, 1861-12-10


Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribunc.1
LOUISVILLE, Dec. Z, 1851.
Ton have doubtless received and noticed the
article in the Louisville Journal on the Message
Of tile President. The views Of the editor as |
to the intention of the President to ultimately !!
favor what tue Journal calls s'extreme meas |
urcs,'' ore much at variance with the general |
opinion here, and the article III question has
made profound sensation among both parties
III this city.
The Message did not astonish OF amazc-it
was read with no evidences Of more than the
usual general interest attending the Message
of the Chief Magistrate. The Unionists were
satisfied with it, aud the scccssionists disgust
cd that it presented no point which they could
handle to advantage. The paragraph at once
! calling up aud dis,nissing the contTaband qucs-
tion in a word, Ind nothing apparently horri-
| fying TO shareholders or consoling to tic rob
| els. But the you7naE-at present, in the
| absence Of Mr. Prentice, controlled exclusively
| by the junior editor-appeared on Thursday
with an article that astonished and alarmed the
| Unionists and gratified the rebels. Whether
thesournap 5 explanation Of the paragraph ofthc
| Message referring to contraba1ds and the adj
vice not to be In haste TO determine On ex-
trcmc and radical measures, be correct or not
| it is useless to arguc-tlc effect produced here
is all I desire to notice.
Astartling change in Kentucky politics has
been expected for some time past, as 1 en-
deayored to explain in a former letter. Ken
tuckians all agree that the slaves Of the rebels
ought to be contiscated and sold to pay tie ex-
pesescs Of the anaf. They are opposed to using
them against the rebels Us We would captured
ssunpowdcr or bombshclls. At the same time,
the moral sentiment opposes the holding Of
them ms property By the General Government.
Hence tic. difficult question arises How arc
f they to he disposed OFF, The military neccs'
sity Of using all the means available to crush
out the rebellion, condemns and forbids the re-
+ turning Of them to their masters or keeping
+ them, as per "Order No. 81 Of Gen. Hal1eck,
, beyond the lines. The disposing Of them is
: the great trouble. The Confscation Act ie
: understood here as wanting amending in this
. | particular.
When the Message was received, the Ken
tuckians looked upon the sentence, " II neq
+ 1aw upon the same subject {the confscation Q
!. property sl1al1 be proposed, its propricty Mi
= be duly considered" rs an Executive recon-
b mendatioa to prepare new Law to conhscat
u property 1t has been understood here tha
. an amended law would be proposed BY Cor
= | rrcss, aud it was supposed that the law la
d | not been enforced in Kentucky where mos
If wanted, because Of such intention to amend i,
3 It was known that the Legislature woul
r shortly have presented to it for considerable
1t a bill providing for the execution Of the la
u by the Statc, tie General Government not bs
tc coming party to the transaction.
&c The idea expressed by this bill was, that :
numbers of loyal Kentuckians have had the
D. property in the South contiscatca By the reb'
&c ! govcrnmcut, it became the duty Of the Stat
&c in retaliation, to seize the property Of disloy
Il Kcntuckians, to be applied to rcmuncratin
e, tie loyal Kcntuckians for their losses. .
to there is any excess, the State should ssl Il
to ais, TO assist in paving the war expense
1t Such. it was supposed, Wis the propose
re- amendment to the Law passed by Congres
i'll and to such an amendment was II tnoaS
ne here that the sentence quoted appnea. 3
nd the Journal construed the paragraph in Whl'
ID, this sentence occurs to be a recommendatit
Jse and hint to Congress to proceed at once
IDS the adoption of extreme measures IN lieu
it tic contiscation act.
rse The startling change has thus been fore
for On US at once, and the excitement in cons
1b- qucnce Of the article has been intense 1t i
lan been the sole subject Of conversation for da
ON past, and having appeared in the absence
all Mr. Prentice, and immediately subsequent
the the very bitter articles on Camefon's spec
hes at tic snpper to Prentice, Ito which Prenti
ngs verbally replied in exceedingly compEmen
:Dr. | n terms, many doubts AaVc been express
4ili as to the position long remaining that Of t
the .}ctxr.,a},- The general idea is that the Sen
out editor oput his foot hastily in - the Gamer
the matter and Is attempting to extract it Or si
arIy it deeper It Is cyea asserted on the stre
axe this morning. that Mr Prentice. having anit
'us. home, wm proceed At once to repuaiate