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Fr»<hi» .Tuly IVJ.
8 SXSB . • . ■ ;zi..
LINCOLN’S MESSAGE.
W asihxgtax, July 5. ISol.
F Ihnc- 'itizen* of ft e Senate and Jl'itsc <>J
Representatives :
Having been convene;! on an cxfr:i"riiina
ry occasion, ns authorized by the constitution,
your attention is not called to any ordinary
rn'-ject of legislation. At the beginning of
the present pres’dential term, four months
ego. the luneti >i s of the federal government
wire f ttnd to I e generally suspended u thin
the several States oi South ( aroiinu, Georgia,
Alabama, Missiatppi. Louisiana and Fiori la,
< seep ting only these of the post oilice de
p inn ent Within these S ates the forts, har
!• >rs, v ttstom h'uses and the like, including
the ir.oVtal.le and stationary pr pet ty in toi l
about litem. Lad been n ized, an 1 was held in
open hostility to the government, excepting
i r.ly Forts Pickens, Tay.or, an 1 defiers >u. i n
t.t.d near the Florida coast, ami Fort Sumter
in Charleston harbor. S nth Carolina. The
forts thus seized had I con put in an approv o
condition, new ones had t een b tilt, and arm
ed farces had been organized, and were or
gati’ziiig. all avowedly with the same h-stiA'
purpose. The forts r ■mail.it gin the pos.-es
s'on of the federal g ver; incut in and near
these Slates, were either beseiged ormemu ed
by warlike preparations, and especially Fort
Sumter was neat ly surrounded by well pro
tected hostile batteries, with guns equal in
quality t. the b: st of its own, and out num
bering the latter as perhaps ten to ore. A
disproportionate share of the federal muskets
and r tics bud so meh tv f uni their wav into
those States, and had been seized t > he used
rgaiust the government. Ae< imin.'ati. ns of
the pu! lie revenue lying wi.hln theta lad
been seized for the same object. The t avy
was scattered in distant seas, leaving but a
very small part within the immediate use of
the g 'vernmer.t. The ofijeers of the federal
army and navy had re igned in gnat num
bers, and of those resigning a large propor
tion had taken up arms against the g iv< ru
inci.t. Simultaneously. and in coimection
with all these, purposes to sever the federal
union were openly avowed. In accordance
with this purpose, an t r iinauc? ha 1 been
adopted in each of the States, declaring he
States respectively to be separated ftotn the
national union. A fonnii'a for c mbining
and instituting a combination of these States
had been promulgated, and this illegal organ
ztlion in the charaett r of the Confederate
States was already invoking recognition, aid
and intervention from foreign powers. Find
ing this c mdition of things, at-.d 1 clieving it
to bean imperative duty u.-on the inc tiling
executive to prevent, if possible, the consum
mation of such attempts to destroy the fed
cral union, a choice of means to that end l e
came iudispensabl ■. J bis choice was made
and declare! in the inaugural address in
March. The policy ch >sen Io ked to the ex
haustion of ail peac.ful measures before a*
resort to any stronger ones. It s mght only !
to bold the public p lace-* and property not al- -
ready wrested from thejgoverninent. and c. I- i
lect the revenue, relylt g for the rest on time. ■
discussion and the l>ull-<t-!> x. It pronfsed a I
e-ntitiuancc of the mails at government ex- j
r . p ns?, 11 the very people v. ho were resisti g ’
tb.e government, and it gave repeated plence- i
against at y disturbance to any cf the pe q le •
■ r any of their rights, of all that which a I
president might constitutionally and justdla- I
Ilydo in <ue!i a ease. Everything was ft- '
b-rrm, without which it was believed imp. ss - j
ide to i:e?p the governmente n so >t. On the sth |
i I March, the pre-etit incumbent’s first full ’
day of (.■fin? o , a letter of .Major Anderson. i
commanding at Fort Sumter, written on the •
28th of Febiitury, mid re-ci vol at the war .
(b-partmed on the-Fh of March, wa- ly that ■
department placed in. toy han-!,. Th s let er •
i xpresse 1 the j r Jes-fi it.al oj..;iio:i <,f the ’
writer that reinfo:-ee-n<‘-is e.;i,ld not be j
thrown into that so. t within the time for his ;
relief, remlere 1 necessary l y the limit- 1 suj- j
ply of provisions, and v-. itn a view of bold -
jag possession of the same, with a force • 1 .
less than 20,000 g-o ' and discipLu d men. ,
This op.-ini-.n was concurred in by all the oi- ■
fleers of his command, and the memoranda :
on the stil ject were m ide together with in- '
closures of Maj r Anderson’s letter.
Tiie whole was imrrmdi.it- ly laid before '
Lieutemuit-Gcneral Scot', who at once con- i
i-urred with Major Anderson’s i-pini-.n. On :
r fleet! -n, however, l.e took full time for con
r.iil'ation with other ofii .-i rs both < f the army
sn-1 1. ivy, and at the end of b ur days c itnc
ichielaat'y but decidedly to the same con--
clusi. n as I cf-,re. II • also stated at the same
i me that ncii - iff.-..'■nt force was not at the
toutr lof the g-m rnmeut and could not be
raised and br .ught to the ground v. itli’m the
time whet, the provisions in the fort would ,
be exhau.-ted. in a purely military point of'
S ir w thi- reduc d the duty of the administra
tion in the c;;Si to the me.e matter of taking :
too g itr.h. n safely ■ lit < f ihe fort, it was i
beln v< d, h.M evor, tl at to ah i m’o i that pcsi- .
tian under the circumstances would be u ter- .
ly ruin .us; that the nec -ss:lv under wli ch it 1
was to be dor e w add not Le fully Under-!
stool; that by many it w ii’.kl be construrd '
as a part of voluntaty p. li<-y ; that at In tne'
it would diaeourage the friends of the Un on ’
»ml olden i's a Ive:sai ii n. and go lar to in-i
sure to the latter a recognition abroad ; that j
hi fa-t it would he our national destructior > ;
it consummated. ,
Tnia c uaf not lie a'l iwed. iSmrvat.’iin was '
not yet upon the garrison, and ere it would ,
be reached, Ft. Pickens might be reinforced. >
This last wool 1 be a clear iodi<-at!on of p. i'- j
<y, and w-.uld better enable the coiiutrv to !
