after much loss on both
sides and no gain on either, you cease fighting,
then the Identical questions as to terms of inter-
course are again upon you. This country, with
its institutions, belongs to the people who inhab-
it-whenever they shall grow weary of the exis
ting government, they can exercise their consti
tutional rights in amending or their revoluliona-
ry right to ds'nember or overthrow it.


Icannot be ignorant of the fact that many worthy
cvxl a. l.. L
National Constitution amended. While make
no recommendation of amendment, l fuly recog-
nize the authority of the people over the whole
subject, to be exercised in either of the modes
prescribed in the instrument itself, and should
under existing circumstances, favor rather than
oppose, fair opportunity being afforded the peo-
pie to act upon it, / will venture to add, that
to me, the Convention seems proper in that it
deems amendments to originate with the people
themselves, instead of only permitting them to
take or reject propositions originated by others,
not especially chosen for the purpose, and which
might not precisely suit, or such as they would
wish Others to accept or refuse. I understand
a proposed amendment to the Constitution, which
amendment, however, have not seen, has pass
ed Congress, to tho eject that the Federal Gov
ernment shall never interfere with the domestic


institutions OF States including that of persons
held to service To avoid msconstruction of
what have said, depart from my purpose not to
speak of particular amendments, SO far as to say
that holding such provisions to now be implied
constitutional law, have no objection to its be-
ing made express and irrevocable.


The Chief Magistrate derives all his authority
from the people. ana they have conferred none
upon him TO fix the terms for the separation of
the States. The people themselves can do this
if they choose, but the Executive, as such, has
nothing to do with it. His duty is to administer
the present Government as it came to his hands
and to transmit it unimpaired by him to his sue
cessor. Why should there not be patient conf
dence in the ultimate justice of the people?. Is
there any better or equal hope in the world? In
our present differences is either party without
faith of being in the right? If the Almighty
ruler OF nations, with eternal truth and Justice
be on your side of the North, or on yours of
the South, that truth and justice will surely
prevail by the Judgment of this great tribunal
The great American people, by the frame of the
Government under which we live, 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 hands at
very short intervals. While the people retain
their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by
any extreme wickedness or folly, can very Sc.
riously injure the Government in the short space
Of four years. a - ls5.


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 bot haste
to step which you would never take Deliberate
", that object will be frustrated by taking time.
Bnt no good object can be frustrated by it.
Such Of you as are now dissatisfied still have
the old Constitution unimpaired and in the SEN
sitive point, the laws Of your own framing un.
der it, the new Administration, will have
no immediate power, if it would, to change
either. IF it were admitted that you who are
dissatisfied hold the right side of dispute, there
still is no single reason for precipitate action
Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity and a firm
reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken
this favored land, are still competent to adjust
in the best way all our present difficulties In
your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen


and not in mine, is the .momentous issue OF
civil war; The Government will not assail you
You cannot have n conflict without being your.