The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-11-01
The Emancipation Policy.

The Anti. Slavery Standard, a well known
abolition journal, prints at the head of its
columns memorial to Congress, asking a
proclamation of the total abolition of sla-
very throughout the country, mitigated only
by compensation to loyal owners. The fol-
lowing are its terms:
MEMORIAL OF THE PEOPLE TO CONGRESS.
"Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land to
all the inhabitants thereof"
To the Congress Of the United States
The undersigned, citizens of
State of respectfully submit
That as the present formidable rebellion
against the general government manifestly finds
its root and nourishment in the system of chat
tel slavery at the South; as the leading conspi.
rators are shareholders, who constitute an oil
garchy avOwedly hostile to all free institutions;
and as, in the nature of things no solid peace
can be maintained while the cause of this trea-
sonable revolt is permitted to exist; your hon.
orable body is urgently implored to lose no
time in enacting, under the war power, the to-
tai abolition of slavery throughout the country,
-liberating Internationally the slaves of all
who are rebels, and, while not recognizing the
right of property in man. allowing for the
emancipated slaves of such as are loyal to the
government fair pecuniary award, as q con.
ciliatOry measure, and to facilitate an amicable
adjustment of difficulties; and thus to bring
the war to speedy and benefcent termination,
and indissolubly to unite all sections and all
interests of the country upon the enduring ba-
sis of universal freedom.
The Tribune some time ago thought such
policy impolitic, but during the last two
months has gradually been veering around
to the opposite point Of the compass, and
now advocates openly the immediate eman>
cipation and arming of negroes owned by
the rebels, as follows
We hold that slavery, in the line of trea.
son, perfdy and outrage, has already filled up
the measure of its iniquties, and should be
placed under the ban of the republic. We
esteem black Unionist above white traitor,
and think the Government should do likewise.
Seeing that the rebellion is only strong with
the strength Of slavery-that it is not only con-
fined to the slaveholding States. but substan-
tantially to the considerably slaveholding por.
tons of those States-that it has no vitality in
Western Maryland. Western Virginia, East
Tennessee, Northeastern Kentucky, Western
Texas. &C., simply because there are few
slaves there-we would treat the disease rad.
cally, by Offering liberty to the slaves of every
traitor on condition of their coming within the
lines of our armies and taking an oath of fdel.
ity to the Union. Instead of catching and re.
turning the slaves OF traitors, we should lncite
them to run away, and protect them wherever
we had ability. And, as they are largely EN-.
ployed in digging trenches and raising breast.
works for the rebels, we should freely EN-.
ploy them in tightening the labors or shielding
the breasts of the defenders of the Union, even
though it should be necessary to give them
arms wherewith to defend themselves in so
doing.
On the contrary, DR.. BELLOWS, of New
York, who stands at the head OF the "Sani-
tary Commission" of the army, IN his Fast
Day Discourse, thus speaks of the emancl>
patton policy that is attempted to be foisted
upon the war policy of the administration
We are bound to uphold the government,
the constitution and the laws, or tO pronounce
them annulled by revolution. If we are not
prepared for revolution (and God knows we
have no moral right to proceed to that. except
under the direst necessity to which decent
pretence can now be made), we are bound to
abide. we do not say not by the policy of the
administration, but by the policy of the consti.
tuition itself; and that policy forbids us to deal
with slavery, under present circumstances,
otherwise than as the constitution allows. We
have boosted that this war was not a war upon
slavery, though it has been created by slavery;
not war upon the South. though it has been
brought about by the South. Let US make
good our boast. II we are a governmental
we are a nation and mean to abide by our an
tecedents as nation, let US not weakly own
that our constitution and our Union are fail.
ureS; that our fathers made fabric that
would not stand century; or that the one
great but inevitable evil accepted by them,
and woven in as dark thread in our other
wise unshaded fabric of political life, we can.
not now ravel out by patent constitutional
ways, but must tear the whole warp and wool
in shreds to pluck it out of our garments.
We little know the terrible consequence of
even the most moral and virtuous anarchy of
breaking up government and a constitution
even for the most serious and disinterested
ends. Sooner or later indeed, we shall have
to pay heavily for the necessary wounds given
to law and constitutional liberty by the ext
gencies of this rebellion.
We dread the direction in which these things
point, We know whittier they have gone in
other rebelliOns-hOw bitter the fruits such
seed have borne and therefore we warn the
country it is time to return as swiftly as posi-.
BILE to the normal law; to stick By the Consti.
tuition, and to sustain the government most
heartily just where We see it most scrupulous
of law, and most tender of all the rights of all
the people, To risk our Constitution and our
Union, our historic life and national identity,
even to get ria at blow, of slavery, is what
only fanatics and reckless enthusiasts would
dare to propose or could hope would succeed.
But revolution would not rid US of slavery: it
would merely change its form and leave US the
refuse of race of negro serfs, to suffer in un-
speakable ways from their own ignorance and
inaptitude to selfprote"tion, after delugiDg the
soil of the South with mingled streams of Sax.
Oh and African blood.
fso T.l.