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The President's

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Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
January
Year
1861
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

WaSüikotox, Jan. 9, 18C1. To tha Sonate and House of Iïipresenftiltpii : At the opening of ytur present sessioii I oalled your attentkm to the dangi j which threatenod tho cxistencs of tho Uuion. I cxpressed ray opinión freely concerning the original causes of these J.uigers, aad reeouimendcd such moasures tij I believed would have the effect of tranquilizing the country, saving it from thü poril in wliich it had been needlessly and most unfortunately thrown. Thosa opinions and recomroendations I do not propose now to repeat. My öwn ooavietions upon the wliolü subject remain uuchanged. The fa-et ihat a groat calara - ity was impending oror tho nation wa, oven at that time, aoknowledged by every intelligent citizen. It had alroady mad itself folt thronghout the length and breadth of the land. The necessHry consequenooa of tha alarm thus produced weru most deplorable. Tha importa feil off with a rapidity nevcr known before, eseept in time of war, ín tha bistory of oar i'oreign oommerce. The treasury wa unexpeotedly left without means whieh it had reasonably coiinted npon to meet ita public engageruents. 'I rade was paraljrzod, manufactures were stopped, the best public securities suddeuly sunk in the inarket, every species of property depreeiated more or less, and thousands of poor nieu, who depended upon their daily labor for their daily bread, were tnrned out of euiplojment. I deeply regret that I ain not able togive you auy iuformation upon tha state of the Union whieh ia more satisfaetory than what I was tlieii obliged to eoiamuincate. On the eontrary, matters are still worse at present thau they wero - VVhen Congre3S mat, a 3trong hope perrnded the whole public mind that soma a:nicable adjustment of the subject would be speedily made by the Reprcsentatiïea of the States, whieh niight restore peace btween tho conflieting sectious of the country That hops has been diminished by every hour of delay, and, as the prospect of a bloodless settlemeut fadea avay, tho public distross bcconics more and mor aggravated. As an evidence of this, it is oiily uccessary to say that the.treasury notea, nuthorized by the aet of the lTth, of December last, were advertised, according to law, and that no responsiblo bidder oíí'ered to take any considerable sum at pur, at a lowerrate of interest than twelvo per ceut. From thoso fuct4, it appoara that, iu a government orga.iized like ours, domestic strife, or even a well-grounded fear of oivil hostihties, is mora destruativa of our public and private interest thau tho most formidable forcigii war. In my aunual message X expressed the cjuviotion, whieh I have long deliberately held, aud wliich recent reflectiou has ouly tended to daepoa and eonñnu, that ni State bas the right, by iUo.TU act, to Becada from the Uuion or throw gíF its Federal obligationa at pleasure. I also declaro my opinión to be that, even if that right existed, aad should be exoreisud by any State of the confederucy, the Executive Department f this gorernuiont had no authority ander tho constitution to recoguiz3 its validity by acknowledging ths indep:ndenc3 of auch State. 'J'his left me no alternativo, as the eilief Executivu oiBcer uuder the constitution of the L'uited States, but to collect tho public rovenue and protect the publiy property, go far as this might b praaticable under existins laws 'i'his is stiU my purpose. My provinoe is to eseeute, uot to mako, tho It balongs to Congress, exclusively, to repeal, mjdify, and eulargg their provisinni to meet exigeacioa as thoy may occur. I possoss no dispensiug power. L certainly had no right to make aggressiva war upon any State, and I ara perfsctly satisfied that the constitutiou bas wisely withhold that power eveu from Congres. But tho right and the duty to use military forcé defensively, against those who resist the Federal oíücora ia tlie esecutiou of thcir legal funotions, and thoa: who assiil the Federal goverament, is olear and undeniable. Uut the daugorous and hotile attitude of the State tov.ird eacii olher, has already