accept the evacuation oi Fort Hutntcr as :i :
military m-ccu-ity. An order was at once
directed to be sent for the landing of the
troops on the steams ii[» Brooklyn into Fori
Pick' ns. 1 his order co’dd not go by land,
but must taxe the lunger and slower route
by sea. ’1 he linn return ue-.-.s Irum the or
der was received but one week le fi.re the fall
of Fort Sumter. Toe news itself was that
the < fii er commanding the Sabine— to which
vessel ’be troop s had been transl'.-t r.-d fn in
the Brooklyn—avting upon burn'- quasi ar- I
m .st i. e <>t u ~ i. it. :. s .. o . u. t ■ in'
• time the order was dispatche i. I a I only two
vague and uncertain run ors to fix attention,
ai dha I refnsi- I to kind the tri-i ps. T i re
inf r e Fort Pickens be'ore a crisis word 1 be
rca- lied at F >i I Sumter was impossible, ren
d led so by the mar exhaustion of provis
ions in the latter named Fort. In precaution
against sv.cli a conjuncture the g .veri mint
ha 1 a few Jays bet re commenced piepsring
tin expediti ui as veil a-l; pted as might be,
to relieve Fort Sumter, wliieli expedition was
intended t < be ultimately used or not, aecor-
] d tig to cireums’nnecs.
The strongest anticipated case for using it
was now p esented, audit wa* resolved to
semi it forward as had been intended in this
contingency, it was also resolved to notify
; the Governor o! South Carol na that he might
expect an attempt would he made to prov s
i i.ai the foil, and that if the attempt should
I not be resisted, there would be no etfot t to
; throw in more arms or ammunition without
I further notice, or in case of an attack upon
I the f rt. This notice was ace ndii g'.y giver;
: whereupon the fort was attacked and I om-
I bar-led even to the fall with-tit even waiting
i the arrival t.f the provisioning exp dition.—
I It is thus sec., that the a sault up u ami re
duction id Fort Sumter was in no sense a
mattir of seli’-defcnso on the part of the as
: sa;hints. 1! ■ well knew that the garrison in
the f rt ci ttl-.l by no pmsibility commit ag-
■ gressi n rp in them. They knew th<-v were
' expressly notified that the giving i.f btea- t •
! the few bravo ami hungry monos the garri
| r s n was all which would on that occasion be
i attenq'ted. unless themselves by resisting s.>
' much should provoke more. '1 hey knew that
' th ' government desired to keep the garrison
i ~
i it. the fort n t to ::ssa 1 them, I nt to merely
! maintain visible possession, ami thus to pre
j serve the Union fioin actual and immediate
' dissolution, trusting as herein before stated,
! time, discussion and the ballot box, fa- final
; adjustment, tied they assailed and reduced
j the Fort for precisely the revers t object, to
I drive out the visible andio-.-ity of the Federal
I Union, and thus iorce it to immediate diss i
' lution. That this was their object the exec-
■ r.tivc well understood. And having said to
! ihem in the inaugural address, Ӵ m can
i have no eo'dl ct w ithout being you. sell es the
i aggressors,” he took pain.- m t only to keep
: this decl 'ration got d, but also keep the use
i so free from power of ingen ous sophistry as
' tl.at the world should not be aide to niisun
t derstand it. Bv the alia rat Fort Saaitcr,
; with the surrounding circumstances, that
I point wa* reached. Then and tber, . by the
; as allants of the government, began tin* con
l diet of aims, without a gun in s ; ghtor in cx
. pe.-tancy to return their tire save the few in
i trie Fort sent to that harbor years bef< re for
' their own protection, and are still ready to
' give that protection in whatever is law ul.—
j In this act, discarding all ei-e, they have ( >r-
• eed upon the country the destructive i.-sue.
I immediate dissolution < r blood; and this issue
i embraces tn ire than the fate of these Unite i
■ States. It presents to the whole family of
j man the question, whether a c 'iistitutional
i republic or democracy, a government of the
■ people by the same people can cr cannot
I maintain its territorial integrity against ’ns
j Own domestic l ies. It presents the question
' whether dis ontented individuals, too few in
, nund.er to contr-I the administration acc srd
! mg to organic law in any case, and always
: upon the pretenses made in this ea-e or any
other pretenses, or arbitrarily without any
: i retcn -c. can break up their government, and
♦-thus practically put an end to free govern
j meat upon the earth. It forces us to ask,
i "is there in a’l republics this inheret t and
[ 'a’al weakness? Must a government of ne
cessity be too strong fir the liberties of its
own people, <r too weak to maintain its own
existence?” ><> viewing the issue, no choice ,
was left b'>t to call out the war power of the !
government, and so to resist the force cm ,
oloyed fur it- i’e-triietion by force for its pre- ;
servatii n. The call was made, ami the re- .
spoi ‘0 of the Country was most gratifving, 1
-ory as.-it g in ui ai.imity and spirit the m .st I
sanguine expectations. Yet mine of the .
States comm nly called slave States, cxci pt ;
I>. law are, gave a regiment through regular '
State erg inization. A few regiments have
been organized within some others of those ;
Stale- by individual enterprise, and received i
into the g-.vi rement service. Os e.-ursc the J
seceded States, so-called, and to which Texa
lin I le en joined about the time of the inau
gurat.ou, gave no troops to the cause i.f the '
L’ldoo. The border States, so-called, were ;
not uniform in tl.ejr action, some of them
being almost for the I nion, while in others,
as \ irginia. North Carolina, Tennc.-sec tind
Arkansas, the I. niou sertimcrit was m arly
repressed and sil- med.
