The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-10-07
Has Slavery any Special Immunity?

las slavery any Speclal immunity
Since the President E letter TO Fremont modl
Tying the latter's proclamation contiscatlng tn
property of rebels who were active in their ct
forts tooverthrow our Government, many papers
and especially those who used to be friendly t
the South and hostile to the principles OF the he
publicans are pressing with new zeal the constitu
tional argument against the emancipation OF tht
slave property of rebels, and reiteralng the ole
reasons against infringing upon the peculiar
right of African Slavery to remain untouched
upon this Ointment by any act of our Govern
ment or our Army during the present war. Nc
matter how terrible may be the evils which may
visit the North through the continuance of the
rebellion and no matter how apparent it may
be that an announcement by those in authority
that the slaves of traitors are as far as Federal
laws is concerned, free men, would strike more
fatal blow at the heart of treason than any other
single announcement the Government could
make still we hear the old cant about not med
ding with Slavery. Some Of this comes from
timdtv, some of it from an adherence to the
partisan friendship for slavery that has charac-
terized portion of the North for years, some
Of it from desire to build up an organization
either political, or of some other k!r that shall
control the elections, and some Of it from an
honest belief that slavery is such an exceedingly
sacred and peculiar institution, that it must not
only not be attacked but it must not be suffered
to come to any harm in the process of putting
down rebellion. So far as this opinion is hon
esly entertained, it deserves respectful attention,
and to such persons arguments may be properly
enough addressed.
Slavery, as an institu ton, has no guarantees
in the Constitution, that instrument only author
izing the recovery of fugitives from labor who
have escaped from their masters, In all other
respects as far as the Constitution is concerned,
the owners of slaves have no rights not equally
enjoyed by the owners of horses or cattle, or any
other article generally recognized as property.
And the insertion of the clause respecting fug-
tives from labor in the original compact was not
a: all intended as an acknowledgment on the
part Of the trainers of it, that property in slaves
was of a more sacred nature than property in
cattle, but it is rather an evidence that slave
property was of such peculiar nature, 10th as
to its liability to escape, and in its non-recogui-
ton as property except by local laws, that some
action was necessary in order to put it as nearly
as possible on an equality with other chattel
rights. Then go far as strict constitutional
right is in question, Congress, the President, or
any military commander, has precisely as much
authority to confscate the slaves Of rebel as
they have to confscate his bales of cotton and
we hardly think anybody who sincerely desires
to see the Government vigorously prosecute the
war in Which it is now involved, is so tender to-
wards traitors as to desire that all the property
Of rebels should be exempt from forfeiture.
Bat when the argument from the Constitution
is answered, we are confronted with another OBJ
lection, and are told that it would divide and
distract the North if the Government should at
tempt to weaken the rebels by confscatlng their
S ave property. We don't believe this is true.
o. the contrary we believe that had Presi-
dent Lincoln cordially approved Fremonts proc
lduldlIOH III MlsSOuTl anu SHOWN an unQl0Cll0g
determination to strike rebellion where the blow
would be most severely felt, he would not only
have had the loyal men Of the North heartily
and more courageousy than ever with him. but
he would not thereby have lost in any State IL
single soul who was not at heart rebel There
nav De a few men at the North who have vet
81 Oh 4 tenderness and love for the peculiar in
s:itutiUn, that they would>no make war upon
: :cbel II it became necessary in order to pros
ccate it vigorously to free his slaves, bat we be-
J-eve ths number had grown small and quiet
until they received comfort and strength from
lie action Of the Government.
!; is the manner of the warriors of barbarous.
and OF some civilized nations, when they have
succeeded in some raid upon their enemies, and
have been so fortunate rs to capture prisoners,
to expose these prisoners between themselves and
Their pursaers, as u protection from the bullets
OF their enemies This is generally successful, !
as the enmty must be very rancorous that will j
direct bullet through the heart Of friend,
that il may aso reach the heart OF foe. And |