The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-03

w y i0I oAtcut " IetcS given IN another column.
The Opening OF Congress-The President
and His CabiNct-The Army and the
Slavery Question.
The Presidents annual Message and the ac-
companying reports from the several executive
departments not having been submitted to
Congress yesterday, we are disappointed in our
expectation of laying these important State pa
| pers before our readers this morning. The
| President, however, in this matter, governed by
considerations of the very highest Importance
in reference to some startling propositions on
| the momentous question of slavery embodied
in the report of the Secretary of War, acted
| wisely in Withholding the submission of his
! Message, in order to consult his Cabinet on the
radical and perious recommendations Of Mr.
Secretary Cameron.
! Itappears that Mr.. Cameron, In his report, as
submitted to the President to be laid before
Congress, recommended, to its fullest extent
the war policy of Col. Cochrane's late extra
ordinary speech at Washington in regard to the
slaves Of Southern rebels. Col. Cochrane
it Is thus manifest, did speak like one having
authority; for we are informed from source
which cannot be questioned that Mr. Cameron'a
| propositions, intended for Congress, as from
| President Lincoin's Secretary of War, compre-
hended, under certain contingencies, the arm
| ing of Southern slaves against their rebel mas.
ters, and embraced this other revolutionary
idea, to wit: that in whatever manner the slaves
| of rebels may be used by the government, as
contraband of war, they are in fact liberated by
the acts of their rebeIlious masters, and should
never be restored to bondage.
] II is no wonder that President Lincoln was
brought to stand by these novel and extreme
! propositions No wonder that he does not like
| them. The very interesting despatch, in this
connection, which we publish from our Wash
! ington correspondent, throws flood of light
| upon this whole Cabinet controversy We are
! thus advised that General Mcclellan. upon this
vital issue, is so earnestly in favor of the war
policy indicated in the late conservative procla-
nation of General Dix to the people of the East
ern shore counties Of Virginia as to hint of re-
i signing should different line of action be de-
clared by the government This is powerful
voice from the army, and it has doubtless had
no little influence over the mind of Mr. Lincoln
! in his exceptions to these peculiar slavery pro-
| positions of Mr.. Cameron.
What are we fighting for? Is it the abolition
| of slavery? No. The President has officially
declared this war to be u war for "the integrity
OF the Union'-nothing less and nothing more.
What is the integrity of the Union 7, The
restoration Of our revolted States, including
their institution Of slavery, as guaranteed and
recognized by the constitution of the United
States. Of course, in struggle of life or death,
the government cannot be bound by all the nice
| restrictions of the constitution intended for a
state Of domestic peace. These things, under
| such domestic rebellion as this, are subordi-
nate to the stern necessities of war; Granted.
then, that for the great objects of this war it is
| necessary that the slaves of Southern rebels
coming within reach Of our armies should be
employed in tho public service, does it follow
| that 1t is necessary or expedient to employ
them as soldiers?
We contend that not only is there no necessi-
| ty for this experiment, but that its adoption
would result in the most serious disasters to the
cause Of the government and the whole country
First, we say there is and can be no necessity
| on our part for resort to negro soldiers bond
( or free. We have now over six hundred and
! sixty thousand white men in arms for
the suppression Of this Southern re
bellion; and If demanded we can
readily obtain six hundred thousand more
Cooperating with our army we have naval
and revenue establishment embracing, all told
not less, perhaps, than five hundred vessels and
twenty thousand men. From the Potomac
westward to the Mississippi, the pressure Of our
armies upon the enemy, though apparently
slow, is steady and sure as fate while along our
Southern seaboard the successful naval expedi-
tions Of Stringham and Dupont have removed
all doubts as to our warlike capacities in that
direction. BY simply holding the rebel armies
at bay in the border slave States, we can ex-
tinguish this rebellion by our naval expcdi-
tons to the cotton States In word, we have
at this moment the rebel government of JEFF.
Davis completely within our grasp; and this is
due to the conservative and humane war policy
Of President Lincoln, which aims to save the
South, and not to destroy it.
| We hold to the opinion, too, that, excepting
South Carolina, there is large body Of Union
men in every Southern State, whose pas
sive submission now to JEFF. Davis, If
we can have nothing better, ID
infinitely preferable to q desperately active
spirit of hostility to our cause. They are await
ing their opportunity, and, as in Maryland, we
| shall, when the occasion offers, find the MAORI
| ty Of the people of Virginia, North Carolina,
! Georgia, &C., loyal to our government, by still
pursuing the same wise course of action which
has saved Maryland. On the other hand, if we
begin the work of arming Southern slaves
against their masters, we shall be invited to a
war Of determination, and the subjugaton of
our reyolted States will depopulatc them, and
perhaps utterly exhaust our military and iinan-
cial resources. and entirely rcvoiutionize our
political institution, North rs well rs South.
We apprehend, toN from our Information If