The course t:\kcu in Virgin':', was the most
renmrka ile, perhaps the m ist imports it ; a ;
e mvetif o.i electe ' by the people of the State ■
to cons <!er this very questi m of disrupting
the E>‘d ral Union,was in session at the c.ipi- ;
t.d of Virginia when Fort Sumter fell. To
this budv t io pc >plc Im 1 cho-on a large ma- i
jority of pro!esse-1 Ihii >n men. Alnmst im- ;
me lintel v after the fall of Sumter, mat y nmm- ,
' ers of that imij *rtiy went over t > the origin i
al di.-u ion minority, and with them adopted '
an or tin rice f-.r withdrawing ti e State from ■
the U.iian. Whether this change wa-- wrought
by th' ir great approv rl of the assault upon
Sumter, er the great resentment at the g->v- ;
ernment's r< sistancc to that a-saiat, is not ;
definitely known. Although th y submitted ■
the ordinance f>r rntifi ati in to a vote of the ■
pe -i.’i', to be taken on a day th' n somewhat .
more than ;i month distant, the conventiou. ■
and the Ic.d-I.itttre, which was also in session !
at the same time arid place, with lea ling m n .
of the State, u >t members of either, immedi
ately commence 1 ailing an if the State were !
already ord. of the Union. They pu he I mili- ,
tary preparations vig 'tously forward all over
the State; they seize 1 the United States ar- :
m iry at II uper’s Ferry and the navy yard at ;
Gosport, near No.-folk. They received, per- •
haps invited, into their Stale large bodies of ,
tirimd tr mpi, with their w irlikeappointment.-,
from th » s i-'-.illed sene led States. 1 hey for- :
rnally c.itcre 1 inti a trea-y of temporary al .
lianec mil co-opci-ation with the so-called 1
Coafedera c States, an.i seutm -mbers to their i
Co igresi-i at M mtgomery, and finally they i
permitt'-d tlm insiiirci-tiomiry givcrnm int to ,
b-; tran-ferred to tlieir capital tit. Il ehmoml. ■
I'ltc people of Virginia hate thus allowed tins ■
giant iusnrrection to make a m-st within her '
b 'fders, a i<! thin government ins no choice f
left but to deal with it where it finds it, and ■
it has the less regret as the 1 yal citizens have
in du': form el onto I its protection. Those ;
ioval ciliz -ns tain goverom- tit is lioun l t i re |
co'Oilz,: and protect a.t being io V’n gioia, as
one of the L oder States, uu calle I ; i.i fact in ,
tip- .•I 'f.ti; Suite- ui< re a e t i wli" ui.vor
a policy which tliev < dl a-i-.el lit"il i :ility,
that is, an arming of tiiose Suites to prevent
j the I ni ui f irce* n-issitig "im wav, oi ti e dis-
union the other, over tl.e'i- soil. This w mid
I lie disunion co up! 'ted ; li gura' l vely ■•■ peak ing
, it w mid be the building of nn impas-able wall
| nl'ing the line i4'se|iaration. and yet not quite
; an impassable one, for, irrlcr the guise of
I neutrality, it would lie the bauds of the Union
‘ nu u and fr;-* -h pm- supplii s from among
: them I > the ir.surrec.ionists, which it could
i not do as an open enemy. At a stroke it
i would take all the trouble off the bands of
| seees-ion, except only wind proceeds from the
ex otiial bio kadc ; it would do t ir the disun-
I ionists that which of all things they most de
i sire, feed them well and give them disunion
' without a struggle of their own. It recogni
‘ z.'s no li lelity to the cof.stituti m, no i bliga
tion t ■ maintain the Ui i in ; and while very
i many who have favored it are <1 ii!.;l'-s- loyal,
■ it is neverthe'ess very injurious in (fleet.—
j lltcuri itig to the action of the g ivernm nt, it
m ly be stated that at lie first a call was ma le
for “o.OOil militia, an ! rapidly f’.'lluwing this
' a pr clamatioii was is-ued f.r closing the
pm ts oi the insurree ionary di.-tt ids by | r ,-
ei'editigs in tlie n:itinv.<■! a oLickade. So I'.ir,
all was I -Loved to bo strictly legal. At
this point the insurreefionists announced
their intention to enter upon the p-.-aefiec i f
privateering. Oilier calls were made for vol
unteers to :e; v<‘ three years, utile's sooner
, dis -hai-gi'd, and also for a large ad lition to
■ the regular army ami navy. Tin se measures,
whether strictly L-gal or not, wore ventured
upon under what, appeared to be a popular
demand and a publi ■ necessity, trusting then
as now that. (’■ mgre.-s would readilv ratify
them. It is believe! that nothing has been
dme beyond the Coustitiitioii . r the e mq.-e
--tency of U ingress. S ion after the first call
f.-r militia, it was considered a duty to au
thorize the coinman ling genera! in proper ea
ses, according to his discretion, tosusp -n I the
privilege of the writ of halmis c'trptis, or. in
other words, to arrest arid detain without re
sort to the ordinary process and ficiiis ,-f 1 ;w
' such individuals as lie might (j -em dangerous
to the public safety. This aiitoority has pur
posely been exercise 1 but very sparingly:
nevertheless, the legality and pr -ptiety ot
what La- been done under it are questions,
j and the attention of tiie country lias been
' called to the proposition that one who i
sworn to take care that the la vs be faithfully
i exccut d, sh mi l not bim.-elf violate them.-
():’course some c-ti.-i.le a'i.m wa given to tin
. questions of power ami pr pricy before th s
matter was acted upon. The whole of tin
laws which were required to be faitld'u'ly
' executed were being re i-ted. and fulling of
execution in nearly one-third of the States,
must they he allowed to finally fa I of exeeu
; ti m, even ha 1 it been periectly clear that by
the use of the means iieee.-sary to tiie.r execu
tion, some single law. male i-i such extreme
i tenderness of the citizens’ liberty, that, prae-
I tically, it relieves more of the guilty than o
the- innocent, shoul I to a very limited ex'ent
:he violated? To state the question more di
rectly. are all the laws but <mc to go unexe
cuted and the government to g > to pieces lest
th J o ebe vi..lated ? Even in such a case,
i would not. the i fii -iai oath l.e br.-ken if the
I govertitnent should be ov r hr wn when it
! was believed that disregarding the single Liu
' would tend t > preserve it. But it was not
i believed that this question was presented ;
' it was not believed that any law was vi"]a
: ted : the proii.-i m of the constitution is that
i the privilege of th? writ of habeas corpus
i shall not be suspended, unless when in cases
of rebellion or invasion tb.e public safety may
require it. It is cquivtilent to a provi-um
that such privilege may be suspended when
in case of rebellion or iinasion tin- public safi
ty does require it. It was decided that we,
have a case of rebel ion, ami that the public
safety does require the qmibfied suspension of
the privilege of the writ, which was author
ized to lie made. Nou it is insisted that Con
gre-s and not the executive is vested with
this power. I.nt the constitution is silent as to
which or who is to exercise, the power, and
die provision was plainly made f t a danger
ous emergency. It cannot be b'd eve l that
trie fiamers of the instrument intended that
in every ease tiie danger should run its course
until Congress shoul I l.e called together, the
verv assembling "f whi< h might b<- prevented,
as was intended in this ea-e by the rebellion
is’s. No more extended argument is now of
fered. as an opinion at some length will pro
bably be presented by the attorney ge icral.
