Year: 1865

| " AeO 'cS0HtNttCCo


10 express gratitude to God in the
name of the People, for the preservation
OF the United States, is my first duty in
addressing you. Our thoughts next re-
vert to the death of the late President by
an act of parricidal treason. The grief
OF the nation is still fresh it finds some
solace IN the consideration that he lived
to enjoy the highest proof of its confidence
( by entering on the renewed term of the
Chief Magistracy, to which he had been
elected; that he brought the civil war
substantially toa close that his loss was
deplored in all parts of the Union; and
that foreign nations have rendered Justice
to his memory. His removal cast upon
me a heavier weight of cares than ever
dovolved upon any of his predecessors.


10 fulfil my trust | need the support and
confidence of all who are assosciated with
ME in the varioH departments of Govern
ment, and the support and confidence of
the people. There il but one way in
which | can hope to gain their necessary
and; 1t is, to state with frankness the
principles which guide my conduct aud
their application to the present state of
affairs, well aware that the efficiency of
my labors will, in great measure, depend
On your and their undivided appreciation


The Union of the United States of
America was intended by its authors to
last as long as the States themselves shall
last "lnE Union SHALL BE PERPETUAL"
are the words of the Confederation. 10
FORM PERFECT UNION" by an ordinance
of the people of the United States, is the
declared purpose of the Constitution. The
hand of Divine Providence was never
more plaiuly visible in the affairs of mcu
than in the framing and adopting of that
instrument 1t is, beyond comparison,
the greatest event in American history;
and indeed is it not, of all events in mod


erD times, the most pregnant with conse-
quences for every people of the earth


The members of the Convention which
prepared 1t brought to their work the ex.
perlence of the Confederation, of their
several States, and of other Republican
Governments, old and new; but thew
needed and they obtained wisdom supe


ror to experience And when for its va
lldity it required the approval Of people
that occupied large part of a continent
and acted separatelyin many distinct con
Ventlons, what Is more wonderful than
that, alter earnest contention and long
discussion, all feelings and all opinions
were drawn in one way to its support?
The Constitution to which life was thus
impaired contains within itself ample re-
sources tor It's own preservation. 1t has
power to enforce the laws, punish treason,
and ensure domestic tranquility. In case
of the usurpation of the Government of a
State by one man, or an oligarchy, it be-
comes duty Of the United States to make
good the guaranty to that State of a re-
publican form of government, and 50 to
maintain the homogeneousncss of ALL
Does the lapse Of time reveal defects? A
simple mode of amendment is provided in
the Constitution itself so that its condi-
tions can always be made to conform to
the requirements of advancing civlliza-
ton. No room is allowed even for the
thought of possibility of its coming to
an end. Aud these powers of self prescr
vation have always been asserted in their
complete integrity by every patriotic
Chief Magistrate-by Jefferson and Jack.
son, not less than by Washington and
Madison. The parting advice of the
Father of his Country, while yet presi- |
dent to the people of the United States,
was, that "lhe free Constitution, which
was the work Of their HANDS, might be |
sacredly maintained" :" and the inaugural
words of President Jefferson held up "the
preservation of the General Government,
in its constitutional vigor, as the sheet
anchor of our peace at home and safety
abroad" The Constitution is the work
of "the People of the United States" and
it should be as ihdestructible as the
people. ts


The maintenance Of the Union brings
with it "the support of the State Govern
ments in all their rights" but it is not
one of the rights of any State Government
to renounce its own place in the Union, or
to nullify the laws of the Union. The
largest liberty is to be maintained in the
discussion of the acts of the Federal Gov.
ernment but there is no appeal from its
laws, except to the various branches of
that Government itself or to the people,
who grant to the members of the Legisla.
tive and Of the Executive Departments no
tenure but limited one, aud in that
manner always retain the powers ofre-
dress. r


"The sovereignty of the States" is the
language of the Confederacy, and not the
language of the Constitution. The latter
contains the emphatic words; "lhe Con.
stitution, and the laws of the United