Year: 1863

Felloao Citizens of Kentucky:


In obedience to the will of the loyal citizens
of Kentucky, expressed with unprecedented
unanimity, at the recent elections, am here
this day, fixed by our constitution, to take the
oaths of Office, and enter upon the duties of
Governor of the Commonwealth Of Kentucky.


In times of peace and prosperity, when the
duties and responsibilities of the Governor of
Kentucky are comparatively light and easy, it
would be a distinguished honor to be called bv
the sovereign will of the free, loyal and en-
lightened citizens of my native State, to the
highest Office in their gift. The honor is much
mlgnifed by the higher duties and graver re-
sponsibilities, which are devolved, by the dan
gers which threaten, the perils which surround,
the evils that aff1ict, and the SORROWS which
oppress US at this time.


Profoundly impressed with the weighty re-
sponsibilities which l am called to assume, l
shall enter upon my duties with an honest
purpose, and an unfaltering will, to meet and
discharge them to the utmost of my abilities.
With firm reliance upon guiding Provi-
dence, and abiding confidence in the JUS
tice, integrity and loyalty of the people of
Kentucky, shall look hopefully to the future,
trusting to their charitable judgment upon my
administration, as | shall seek to avoid the JUS
tice of their censure.


We are fallen upon evil and troublous times
when great, free people have turned upon
themselves to make war upon a peace, hap
piness, prosperity, liberty, such as never
in any age or land crowned a people with
blessings, and seek by violence to overthrow
their government and darken the future
to the hopes of man. Our future his
torian will drape in mourning the page on
which is recorded the history of these years
Of rebellion, calamity, and woel The terrific
warfare which continues to sweep over our be-
loved land, filling its great heart with mex
pressible anguish, as pang after pang, for the
nd Last fHo &c
home, should, by its community of woe, of
suffering, and danger, draw our people more
closely together, and evoke the nobler chari-
ties of our nature, to Il concentrated and uni
ted effort to stay this tide Of misery and flow
of danger, by bringing to constitutional unity
those who have departed from constitutional
faith. A departure from constitutional faith
is the foundation of all the evils now upon us,
a return the only permanent remedy.
Our government was constructed, by its
wise founders. to secure the blessings of liber-
ty to themselves and in perpetuity to their
posterity Touched with supernal inspiration
of wisdom, they so framed our State and Fed
eral Governments to secure the objects of
free government so perfectly that we were left
nothing to do but to enjoy, or destroy


The equal right OF each and all to live in
the peaceful enjoyment of "life, liberty, prop
erty, and pursuit of happiness, is the great
object and end of free government These

theirs grasped the subject of constitutional lib
erty thoroughly as to leave no excuse or
mitigation for the wickedness of any who
might, at any time, attempt forcible revolu-
ton of the government. So faultless in its
structure, so comprehensive, and yet so min
ute in its safeguards thrown around the liber-
ties of the people, equal rights and equal priv
ileges were alike secured to every freeman
The rights so secured were entrusted to the
custody and guardianship of the people, who
were to enjoy. The rulers were to be servants,
and the people the masters. And to insure
against usurpation of power, or aggravation
of wrongs, recurrent elections at short inter-
walls of time, and an upright and enlightened
judiciary, were ample safeguards The mode
of efecting any changes in the organic law,
which experience mig ght suggest, was fully
provided.


In the appointed manner the ruling power
tine citizens-could alter, change modify,
not only policies of legislation, but the organ
ic law, through the peaceful medium of the
ballot-box, thus leaving no excuse for forcible
revolution.


In securing the peaceful enjoyment of prop
erty to the citizen, one subject of difficulty
was presented to our fathers, which they wise
ly and securely adjusted. Some of the States
recognized slaves as property; others did not
and it being a principle of universal law
amongst civilized people, that wherever the
laws recognized property in thing, the same
law assured the owner in his right; bu where
the law did not know any property an q thing,
no owner could assert any right; it raised the
question how to secure TO the owner OF slave
property equal protection in its enjo ment
with the owners Of other property, without at
the same time, doing violence to the distinc
tive character of the State governments not


recognizing such property. In States where
slavery was recognized, the laws assured the
right of the owner, but in those States where
property in slaves was not recognized, no right
of ownership could be known or asserted by
! law This is in the very nature of government.
For the non-slave States to recognize, by their
laws property In slaves, as to return them
| by law to the owner would necessarily subvert


the very nature of their government, and make


them slave States. To obviate this difficulty,


which existed only in reference to this one


species of property, and secure to the citizen
owning slave property, equal protection in his


rights, and at the same time to preserve the


distinctive character Of each State govern


ment, the return of fugitives from service or


labor, escaping from one State to another, was


undertaken by the Federal government, and


the guaranty given that no law of any State


to which such fugitive might escape should


discharge such fugitive from the labor or SER


vice which he owed. Thus the character and


laws of each State were respected and preserv-
ed, and the rights of all the citizens of each
State placed upon footing of equal security
Il Thus the Federal Constitution, which created
the Union, harmonized the equal security oil


all in every right with the unity OF the gov


ernment, and with the rights of the States
: Some becoming dissatisfied with TINS per1ect


ed equality have sought to destroy It. In Vlo
!, lation of constitutional faith. On the one