Whether there shall be any legislation upon
the subject, -it.d if any, what, is submitted
entirely to the better judgment of Congress.—
The fot-ltea-anec of this government ha ! been ■
so extraordinary and so long continued as to ■
lead some foreign nations to shape their ac- |
tion as if they supposed tb.e early de-truction
of our National Union was probable, while I
‘ . i
this on discovery gave the executive some con- '
corn, he is now happy to say that the sever
eigutv an ! r-g’its of the United States tire ■
now everwliere practically respected by for- i
ei a powers, and a general sympathy with |
the country is manifested thr-.ngh.-ut the
world. The rep irts of the Secretaries ol ihe .
Treasury. War and Navy will give the mi r
mation in detail deemed neee—ary an ! con ’
venieut f>r ymr deli novation and action.'
while tiie executive a i l all the <!■ partments .
will stan I ready to supply . missions or to ;
eoinmnnica’c new fticls considcre-l important ;
for voii to know. 11 is now recoaimetided that :
you give the legal means tor making this con i
test a short and decisive one, that yoil may •
i l.i'-e at the control of the government for the ,
work at least (bur hundred thou-ami men and -
SltKl.OOJ.tiO't. that number of men being about
one tenth of those of proper ages within the
regions where apparenily all arc willing to i
engage, an 1 the sum is less than a twenty
th.id part of the money value owned by the ;
men wh > sei-m ready to devote the whole. |
A debt of §OOO,OOO 300 now, is a less sum .
per head than was the debt, of our revolution j
when we came out ol that struggle, and the '
money value in the country now bears even a
greater proportion to what it wa-- than does
the population. Surely each man has as
strong a motive now to pre a: ve air li ci ties .
as each had then to establish tin in. A right :
result at this time will lie worth more now to .
th-i W'.rl 1 than ten times the men and ten i
times the money. 'lhe evidence reaching us .
fom the country leaves no doubt 'hat the .
material for the Work is abun la .it, aid that, it i
m-eds only the hand of legislation to g.'e it
legal sanction, and the hau l of tiie llxecut.v.- j
to give it practical shape and elii -iency One
ol' tin: great -st perplexities of the government
is to avoi I receiving troops farter than provi
ded lor them. In a word, t'u- te>p c will save I
I
t’.ii'h'ovoi i.iiirnt if the government it-eif will
do 'ls part only indifferently.
i W’hile it might seem, al first thought, of
but little d tfei-enco whether flic present umve-
i nient at ihe South be called hcvi ssiori or re
i he’dion, the tn ivers, however, well under.stood
i the diflercnco at the beginning, Th’ey know
. dial they could never raise their" treason to
j any respectable magnitude by any name
I which implies violation ol' law. 'l iiey (.new
, tlieir people possessed as much of m irul
sense ; as much of devotion to law and order,
and as much pricle an 1 reverence for the his
tory and govcriimeiil of their c. mnnm conn
tiy, as any civilized and patriotic peopL-, they
cimi 1 make no advancement directly in the
teeth of those strong and noble sent.tn -iJs. —
Accordingly they cmiimenc si a.i insidious
debauching of the public mind, they iuvciJed
an ingenious soph.: m which, if con ed.-4,
was followe I by perfectly I .gieal steps thr .’
1 ali the incidents to the c nuph-te desiru. tiou
lof the Union. The sophism itself is ih.it any
I S ate of the Union may r iiimsi mtly w.th
i t e constitution, therefore lawfully ami peace
fully withdraw from., the Union without the
coiise it of the union or any other Stale.—
The little disguise the supposed right is to
!1,.c cxereiscit otdy f.r a just cause, b'cause
j they themselves are to be s .le judges ..( its
. justice is too thin to merit tmy notice. AV ith
j rebellion, thus sugar-coated, they have been
i drugging the public mind of their section for
■ more than thirty years, until at length they
j have brought many good men t , a wiiiingtiess
■ take up arms against the government the day
’ after some assemblage of men have enacted
' t'.ie farcical pretence of taking their State out
' of the union who would have been brought to
, no such thing the day before
I This s plrs.m derives lunch, perhaps the
| whole of its curreney, from the assumption
j that there is some omnipotent and sacred su
: prema‘V pertaining to a State—to each State
|of our federal Union. Our States have nci.h
i erm -re nor less power than that reserved to
' them in the Union by the constitution no. one
j of them ever having been a State out es the
i Union. Tiie < riginal < lies passed into tin
‘ Union ( veil before they cast oft the r Brills!,
i colonial dependence, mid the new ones each
' i-ame into the Union directly fr.-m a condition
i of dependence, except Texas, and even Texas
■ in its temporary independence was i.ever des
ignati-d as a State, 'ft.c new ones only took
ihe designation of States on coin.ng into the
j Uni m, while that name was first adopted i- r
! the old ones, and by the ct lonns were de
< clare l to I e free mid in lepeiidciit States, but
i even then rhe o’j -ct plainly was not to declare
; the r iinlcp.-ndeiicc ot one aiiotner, or of the
; I nioii, but dnectly the contrary, as their mu
j teal pledge and their mutual action before, at
i the'ime, nod uftcrwnrJ--, ab-olutely shows tiie
I express plighting i.f faith by each and all oi
! th ■ origin d thirteen States in the articles of
i co.if.'dera’i- atw > years 1 iter. That the I n
i ion shall be perpe-iial is m-st l ouclusive.—
; Having never been States, cither insubstanc
i . r in nann', outside of the I'nion, whence tiie
! magical omnipotence of States r gilts assert
I ing a claim "f power to lawfully destroy the
I Uni -n itself? Much is said ah mt the sever
■ eigntv u <>f the States, but the word even i
' not in the national constitu i m, nor as is be-
1 lieveu in any of the State Constitu’io’.is.—
■ What is a sovereignty in the political sense
;of the term ? Would it be far wrong to define
it a political co nmunity without a f-olit'ca)
I s'ip< r’or. Tested by this, none of <ur State--.