far transcended and oast into the shide thtsordiuary exeoutivu dutics already provided for by law, and has asauined Buoh vast and alarming proportions aa to place the subject eutiroly above and boyoad exocutive soutrol. Thu fnct cauuot be disguised, that wo ars in the midst of a great revolution. Therofore, I commaud thequestion to Congress, as the only tribuna!, undor l'rovidoaco, possossing the povrcr to moet the existing emergency. To theai axclusivyly bulonjs the power to declare war, or to authoriüo ths employment of military forcé in uil cases contemplated by the oonstitution, and they alone possess 6he power to remove all the grievances whieh might load to war and to secure pace. and union to this distracted country. On them, aud on them aloae, rests tha responaibility, The Union is a sacred trust left by our revolutionary fathers for their desesndants, and never did any peopls inhorit so riuh a legacy. It has rendersd us proaperous in peaee and triumphant in war. Tho national Üag haslioafced in glory over every sea, and under its shadow American eitizons have found proteotion and respect in all lands beneath tho sun If we descend to considcrations of purely matirial interest, when, in the hi-story of all time, has a confedsraey baen bound togather by suuh strong ties of mutual interest ? Each portion of it is dependan upon all, and all upon each portion, for prosperity and domestie saourity. Fres trade throughout the whole supplies tha wauts of one portion from the production of another. and soatters woalth everjwhere. The great planting and farming States requira the aid of the commercial and navigatiug States to send their prodetions to domestic and forcign marketj, and furnish the naval power to rendcr thcir transporta ion secure agahist all hoi. tile attacks. Shoitld the Union perish n the luidst of the present sxoitcmtnt, we hart already had a sad foretasto of the universil sufl'oring whieh would result from it3 destruction. The calainity would bo scrre in crery portion of the Union, and wouli be quite as groat, to say the least, in tht southern as iu the northern States. The greatesfcilggravafion of tho evil, and that whioh would piase us in the most uni'avorable light, both befure tho world and posterity, is, as lam firmly oonvinced, that the secession inoremcut has been chiefly based upan misapprehoaaidn at the South of tho ïnnjority in severa 1 of the northern States. Lot the questjon be answered from tho political assembliea to the ballot-box, and the poople themselves would speedily redreis the sorious grievances whieh the South have sufifered. 15ut, in Heaveti's naine, let the trial be mada before we plunge into an nrmed conflict upon the mere assumption that there is no other alternativa. Tima is a great conservativo power, 'iet us pause at tho momentnus point, aud afl'ord tho people, both of the iNortli and the South, an opcortunity i'or .reflection. . Would that South Carolina had been convinced of thia truili before her precipítate action. I tberefore appeal through you to the people of the couülry, to declare in their migbt that the Union most and slnul bo pivserved by all constitutional moars. I most enrnestly racouimcnd that you dc■ i te '■v.-tioa b W thïj can bo accomplisliod in peaao. A!l other qucstion?, whori eónipareí! wit!' this, sink hito i ce. T.:e pvcse-.it no timo 'i r ;vii! puyes. Prompt api ion i requirci. A dlay in Ctmgresa ti prescriba oí itbBtM'mead a distinct ai'd practica! pWpftít8t löt c&hcilintinn, may drive us ta a 'tv.'ir.t tYini w liten it will bo Muiost iii.'n íSfblü to recila. A couuuon grouud un wliieh uunciliatiou and barmo.iy m.iy bi proilu'.'u ia survly t;ot unattuinable. Thu própositii :i t comprumise, by Icti, tho Nuri!; 'iuve exclusito coutiol of thü t-, inl;:.v al;:.'Vü a COI UÚU lilii', and giTj BÓutbctu tiibtltutíocs prcteotion boÍjw that liuo, oujht to reccive uuiv#r3al a;jj.iob.itiü!i. la itíslf, ii.áoei!, it may íiot Lu ütitirely satisfuctory, but when the aiteruutiie i Iwlvreeu rcüUiiuble conccssion on btitli tiJca aud tlic dcdtruction of tl.e TJi.ii 11. il ioau iupatatioD on thopjitriotisai oí Congresa to &.-serfc that ita íueinbers trill Lcsitatc a u.onioüt. Kvcu no i!io iljriger ïi upou us. In soveral Sentís, whicL lave iiot yot scceded, lio íbrtí. r.