Year: 1860

NV pOOplO W pouoO ohN 'ShSNU NPOb
the possible peril to their cherished
institutions, will be the means, under
Providence, OF allaying the existing
excitement and preventing future ont
breaks of o similar character. They
will resolve that the Constitution and
the Union shall not be endangered by
rash counsels, knowing that, should
"the silver cord be loosed or the gold
en- bowl be broken at the
fountain, nhuman power could never
reunite the scattered and hostile irag-
ments.


| cordially congratulate you upon
the final settlement by the Supreme
Court Of the United States Of the ques.
tion of slavery in the Territories, winch
had presented an aspect 80 truly for


midaJle at the commencement of my
administration. The right has been
established Of every citizen to take his
property ofan> kind, including slaves,
into the common Territories belonging
equally to all the States of the Con.
federacy, aid to have tprotected there
under the Federal Constitution
Neither Congress nor a territorial leg,
islature nor any human power has any
authority to annul or impair this vest
ed right. The supreme judicial tri.
bunal ofthe country, which is a co or.
dinatc branch of the Government, has
sanctioned and affirmed these prinoi-
pies Of constitutional law, so manifest
ly just in themselves, and so well cal.
cuIated to promote peace and harmo-
ny among the States. 1t is striking
proof or the sense Of Justice which is
inherent in our people that the prop


erty in slaves has never been disturb
ed, to my knowlcd &C, in any Of the
Territories. Even throughout the late
troubles in Kansas there has not heen
any attempt, as am credlbIy inform
cd, to interfere, in a single instance,
with the right otthe master. Had any
such attempt been made, the judicia
ry would doubtless have afforded an
adequate remedy. Should they fail
to do this hereafter, it will then be
time enough to strengthen their hands
by further legislation. Had it been
decided that either Congress or the
territorial legislature possess the pow =
er to annul or impair the right to prop
erty in slaves, the evil would be in.
tolerable. In the latter event, there
would be struggle for a majority OF
the members OF the Legislature at each
successi i've election, and the sacred
rights ofproperty held under the Fed,
eral Constitution would depend for the
time being on the result. The agita-
ton would thus be rendered incessant,
whilst the territorial condition remain
ed, and its baneIul influence wo'd keep
alive dangerous excitement among
the people OF the several States.


Thus has the statutes Of Territory
during the intermediate oeriod from
its first settlement until itshall become
a State, been irrevocably fixed by the
final decision of the Supreme Court


Fortunate has this been for the pros


perity OF the Territories, as well as
the tranquility of the States. Now,
emigrants from the North and the
South, the East and the West, will
meet in the Territories on common
platform, having brought with them
that species OF property best adapted
in their own opinion, to promote their
welfare. From natural causes the
slavery question will in each case
soon virtually settle itself; and
before tine Territory is prepared for
admission as a State into the Union
this decision, one way or the other,
will have been a foregone conclusion
Meanwhile the settlement of the new
Territory will proceed without serious
interruption, and its progress and
Prosperity will not be endangered or
retarded by violent political struggles


When in the progress of events the
inhabitants ofany Territory shall have
reached the number required to form
a State, they will then proceed, in a
regular manner, and in the exercise OF
the rights of popular sovereignty, to
form a constitution preparatory to ad
mission into the Union. After this
has been done, toempley the language
of the Kansas and Nebraska act, they
"shall be received into the Union with
or without slavery, as their. .constitu-
tion may prescribe at the time oftheir
admission" This sound principle has
happily been recognized, in some form
or other. by an almost unanimous vote
Of both houses Of the last Congress.


| All lawful means at my command


have been employed, and shall con-


time to be employed, to execute


the laws against the African slave


trade. After a most careful and
rigorous examination OF our coasts,
and a thorough investigation of the
subject, we have not been able to dis
cover that any slaves have been iul-
ported into the United States. except