■ except Texas, ever was a sovereign'}’, and
! even Texas gave up the character on coming
I into the Uiron by which act she acknowl-
■ edged the constitution of the United Slate-,
ami the lawsand treaties of the United Stales
made in pursuance of the f ongress to be fm
her the supreme law of the land, the State:-
have the status in ihe Union, and they have
n > other legal status if they break from this.
They ian only do s > again by revolution.—
i’lie V i n. and not themselves separately,
procured their independence and their lilx-:-:y
by conquest or purchase, ihe Union ga- .
each of them whatever iodei'Cinleoce and I 1-
erty ii had. Tiie Union is older than any -■
the Slates, and in fact it created them a
States. Originally, s-ime dependent coion . s
made the Union, and in turn the Uni-m threw
off their old dependence for them an t made
them States. Such as they are not. one m
them over l.ad a State constitution iiioepen
dent of the Union. Os course it is not for
gotten that all the new States framed their
constitutions before they entered upon and
preparatory to coming into the Union. Un
questionably the States have powers ami rights
reserved to them in and by ihe national con
stitution, but among them surely are not in
cluded all conceivable powers however mis
cliievous or destructive, and kn -wn in the
world at time as governmental powers, ami
ecrtninlv a p ,wi-r to destroy the government
■ tself ha l never known an governmental inere-
Iv administrative p .'vver. fids relative mat
ter of national power and S:atc right,-, as ;.
principle, is no other than the prim-ipL' < f
generality ami legility. Whatever concerns
the whole should bo confided to the whole
to the gencial government—while whatever
concerns only the State should be le.t exclu
sively to the State. Ti is is ail there is of
original principle about it. Whether the na
tional c nstitu'ion in defining houmlaiies be
tween the tw i has tipplted the principle
with exact ac uraey, is not to lie questioned
We are also b mnd by that defining without
q icstmn. What is m.w computed is the po
sition that secession is eonsis'eut with the
constitution; is lawful and peaceful. It is
not conn n ted that: there is any express law
for it. ami nothing should ever be implied as
a law which leads to unjust or absurd conse
quences. 'i’lie ir.it'mn piirclia-c-d with money
the countries out of which several of the
tates were formed. Is it ju-t that they sha I
go o'! witbout leave, without refunding?—
Th- nation pa d very large sums—l belt ve
upwards of a. liitmiied millions —to relieve
Florida of the Iml.an tribes. Is it j'l-t thn !
she should now go oil without consent or j
without making any return ? Ihe nati >u s j
now in debt for money applied for the henefi I
of the s -called seceded States, in conim m
with the rest. Is it just, either that creditors '
shall g ' unpaid, <>r remain.ng S a s piv? -
While a partof the present national debt, was
contrac’ed to p..y the old debts of Texas, s
it just that she shall leave and pay no partof
this herself? Again if any State may secede,
so may another, and when all slm 1 have se
co led, ume is left to pay the debts. Is this
iprte just to creditors ? Did we notify them
of this sage view of mirs when we borrowed
their money? If we now recognize tins doc
trine by allowing the seecders to go in peace,
it is dillieult to •'•(’ what we cart do if others
choose to go or to exact terms upon which
tle-y w ill promise to rem iii'. I’lie seecders
insist, that our constitution admits of necesH
io'i. They have assumed to make a national
I emifitituti'in oftheirown in which, ifnece sary,
I they li-ivti either discarded or retained the
right of seccsM. n, its they insist it exists in
ours. If they have discarded they thereby
admit that on principle it ought not to tic in
ours. If they have retained, by their own
construction of ours, they show tluif to be
consistent tlieynnisl secede from one another,
whenever they shall find it the easier way of
i settling tlieir debts, or afTi'eting any other sei
! fish or unjust object. The principle is one of
I disintegration, ami upon which no govern
; merit can possibly omltire. If all the States
save one should assert 1 he power to drive that,
j one out of the Union, it is presumed tl.e
I whole class of secession politicians Would at
I once leny the power, and denounce the act
' as the greatest outrage upon State rights.—
But suppose that, precisely the same act, in
; stea l of driving them out, should be c alled
' the secediu;: of the others from that one, it
j would be exactly what the decoders claim to
i do, unless, indeed, that they make? the p ii.t
that the one because it in a minority may
rightfully do wl.nt the other I ecaii-e it is a
majority may not rightfully. These politi
cians are subtile ami profound on the rights
of minorities.
They are not partial to the power which
the eonii'ituti in gives ami which speaks fr mi
preamble in words, "AVe the people.” It may
well be questioned whether there is to be a
! majuritv oi the legally qualified voters of any
i States, except, perhaps; S aith Carlina in fa
vor of disunion. There is much reason tube
lieve that the Union arc in the majority in
many, if not in every one of the so-called se
ceded States’ The contrary has not been de
monstrated in any one of them. It is ventur
! ed to afiirm thise en of Virginia ami Tennes-
I see, for the re.-ult . 1’ an clecti n held in mili
tary camps, where the bayonets are all on
the side of the question voted upon, can
scarcely be c msidereJ a demonstration of
popular sentiment. At such an election ali
that 'arge cl is- are coerced to vote against
the Union. It may be affirmed without ex
tratagance, that the free institutions we enjoy
have developed the powers and Improte I the
1 cni litioii of our whole pe -pie beyond any
: example in the world.- Os this we have hud a
; striking ami an impress’ne illus,ration. So
i large an army was never before known, with
I o it a soldier in it who bad not taken his place
■ there of bis own free ch -ice. But more than
; chi.-, there are many single regiments whose
! members,one awl another, po -s- s-*fttll prae
; tical kn iwlcdge of all the arts, sciences, tmd
profe-si ms, and whatever of else useful or el
egant is known in the world, awl there i--
scarcely one fr. tn which there could not be
selected a president, a cabinet, a congres-,
and perhaps a court, abundantly competent
to administer the government itself. Now
do I say ibis is not trim, also, in the army ol
our late friend *, no v a iversaries in this com
bat. Ba if it is so, m icli die better reason
why the good wiii -n has conferred such ben
efits c.n both them awl us should not be bro
ken up; wh lever, in any section, proposes
to aba-.do.i such a government, would do
well tic. nsidcr in defense of wli-.it principle
it is lie does it, hat better he is likely to
<-et in its steal—whether the substitute will
give, or be entitled to give, so much ofg-xi-i
to the people. There are some foreshadow
ings on this subject; our adversaries have
ad pted s >me declaration of independence, i
whi.-h. unlike the good old one prepared ly
Jefferson, they omit the words “all rneu are
create 1 eqi'al.” wtiile they have adopted a
tempornry u:i”. .mil G us'.i’ut.o’.i, inthepre
ambeofwii h, iftr iie uir g >od old on ■ i;n
cl by AV ash ngio.i. they omit “we’ the peo
ple,” ai 1 substitute "we. tiie deputies of the
sovereign an 1 iwlepe.ti L-nt States.” Why thi
pressing out of view the rights of men and
the authority '.f the people ? I his is essential
ly ape "ale’s contest on this side of the
world, that the I .rm and substance of g > ’• ern
merit, wlms • leading object is t» elevate toe
condition of in’a, to lilt artificial weights
from our s i 'aiders, t > cleave to the paths ot
laudable pnrmits fur all, to afford ali an un
fetter 1 t start awl a fair chance in th'.’ race m
life, yielding to I’m-part a! temporary des I
ism fr >ni necessity. I os is the? leuciieg on- |
jset m the goveiimient, for whose success we |
contend. I am happy to believe that the j
plain people umlcr.-tand and appreciate this, i
It is worthy of note that while in this tin- I
government’s hour of trial, large numbers ol |
th >SG in tiie army awl navy who have been |
favore 1 with the offices Lave resingned, pre.v- j
el falsi to the hand which had patupere !
them, n none c mimon soldier or common aa 1 i
or is kn >wn to have deserted his flag. Gicat j
honor is due t ■ those wn > remaineJ true, de- j
spite the example of their treacherous asso ;
dates. But the greatest hon it* and m *-•* im
portant part of all is the unanimity and firm- :
ness 1 f the common sold.ers and c imition I
sailors. To the last mtin, s > far as know .;
thevsucecscfallg resist" I ihe traiforoti- effirt' I
of th >-.e wliose command' bitt an. h ,:u- before J
they obeye las ab'olUte law. I lit' is pa ri I
otie instinct of plain people. Icy under- |
stood without an argitnieiit that the destroy |
ing of the go id which wa? mile by Wash ,
ingt in means no g iod to them. oirpo p u- |
largoil has often been called experiment: I
two points in it our peopl • Intvo alt e idy S“t j
t>d—th • successful establishing and the su •-
ces fid adm.nistratio-.i of it. O ic still rem tin-.
its successful nraintainani-e against a foami.l
able internal attempt t> overthr w it. It is
now for them to clem istrate to the world tlia’ ■
those who can fairly carry an election can al j
so suppress a rebellion, that ballots are tne ■
rightful awl peaceful successors of bullets, I
an I that when ballots have fairly and cmisti
tutionallv decided there can be no sue.fn: -
appeal back to bullets, that there can be n» |
successful appeal ex-pt, to ball its themselves I
a' succee ling cde.-lions., such will be tne great
lesson of peace, teaching men that what they ,
emnot take bv an election wither can tin y by |
war, and teaching all the r i.diy ol bein the ■
beginners ol war.
L st there may be some uneasiness in the ,
minds of c andid men as to what is to be the I
course of the g evernmeut towards the Suiitli
ern States, after the rebellion shall have been
suppressed, the executive deems it proper to -
sav that it will be guided by the Con'tituti- n I
and the laws, and that he probably will h ive J
no different understanding of the powers awl |
duties of the federal government relation to I
the rights <4 the Slab’s end the people under j
the c.'iistituti m, than expressed in the inau
gural address. He desires to preserve the
g vernmen: that it may be ivhiiiiiist red for
all as it wi- a Imioistered by men who trade
it. 1 oval ci’ zns every where have the light,
to cla m this >.f their tfovertitnent, and the
government Ims no right lo withhold or nog-j
led it. Ir. is not perceived that in git ing this
there is any coercion, any conquering, or any
subjugation in any just sense of these terms.
The constitution provides, and all these States
have a icepte 1 the provisions, that th United
States shall guarantee to every State in this
Union a republican form of government.—
But if a Stale may lawfully go out of the Un
ion, having done so it tuny also discard the
republican f .rm of government. So that to
prevent its going out is tin indispensable
' means to the end of maintaining the gunran-
I tee mentioned, as lawful and obligatory. The
■ indispensable means to it are also lawful and
! obligatory.
It is with the deepest regret that the execu
tive found the duty of employing the war
i power in defense of the government, forforcid
upon him, he could but perform this duty or
’ surrender the existence of the government in
! coinpromise. Not that compromises tire not
■ ofien proper, bitt that no popular government
: ca i long survive a marked precedent, that
1 th-'se who carry an election can only save tne
i fc-derul government from immediate destine
i ti n; by giving up the main points upon which
the people gave the election. The peopfe"
themselves, and not their servants, can safely’
reverse their own del.bei’ate_jlcc‘ision. As a
private cit.zen the executive could not have
consented that Ihe.-jC'Tustilutions shall perish,
' much less could he consent to the betrayal of
I so vast ttnd so sacred a trust as those free
i people had c< nfided to him. lie felt that he
had i o moral right to shrink nor even to count
, the chances of his life in what might follow,
i In full view of his great responsibility, he has
' so far clone what he has deemed his duty.—
You will r ow, according to your own judg
ments, perforin yours. He sincerely hopws
your views and your action may so accord
with Irsas to assure ali fa’thful ci izens who
: have been disturbed in their rtghts, of a cer
tain and speedy restoration of the laws, and
having thus chosen our course, with pure pur
pose let us renew our trust in God, and go
iorward without fear and with manly hearts.
[Signed] ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
»n
CAPTURE OF THE ST. NICHOLAS.
