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Show 460 INAUGUHAL Al\ D F ARE\VELL ADVH1£SSl·:S. ing ~very day more evident, anu tho sig11 of evil at·o sufficl(:ntly apparent to awaken the deepc ·t anxiety in the ~o om of tbe patriot. \Ve uchold sy tcmatic eifot·ts puullcly made to sow the seeds of di ·cord betwecu diil'ercut parts of tile United States, anu to I>lucc 11arty diri - 1 • • 1· 1:' ::> 0 11:-. ( 1- rcc:tly upon geographical distinctious; to excite the f:Juuth agaius.t the North, aud tlw No'rth against the South, and to for~e mto ~be cou trov:rsy. tl~e .most delicate and excitiug t?ptcs-toptcs ~pon whiCh 1t 1s unpossiule that a large portwn of the Unwn can ever speak without stroug emotion. .AppeaJs,. too, are constantly made to sectional interests, in order to w!luence the election of the Chief Magistrate a ·r . ' s l It were desired that be should favor a particular quarter of the country, iustead of fulfilliug the duti es of his station with impartial justice to all ; and the possiule di solution of the Union has at length become an ordinary and familiar subject of discussion. lias the waruing voice of Washington been forgotten ? or have designs already been formed to sever the Union? Let it not be suppo. ed that I impute to all of those who have taken an active part in these unwise ~nd ~nprofituble discussions a want of patrioti.·m or of public VIrtue. The honorable feeling of State pride, and local attachments, find a place in the uosoms of the most eulightened and pure. But while such men are conscious of their own integrity and honesty of purpose, they ought never to forget that the citizeus of other States are theit· political b~·ethren; and that, however mistaken tlley may be in their VI.ews, the great body of them arc equally honest and upright :Vrth. themselves. Mutual suspicions and reproaches may In time create mutual hostility, and artful and designing men will always be found, who are ready to foment these fatal divisions, and to inflame the natural jealousies of different sections of the country. The history of the world iiJ full of such examples, and especially the history of rt publics. ~ INAUGURAL AND FAREWELL ADDRESSES. 461 What have yon to gain by divi sion and dissension? Delude not your. elves with the belief that a b1·each once made may be aftenrarciR repaired. If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow widct· and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the hali:-J of legislation will then he tried in neld: of battle, und determined by the sword. Neither ~o; h onltl you deceive you rselves with the hope that the first line of separation would be the permanent one, and that nothing but harmony and concord. would be fonud in the new associations formed npon the dissolution of this Union. Local intorests would still be found there, and unchastened ambition. And if the recollection of common dangers, in which the people of these United State stood side by Hide Hgainst the com111on foe; the memory of victories won by their united valor; the prosperity a11d happinc s they have enjoyed under the present Constitution; the prond name they bear as citizens of this great republic: if all these recoll ections and proofs of common interest are not ~ trong enough to Lind us together as one people, what tic will hold united the new divisions of empire, when these bonds ha ve been broken a.nd this Union dissevered. rrlle first line of separation would not lust for a single generation; new fragments would Le torn off; new leaders would spring up; and this great and glorious republic would soon be broken iuto a multitude of petty States, without commerce, without credit; jealous of one another; armed for mutual ngression, loaded with tuxes to pny armies and leaders; seeking aid against each other f1·om foreign powers; in sulted and trampled upon by the nations of Europe, until hnrassed with conflicts, and humbled and debased in spirit, they wonlu be ready to submit to the absolute dominion of any militai'Y adventurer, and to su rrender their liberty for the sake of repose. It is impossible to look on the conseqnenccs th11t would in ev itably follow the destruction of tllis govcrnmemt, and not feel indigllaul |