Daily national Democrat., 1861-10-06
The President and General fremont.

! Fremont, on the 3Otb oi August, issued n
proclamation, declaring martial law in Mis-
souri,, in W hieh proclamation he said:
The property, real and personal, of all
persons Ia the State of Missouri, who shall
take up arms against the United States, or
who shall be directly proven to have taken
active part with their enemies in the field,
is declared to be confiscAted to public use,
and their slaves, if any they have, are here
10y declared freemen."
On the 18th of September, the President
wrote to Fremont as follows
ION seeing your proclamation of August
seth, perceive there is general objection
to 1.-THE particular objection being the
clause relative to the coniscatlon of property
and the liberation of slaves, objectionable tor
its bon-coniormily to the Act of Congress
passed on the 9th of last August Il wrote
you expressing the wish that you would
modify that cIause Your answer expresses
the preference that should make an order
for this modi lcutioB. which | cheeriully do
It i therefore ordered that said clause be
modified, held and construed to conform with,
and not transcend the provisions in the Act
OF Congress, entitled an act to contiscate all
property used for insurrectionary purposes.
The Act of Congress, to which the Presi-
dent referred in the above. contains the fol-
lowing:
"If after proclamation, etc ;, any person
or persons, his, her or their agent, attorney
or employee, shall purchase or acquire sell or
give, any property of whatever kind or de-
scrption, with intent to use or employ in
aiding, nbetting or promoting such insurrec-
ton or resistance to the laws, or any person
or persons engaged therein; or if any per-
son or persons. being the owner or owners of
any such property, shall knowingly use or
employ, or consent to the use or employment
of the same as Aforesaid, all such property is
hereby declared to be lawful prize and cap
ture wherever found and it shall be the
duty of the President Of the United States to
cause the same TO be seized, coniscated aud
condemned
Sec. And be it further enacted, That
whenever hereafter during the present insur-
rection against the Government of the United
States, any perscn claimed to be held to labor
or service under the law Of any State, ehall
be required or permitted by the person to
whom such labor or service is claimed TO be
due, or by the lawful agent of such person,
to take up arms against the United States, or
shall be required or permitted 10y the person
to whom such labor or service is claimed to
be due or bis lawful agent to work or to be
employed in or uron any fort, navy yard,
dock, armory ship, iutrenchment or in any
military or naval service whatever against the
Government and lawful authority of the
United States, then, and in every such case
the person to whom such labor or service is
claimed to he due shall forfeit his claim to
such labor any law of the State or of the
! United States to the contrary notwithstand-
| ing, And whenever thereafter the person
claiming such labor or service shall seek to
enforce his claim, it shall be full and :uffi-
cent answer to such claim that the person
whose service or labor is claimed, had been
employed in hostile service against the Gov
ernment of the United States, contrary to the
provisions of this act "
As to Fremont's treatment of the contra
band question: we are enti.ey content to see
the provision of the existing act of Congress
above quoted, carried faithfully into effect,
as directed by the President, and we shall
he entirely satisfied, if the war continues to
see the next Congress provide for the coniis-
cation of oil property belonging to rebels, and
for the Withholding from them of all rights
which rightfully belong to those who recog
nize the authority of the Government of the
United States, and TO them only
The Union papers Of Kentucky have made
no complaints, we believe, concerning FIRE.
mout's management in Missouri. We saw
but few days ago, an article from the Lou
isville journal, in which he was very favor
ably mentioned. The judgment of the Presi-
dent aud Cabinet, in his case, will doubtless
be as near correct, to say the least, as tat Of
the unknown and, sometimes-"not to put to
fine point upon it"-sometimes inaccurate
correspondents of the sensation papers
/ Fremont's chief enemies appear to be the
Bars. This will be very generally regarded
as good evidence in his favor. They are
very violent and unreasonable men, and
think they ought to managethe war. Frank
p. Blair, Jr., abused Gen. Scott in a pubic
speech in New York, ard Montgomery Blair,
the Postmaster General. is said to rave in
decently about him in Washington City. 1t
is certainly very amusing to learn that Frank
Blair objected to the proclamation of Free
lhOhI bccuuse vi bhS manner III NHich IL
dealt with the negro question. There is no
man more radical than he in the party OF
which is "a burnin' and a shinin' light" in
Missouri 1t is quite evident that The fiery
temper of the Blair brothers needs check
We think the signs are against them. The
proclamation of Fremont has been modified,
and Fremont still remains in command at
the West. One brother has been arrested
for insubordination, and will perhaps be
reprimanded. In the reprimanI, he should
be eXhorted to henceforth devote his fiery
energies, and unconquerabe will to the
cause Of the country. instead of prostituting
those noble qualities in strife for his own
personal advancement, at the expense OF
others who are fighting by his side If Free
mont is not the right man in the right place
the Government will soon so decide. We
believe him to be man of great energy and
force Of character, and think that, if he will
dismiss |, c. Woods, give no more contracts
to Jo Palmer, send standing answer that
he is engaged" when Selover, Steinberger
and other California "sharps" present them
selves, and will continue TO draw censure
from the Blair brothers, the country will be-
gin to believe in him, always provided
however, that he can can give the country
4 7 4 Il