The Richmond A’a. correspondent of the
Charleston Mercury, has the following:
Just as I tun about to mail this, I hear of t.ti
: important capture of a steamer and three
I schooners near Point Lookout, at the mouth
! of the P. tomac, by a partygof Maryland men
i in the service of the Confederate States. The
: information was brought Ly the captors, who
i arrived this morning from Fredericksburg,
with thirty nine prisoners captured. The
i facts in general, so far as have been aseor
i fiiine l. and upon which you may rely, are as
. foll.'ws: A Colonel, or Captain, Thomas <4
! Maryland, one of the brave volunteer young
I Z maves of that State, lefi Richmond some
1 six or s.'ve: days ago, and by disguising him
; self, reachc-d Baltimore by the way of Pbila
! delphia. Tiie route? he took is not known. —
j He travelled between these two citie as a
. Lady. At Baltimore lie took passage with a
j numbe r < f his brave Southern friends, on
' board the Sr. Nivhohs steamer, one of a re
! gudir line betwcc i B ilt’m -re and AA’a-hing
| ton. The number is variously stated at from
i twenty to fi rry. Os course they showed no
I signs of being an organized party, or even
ja. ((Uaintances. When near Point Lookout,
j where tiie Potomac <-nipti‘-s into the Che-a-
■ pcake Bay. Thomas went down to bis cabin
! mid opened his baggage, which consisted
j ehi.-fly of efficient ai ms, and then distributed
i c .to his friends, ile and his p etty imme
diatei demanded the surrender of the stea
mer. Tt was surrendered without a s rnggle,
and t ’.?o'r..dy wa-c hurt.” Thomas bad pr -
vided himself with an efficient engineer as
one of the party, in case there had been an;,
d i'll-ulty witl. the? engineer of the s eatm-i
.ill went on smoothly, however, and Captain
I’iminas fir llm first time, his naval
i --.creer. He had not to cruise long lx f .re three
i rich prize-;, on? after tiie other, came in ids
way. 'em was a vessel laden with near four
imu-aod bags of coffee, another had a cargo
■ ic -, an 1 the third a e-ergo of sugar. The
! whole of the captures must be W'.rth tw
lim .rc-.-l th. ueind dollars. They took them
j into Fr clerieksLu . But cur h- ro, Thomas,
I oas higher gaum in view; he meant to have
' captured the Priwnee, and f.r that purpose
proeecded to the camp of the Tennessee re
giment. on the banks of the Potomac, to a-k
for that regiment, ora portion of if, toaecom
p uiy him. Only a part of th" regiment was
presen!, and its commander declined to a eept
the. invitation. Thomas not being able to xc
c mpl -li his ptirp se. brotigh' his prisoners
on to Richmond. He felt sanguine of being
able to capture the Pawnee, and regrets very
niiieh not having had the necessary force.—
The commander of the Tennessee lorce, pro
i ably, deemed it a hazardous or a sort ot ro
inantic enterprise. Thomas having accom
plished so niu' li. ought to have had an op
portunity to try liis skill and bravery upon
the Pawnee. I am against the pra-tn’C.
which is too common, of writing extrnvcigan'
oi:c-< miiims. but I cannot lose this opportuni
ty of giving “honor to whom honor is due,”
ami in inenti 'n, in terms of admiration, the
brave Maryland boys, imitiy f them wealthy
an of the best fsmilies, who have left their !
homes t-> join ii- in the war.
Hf.xnian Outrages.— A soldier of th? 20th I
(Germ m) Regiment writes to New A'ork, '
that “Di-. Hansen, the principal physician of I
tlm regiment, now stationed nt ('amp Weber, |
1 lamp'o'i Ferrv, is quartered with ihe remain- j
der "f th" sluff-it Ex P iei.iJent Tyler's house j
in that neighborhood. Ail the furniture in j
the house is dem- lished, excepting three '
basis in tli 4 ’ d 'etor's room—those of Schiller,
Gcx'ihe and Humboldt.” 1
—»»- <g» <■
7',’z. Gu'f fm t<> Slavers. — The Cuban slave
trade, since the withdrawal of the United
" t-ites' s<jiuv’ron from the coast ol Cuba, is ’
said to be .-nrried ot> with redoubled vigor.— '
Six carg -es have '•< <’t) lan Ic’d on the “ever J
faithful isle” sin.’c di.) 25th of March. The ;
British Adn iral. Milt e. is said to have re- ,
laxed his vigilance, and does not hesitate to ,
sav to Ami-riemi merchants that he is not
go'ing to do clotilil" duty, slave hunting, as he 1
has been e-mi|»4lcd to dosince the withdraw
al of the Yankees.
—«=» -a- .
br’A., At last advices from San Francisco. ■ ;
three millions es trea lire had accumulated ;
there over and ab no the usual deposits ow- ,
ing to the failure n> ship, from fear of priva- I
Cers. It is not imp ssihle that, some of this
treasure tmiy have been finding its way t"
the East, through the Butterfield overland
route, to Western M is uri, and the seizmc
of tl.e e aelies and stock of that line, by Gov. |
Jackson will not only stop further shipments, I
but m iv put some of the dust in his posse-- '
sion. A million or two obtained in that, way |
would be quite a desirable increase in the '
Missouri treasury.
j
IfflDßUGS.lffil.
MAKKLEY A; JOYNER
ANNOUNCE t<> tlieir cus'oin rs that they bjve
on band a full ami eotapletu stock of
0) ft 18 ©, S
A MB
MEDICINES.
Our present assortment o' nil flic u-tinl goods
k«p in u I'rug store, is now offered at prices that
canno' fail to suit. Persons in want of any of the
following would do well to price them at our houses
Kerosene Burning Oil,
KEROSENE LAMEg,
from fO cts. to $3 75
■ -■ . L 0
Tarpentine, Fluid, Candles,
Alcohol, Lnrd and Sperm Oils, I I iseecl Oil, White
Leads,
PAINTERS’ COLORS,
Put/y. Window GLifp, Druggists’ ViaP f
I>YE
A;c,
Prescriptions carefully put up
worn,
Woll
BED CORDS, PLOW LINES.
PAINTED BUCKETS & TUBS,
Cedar Buckets and Tubs,
Well Buckets and V lie-Is
sieves an I Riddles, Tea K. tt'cs, C ff-e Mi la.
