Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1861-12-12
Emasculation of Secretary
Cameron'S Report.

gives the following explanation in regard
;. to the modification of Secretary Cameron's
report, after advance copies of it had been
sent to publishers in different parts of the
country:
r One of those ridiculous but amusing.
inexcusable but unfortunate. blnnders
, which sometimes pursue the best inten-
, tions, has been made in Washington by
the Joint efforts Of the Cabinet and Secre-
/, tary of War, the consequences of which
will, we fear, be unfayorable to the popu
lar cause. 1t seems that after Mr.. Came
ron had finished his Annual Report. he
caused it to be printed in pamphlet form
and sent out to the larger journals of the
country. each copy under a double envel-
ope, with directions on the inner one not
to open it until after the Presidents Mes
sage was real in Congress. Subsequently
the Report became the subject oil discussion
in the Cabinet, and its modification in
what relates to the arming of the escaped
slaves Of rebel masters. was deemed ncces-
sary. Changes were made in accordance
with the will OF the President, and, in its
altered form. the document was sent to
J Congress. Meanwhile. the Report. as orr
ginally written. was on its way to all parts
of the country where the mails could bear
it. The copies sent to this city arrived
here on Wednesday morning. and were
reprinted in the city papers on Thursday.
greatly to the delight Of the public. But
the fact now comes out that the advance
copies were not the Report that was read
to the representatives ofthe people. Else
where we print an account Of the case. as
far as it has been developed, and while
begging for it the readers attention. we
content ourselves with saying that it is
{, unfortunate. in so far as it exposes the Ad-
minist,ation to certain degree of blame
for not guarding against such a stupid
o blunder. and gives men who would be
glad to claim the President as an adherent
of their do-nothing to- -hurt-slavery policy,
chance to do mischief We shall see
what will come of it. But. whatever the
end Of the matter. the march of opinion is
onward; and the policy to which we have
so pertinaciously adhered-that Of taking
advantage of all proper and constitutional
methods OF ending this war by putting
/ down the rebellion and restoring the Union
in its integrity-is that which must be
finally adopted. 1t commends itself TO the
people 10y its obvious necessity. and its ea-
sy practicability; and though President
and Cabinet should oppose it, three months
would not elapsc before the outcry of the
masses would compel them to embrace il
and to make war for the preservation oi
E the country. without thought of what
may become Of Slavery.
We give extracts from the Report in an
+. other place. together with all that was sup
pressed by the President. and the substi-
tute written by the latter for the passages
expunged. The following dispatch to the
New York Tribune furnishes some addi
= tional particulars in regard to the unfortu
!, nate affair:
Is WASHINGTON. December 2. 1861.
Is The call of the roll had scarcely endet
he in the House. when the temper of the peo
pie was strikingly manifested by their Rep
resenta,ives Fastening without delaying
moment for Presidential or other message
to pass a resolution emancipating tn
slaves Of rebels within the military juris
diction. Before the vote upon it was re
70, 70, corded. painful rumor pervaded the Hal
mp that the President had taken open issue o.
this very question with Secretary Came
ron. AMI had recalled from the Philadel
phia Post Office the undelvered copies O
the War Department Report which the lat
ter had mailed yesterday for the use of tn
newspaper press. The city was filled wit
rumors of breaking up of the Cabinet
and the influence of the revolution we ar
= passing through. in attaching men to prin
vip,ss while weakening their hold on law
and forms. was every where strikingly an
most skggestively conspicuous. The ex
icitement occasioned by the Executive op
position to the necessities Of the war an
to the popular will. tonight sways the no
in tells and parlors Of the city. The histor
te of the difference between the President an,
all the Secretary of War has at last taken thi
shape. The Secretary presented his Repor
s. to Dir. Lincoln on Saturday. On Sunda
afternoon he mailed it to the principal pa
: pers of the North and West. as is custom
at airy on the day preceding the reading O
nix the Message. OnSun6ay night the Presi
ny dent, having found time to read it, foun
ne ne It not in his heart to agree with the Secre
ene sy's doctrine of the right and the duty {
make military use of the slaves Of rebel
= Ito arm them If necessary-and in al
, ways to use them as we would any othe
property OF the rebels to suppress this re
bellion. he sent for Mr.. Cameron. an
sIsequired him to suppress this whole Dol
linn IF HE Ronovf an .tl,s .-~<>,,v, 4 49, Z.