-cuals, a&d magazines of tlie UnU ted St:.tC8 Lave becr, tfiíed. Tliie 8 by , f.-.r tho most seiioasstep wbiuh has becu I t.ikcu ayo t!io aowiiuafúOuiBiit of the ti-üubles. Tlics pabiio proportj Las long beca cft withoi.t gnrrisons and troops for us proteotion, bacause no person doubted it Scurity undtír thn flag of tbc country in any Biaíe of the Union Keside, our íiuall ainiT has searccly been nuf6cient to guard our nnicto froatiers against Indinn !;:cuvg':3"E. Ths fcizuro of this proporty ñoñi all tppearanci'S luis betu purcly p.ggre-iive, and not in íesistance to any attctupt to coerce & Sa?e or States to reíuain iu the Uni' n. At tha btginnitig of these unLappy t:oub!cs I detoiiuiued iliat r.o act of n.ii.G slionid increase ihe tscitontcnt in cither section of the country. If the political conflict were to end in civil war, it was mj determiued parpose iwt to commoncu it, nor to fumish any excuse for it by any act of tlns gevertiiaent, My or inica rouiflius ntichangcfl, that juntico as well as sound policy retjLÍn'3 us stiil to gi-ek a pcaceful solution of tho questions t is-iu' betweei) the North and tho South. Kutfitauiing this conviction, L refrainod even frem scndiig retufovcenients to Major AudiTSon, wlio corlimanded tho foris of Cháfítóton harbor, until an absoluto nccsitv fcr dci"g so sbould rank? 1 1 soi f nppftrent, lest it miglit be regarded as a menaco efmilitary coerción, aid thtis furnish a provocation, or at lenst v pretex', for an outbreak on the part of South Carolina No necesaity tor thesa reinforcemoote secmed to exist. I was assurad by disthiguished, upriiht gentlemeu of South Carolina, tlmt no attack on Major Anderson was intundud, butthat on tbc coiitrary, it was the desirs of thu títate authorities, as mach as it was my owu, to avoid the fatal coiisequeiioesAvliich jnugt eventuuüy lbllow a military ollision. And hcre I deern it proper to sub mit for your informstion copies of aeoin munioation, dated "iíSlh Dcciíuiber, LS60, addrcfsed to uie by 11. VV. Barnwell, J. II. Adams, ;u,d James L Orr, Coimnisioner8 of South Carolina, with thu accoinpanying docuincnts and copies of my ansrer thereto, dntcd Decciubir 31st. In fur:Uer explas.atiou of Major Auderson's rcmoval trom Fort Brloultria to Fort Suuipter, it ia proper to state that, after niy auswer to the Souili Curoltna Coiumissioners, the War Depnrtoieiifcreceived a letter from that gaflant officer, dated Deeembur 'lÜi, 1860, the day after Lis moveiuent, from wbich the following is an extract : " 1 will add, as my opinión, that many thinga convinced ino that the authoritiea of thu State desigaed to procced to an hos tile act (evideutly roferriiig to the orders, dated December IJ, of t'ie late Secretary of War). Under this i:u presaron l could not hesi.ate that it wa3 my solemi; duty to move niy coinuiand fiosn a fort wbich we could not probably bare held Idöger tban forty-eight or sixty hours, to this one, where my power of resislafrce ia iucreased to vury great degroe." Itwill be recollccted that the concluding part of tho srders raa i;i the folloviag wörds: "Tho sinsllncss of your foreo will :iot permit you, perhap, to occupy moru than one of the three tvrts, but au aitack on, or atteaip tö take possesaion of, either oue of them will be reg:.rded as ao-Mt of hostility, and you may then put. your oomraand iuto eithor of them irUiuh you may deern most proper to increaso its power of resistance. You are also authoriïcd to tuko sitaiiar defensive steps wheui'rer you have tangible cvidenoe of a design to procoed to a hostile act." it ia said that serious iippreliousions are, to soiue extBLt, entertained, in wbich I do not abare, that the peace of this i)is1 riet may bc disturbed beforo the f our tl of March next. In any ovent it will be my duty to preserve it, and this duty shall bc performed. In conclusión, it may be penniUed to me to remark that I have ot'teu warned luy eouutryiuon of thu dungers wh.ch uow iurroiuid us. This luay be the last time I shall refer to the subject officially. 1 feel that niy duty bas been faithiully, though it may be iraperfeetly, perfonneil, and whatcver the reduit may be, I shuli csrry to my grave tho consciousncss that I at least uicaut wcll lor my couiitry.

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus