Year: 1865

In the tclegraphic department of this pa


per will be found the Second Inaugural Ad-


dress of President Lincoln, delivered on


Saturday, 4th inst. 1t has the merit of


brevity, however, it differs essentially in


spirit and in doctrine from the one he de-


livered four years ago By reason of the


accession of the Republican party to power,


whose chosen representative he was, the


Southern States undertook to withdraw


from the Union. They accepted his cleo


ton as verdict of the mon-slaveholding


States against the institution of slavery-a


verdict that would be used. one way and an


other, to extirpate that institution. They


appeared to feel that hcncetorth they could


not remain in the Union without being sub


jected to constant irritation in consequence


of the existence of that institution in their


States--and hence their attempted with


drawal from it, In his Inaugural Address


four years ago, President Lincoln expostu-


lated with those States that had already en-


gagged in the secession movements Gas well as


with those who contemplated doing like


the Constitution of the United States any


authority that would Justify an interference


with the institution of slavery in the States


II lilCIl SAlSleN, dllu llldt cNCH ii lIdl


instrument contained any such authority, he


neither brought into the Presidential Chair
a purpose, nor did the party that conferred


upon him the election, commission him, to
exercise that authority for such interference.


He diselalmed the right of a majority, by


the mere force of numbers to deprive a


minority of any clear written constitutional
right and with this disclaimer he coupled


the allegation, that if majority were to de-


prive the minority Of a vital right it would
certainly Justify revolution. " And al


though he had an aversion to Congress orig


mating and passing through their body
amendments to the Constitution, and al


though he held it to be implied as consti-


tutional law that the Federal Government


had no right to interfere with the domes-


tic institutions of the States, including that
ofpersons held to service" he had mo OBJ
lection to its being made express and irrcyo-
cable. TO his apprehension, the only ques-
ton really in issue, was as to the toleration
of the extension o. slavery-one section be-
lieving it right, and the other believing it
wrong. He contemplated the possibility Of
War in regard to it, and insisted that it
could not be settled by War, for, said he


Suppose you 60 to War, you cannot
fight always, and when, after much loss on
both sides, and no gain on either, you cease
fighting, the old identical questions ofintcr-
course are again upon you.


Thus, while four years ago he was will
ing to agree to the most positive declara-
tion that the Federal Government should
never reach out its band to interfere with
the institution of slavery in the States where
it existed he was unwilling that il should
be allowed an opportunity to extend itself
into the Terretorics, which were looked up
on by the South as much their territory as
it was of the free States ,t


How different is the Inaugural of Pres-
dent Lincoln delivered on Saturday. 1t
does not foster the hope Of immediate peace.
President Lincoln no longer admits that the
Federal Government has no right to inter
fcrc with the domestic institutions of the
States; he no longer declares that miniori-
ties are justified in resorting to revolution,
if the majority shall wrest from them rights |
they consider to be vital he no longer main |
tains the opinicn that Warts not the agency
through which the disagrcemcnts between |
the North and the South can be satisfacto- |
rily adjusted. Everything is now staked !
upon the progress ofour arms, y which are
represented as reasonably satisfactory and |
and we are told that Meth
er party expected for the War the maeni-
tudc or duration it has already attained,
and that 'both'read the same bible and |
pray to the same God, and invoke His aid
against the other and that ''hc prayers ef
ueither hare been dnsuered fully This fact
is pregnant with meaning 1t means that
this internal hutchcry should be brought to
an end in the shortest space Of time concciv-'
able, and not, as Mr.. Lincoln affects to be-
lievc, that 'God wills the War shall con
tinue until all the wealth piled by the bond
mems two hundred and fifty years of unre-
Quilted toll, shall be sunk, and until every
drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be |
paid with another drawn with the sword. y
The Presidents S suggestion, Judge not that
we be not Judged comes rather late, Why |
did not he and the dcmagogues by whose Ia
bors the sectional parties were built up, de-
spite the warnings Of Washington, jackson,
and Clay, consider this before they engaged
in their bad work? Are we to understand
that people can read the same bible, and
pray frequently to the same God for en-
lightenment and direction, and yet one por
ton of them, be suffered to pursue course
of life that shall lead to moral and spiritual
while the other portion shall be
made moral and heirs of eternal glory?-
From such opinion we dissent most decld-
edly. This Inaugural isas chilly and dreary
as was the day on which it was Delivered
In short, it gives the people to understand
that there shall be no peace until the free
dom of all the slaves in the South shall have |
haan ruornntacI - Dbin SIUfecnun