Year: 1861

exercise their constitutional rights In amend.
ing, or their revolutionary right to dismem-
Der or overthrow il. I cannot be i0norani
Of the fact that many worthy and patriotic
citizens are desirous Of having the national
Contribution amended. While I make no re-
commendation Of amendment ! fully reoo7.
nize the full authority Of the people over tie
whole subject, to be exercised IL either Of the
modes prescribed in the instrument itself and
should under existing circumstances favor
rather than oppose fair opportunity being
afforded the people to act upon Il. viii
venture q gdd, that 10 me the Couvsn-
tion mode seems preferable, in that It
deems amendments 70 originate with
the people themselves, instead Of only
permitting them 70 take or reject PROPOSE
tons originated by others not especially
chosen for the purpose, and which might not
precisely suit as they would wish others to
accept or refuss.


I understand g proposed Amendment To
the Constitution (which amendment, how.
ever, have not seem has passed Congress to
the eject that the Federal Government shall
never interfere with the Democratic in
stitutions of States, including that OF
persons held in service, To avoid
mEeonsruction Of what have said, depart
nom ny purpose, not to speak Of particular
amendments so far as to say that, holding
such provision to now be implied eonstitu.
tional law, l have no objection to its being
made express and irrevocable. The Chief
Magistrate derives all bis authority from The
people, aud they have conferred none uuon
him to fix the terms for the seDarsfion
Of the States. The people themselves
also can do this If they chooss. but
the Executive as such has nothing to DO with
it. His duty IS to administer the present
Government as it came 10 his hands and to
trasmit it unimpaired by him to his successor.
Why should there not be a patient confidence
in the ultimate justice Of the peopls2 Is
there any better or equal hope in the world 2
In our present difficulties, is either party
without faith of being in the right If the
Almighty ruler Of nations with this eternal
truth and justice be on the side ofthe North
or on yours of the South, that truth and ius-
tice will surely prevail by the judgment of
this great tribunal. The great american
people by the frame Of the government IN
cer which we live, this same people have
wisely given their public servants but little
power for mischief and have with equal



to their hands at very short intervals
While the people retain their virtue
and vigilance, no Administration bY
any extreme wiekeduess or foIly can very
seriously ipjuTe the Government in the short
space Of four years. Ny eountrymen. one
and ali, think calmly and well upon this
whole subject. Nothing valuable eau Be lost
By taking time. If there be an object to
hurry any of you in hot haste to step which
you would never take deliberately, that OBJ
ject viii be frustrated by taking time
But no good object can be frustrated
by it. Such OF you as are now
dissatisfied, still have the old Constitution
unimpaired, and on the sensitive point Of
laws Of your own framing under it, by the
new Administration, will have no immediate
cause 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, patrio =
ism, christianity, and a firm reliance
on Him Wha has never yet forsal1en
this favored land are still competent to adjust
in the best way all cur present difheulties.-
In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow country
men, and not in mine is the momentous
issue Of civil war. The Government viii
not assal you. Yoa can have no conflict
without being yourselves the aggressors-
You have no oath registered in Heaven to
destroy the Government, while I shall
have the most solemn one to preserve, pro-
tect and defend It. I am 10th to
close. We are not enemies, but friends. We
must not be enemies. Though passion may
have strained, it must not break our bonds
Of action. The mystic chords Of memory
stretched from every battlefield and patriot
grave to every loving heart and hearth-stone
all over this broad land, viii yet swell the
chorus of the Union when again touched, as
they surely will be by the better angels Of
our nature.