BROOMS,
Cotton Twine and Factory Thread. For sale by
Mar 1, 18(5] WM. ROOT & SON.
iim nuu m
Its Character Claims, &c,,
First. The Course of Instruc ion is extensive
and suited to the character and sphere of females'
Second. The Di.-ciplioe's effectually maintain
ed witnout severity, or harshn ss
Third. Tiie Rates of Tuition arc moderate and
t ; e pa? nu uts easy.
Fourth The Buildings anil Grounds, b ing
very mu-h imprcued. are admirably adapted to
ploa-cmt and hcalthiul study and exc-reisu
Fifth. The I’rii eipal is, by b rth nd edn • -tion,
a Georgian; nil bis interi-s's an I sympnrtde- ar
emphatic -all' Sou’hern, and hi- I as p rid-accl the
!>r-'l'Crly. umter the above title for the pu p se ■ f
est'u lishing a Sent .e-n female s- mimiry. equal to
any other in « xistcm-c.
Sixtli. The parents who send t.'ieir d ught’-rs
here, may feel a-sured Hint the' wi 1- e cx- uipt
from immoral influences; that tlu-y wid hav- cx
■ el] nt social nnd reli;; exes advimt c;"«: that they
wli re'-eive every iittent'on r- cosstiry t " h- ir im
provement and comfort; that they wil- Im -on
dieted regularly tfrougli a course o r appropriate
- u li< s and at. the <-ml of thnr course, wi I receive'
diplomas, ns c erti 'i-ntes ot their scholnrsl ip.
Seventh, '-tii- ent- may enter nt any time and.
will bc'-l-a ged from the. time of entrance to the
close - f the .<• .-sion.
Fi"li;li- The I’rinc’p.-il is prepared to tike
t>-orders at modern e charges an I io off ro them
extra a 'vantages f r prosecuting their studies.
jtrfe-- For particulars, a-ulress
T. B. COOPER, I’rin.
Marietta, Gai. May, 7, 'Bftl.
htiii: k
I
j/£ ’S 7 PO W ERS!
• rl'iUIS Yen.-t Po-- der i- prepared of tlx l> a- d
. S purest materials, and will tiia -c light. sw«-t
I ami nutritious bread ; an t f-cr Buckwheat am oth
er cakes, bis- uits. Ac.. -1., is Jost flu thing With
I flour these A'cast Powders . re > er nin t-- give
full s.itisfiiction if used iicc-rdi gto the ir ctimis.
•nd beiiie much cheaper, while ml y ■ mind t- the
I- st No-them nrtii-’e. commends itself t S-nrhcrn
- emsefee pi-rs It is rut up in half and on p-on I
pcckeisat forty ■’ nts a pound, .-id i only by
W KO'l I' A SON,
Viarie*, may 2 11 fl!.
.U T7 M I
1 0 0. 00 0 Fe e t On Ha n <l.
s’lbscrHu r has on hand at hir* Steam Saw
| Mill, tw > an i a half r ile.* t <»m darietta.
1.00,009 FEET OF LUMBER.
Plank <-f any kin i. or o her description of urn
her lie is prepared c> fur"i*h
For the Cash,
nt SI par hundred at the Mill, or. S' 25 deliv- tod
at Marietta.
Orders may be le t nt the Post t'ffr-c. or
at T. L Atkinson's star-.
A pr. 1 ts
FOUR HORSE COACH LINE
■ From Marietta to Cumming.
'lOO ’
riTIIE subscriber h'i« in the above line n t-p'otblid
1 Four Horse t'o-cch. with excellent s'< ek nn t
careful drivers,by which passengers are put through
in shorter time unit with far greater cciiivenictwe
than formerly. Ev r.v ntteiition will ' pni'l t
thei comfort, nnd no '-xcr firns spared to miUce tnis
line eciual to noy Siut'h.
This lioeconnc t- w th Im W. A A. R-it'ro id nt
•J iri ti'.i"i M-mlnys. -tcdm.-mla?s arxl Frola.vs
for Cumming . nnd return I -ic-days. liHirs'liva
and Satitr ay,; also cotmccti, g same days with
the Ila- k to not from Dahlonega.
I. N IIEGGiE.
KOIUJIA, C<»KB COUNTY.
Tim Justice's f tlm Inferior Court met for speci
al purposes June 15th, 1801.
H X obedience to the cxpresseil resolutions of he
n p-ople Os flic county, tlm Court met this day
for ilm purpo-e of iis-e-sing nnd ordering to Im
c-01l -cic el n certain tax on each individual lux
paver of said county for the purpose' of raising
funds for tlm unit''t illing and equipping of Vcdiin
tcers. It i< therefore ordered by the < ourt that,
5-I'2 cif 1 per cent be levied on the taxable proper
tv of the citizens of this county and it is further
order-d that one fourth of that amount be iininccli
atelv nssessed and collected or so scxin as pt acta
ble bv the tax collector of this county mid by him
paid over to the provisional committe e', or to A,
W. Holcombe Chairman of said committee for the
purposes aforesnid. ami it is further ordered that
tlx-T;: x collector be ami Im is hereby iiutlmrised
ami empowered to proceed to tlm collection of the
■aid amount of one fourth of ..-I'2 one percent, on
tlm taxable property us aforesaid, soaoon as the
necessary Book shall be prepared ami delivered
to him b'v the Clerk of this Court, mid that ho
credit all such persons ns have made voluntary
contributions to the patriotic purposes aforesaid
and paid tiie same or any part of the same on the
tax levied on ihem under this order if they desier
with such amounts as they have pa d, mm it is fur
ther order, d that the Clerk of this court do at once
ai d without umieeessiirv el -lay purcha.-e A . repave
a book in which lie shall enter t'-c names of nil
the citizens of tlm county liable to taxation with
the mnomit of nssessnient opposite th- same.ba ed
upon tlm returns to tlm tax Receiver for the year
Istil and deliver the said book to the tux Col cctor
to be used by h in in the eollectior of this iiHseas
inent and to lie placed on file in the Clerk's office
tot- record nnd ref'eretice for all future time mid it
is further ordered th it these proceedings be pub
lish' d in tlm Marietta papers.
SAM’L. LAWRENCE, j. I. c.
T. H. MOORE, ,t. t c.
11. M. HAMMEiT, J. t.C.
A. J. RIGSHY. J. i. C.
A true extract from the minutes of said Inferior
Court. W. W. CARRELL, Clerk 1. C.
June H, 1861.
