The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-10-25
Freeing the Slaves

FREEING the slaves.
There is at the North, under the guise
Of ardent friendship for the Union, class
Of men who are more dangerous than the
professed "peace men," or sympathizers
with secession. These are the men who
have raised the cry of emancipation-who
are urging the President to set all the
negroes of the South free at one stroke Of
the pen, by issuing proclamation. Ere
monts proclamation, although not going
the full length desired by these men, was
hailed by them with extravagant JOY, rs
the entering wedge of their policy. AL
though thousands of this class may be
met with anywhere in the North, they
have hitherto been shown a cold shoulder
by the President, and the advocacy Of
their views by the press has been about
confined to the big and little Tribune and
few of their echoes. They have of late,
however, had an accession in the person
Of Orestes 2. A. Brownson, of the Catholic
Review bearing his name The article in
Brownson's Review was copied with a
flourish by the Tnbunes aforesaid. but al
though money was offered other papers
(ours among them) to copy it, the article
promised to have no further circulation in
this region, until we observed, with some
surprise, that it had been approvingly
copied by the Ottawa Republican. Coming
so near home, we have concluded to make
it thetext for a few observations.
Without combining ourselves, however,
particularly to what Mr. Brownson says,
the entire argument on which he and the
class which he has joined, base the pro-
posed measure of emancipation, may be
summed up in these propositions
!. That slavery is the primary cause of
the present rebellion; its partizans are all
advocates of the institution, and all who
own slaves are rebels
. That the whites in the rebel States
who do not own slaves are overruled by the
slave power, and dare not give expression
to their real views . .H.
3. That therefore the South is practical
ly unanimous in upholdins the present re-
beliion; that unanimous South cannot
be conquered; and that, therefore, the
only recourse is, by an act of emancipation,
to make active friends of the slaves, to
stir up Instruction amongst them, and
thus make them an element of weakness
instead of strength to the South.
4. That slavery is wrong; that to make
this war of emancipation would give us
battle cry; that it would sanctify the
objects of the war, &c, &c.
We may say, in the outset, that we have
no tenderness on the subject of confscat-
ing the property" of shareholders who
are rebels. They have no rights in pro-
perty which the government is bound to
respect, and their slaves are not n whit
more to be left untouched than their cot
ton or tobacco Universal emancipation.
then, is not to be considered with refer
ence to its effect on the rebel shareholders,
but solely with view to its effect on the
future of the country.
l. To say that slavery is the primary
cause of this rebellion is but telling half
the truth. Ant-slavery has had quite as
much to do with it as slavery In itself
slavery was hut a passive subject and
placed, it was believed by the fathers, out
side Of the pale of national politics 1t
was anti slavery that first lugged it into
the political arena as an active, revolu-
tionary principle, and 1t was the fierce
conclusion of opposing principles thus
evoked that lighted the fires of rebellion !
in the land. The responsibility of the I
war rests on the extreme men of both /
sides; but it is neither true nor homes: to .
place among these all the owners o: slaves (
There are in Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia,
md Tennessee, hundreds of earnest Union i
men who are shareholders, and even in
he far South we are assured large pro-
portion Of the owners Of slaves sigh for
he restoration of the Union
.. Instead of the rebellion being chiefly
he work of the slave owners in the South,
1 is a fact, in support of which there is
The most indubitable proof, that the most
active aud powerful element, in the rebel
ion-are the poor whites who do not own
slaves Sympathy for these as depressed
friends of the Union is assuredly thrown
away. There is ten times more ground of
nope for a restoration Of the Union from
he shareholders than these.
g. The error is still greater and more
nonstrous, to base hope of success on
he aid OF the slaves. Except in the bor-
Ter States, hardly an instance would be
ound where the very offer of freedom
Tould not be regarded with horror by the
laves themselves. Besides, to free the
iayes, something more than proclama-
ions are needed-you must get to them
nd when our armies can once tread the
they will need no servile aid
'ut were it even true that proclamation
D rise, what a proposition is this! The
overnment of the American Union ,
casting itself the mildest and most hui
lane government on the face of the earth .
proposes to quiet its rebellious children
Y putting knife and fire brand into
ne hands of their servants and telling
iem to cut, slash, rob, murder burn for ,
heir freedom What a mode of warfare {
D recommend to christian people. {
4. To say that this would be alternating
he evils of slavery, and "sanctifying the
bjects of the war;, is worse than bias