Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1862-09-30
DEMOCRATIC TICKET,
The Presidential PrOciana-
lions.

We give in this days paper two procla
nations which have just been issued by
President Lincoln.
The first of these documents will be
found on the first page. AS will DO seen,
it declares general emancipation to tie
slaves.
We were rover more surprised and morti-
fed in our lives than when this negro eman.
cipntion proclamation first made its appear
ance. The letters and speeches of the
President since his inauguration caused us
to hope for better things from hIui. Indeed
we had commenced to look upon him as a
conservative man and to congratulate the
country upon his hostility to ultra aboli-
tionism His letter 20 Horace Greeley
certainiy afforded US grounds for this
But how quickly were our hopes and ex-
pectations dispelled.
1t will do No good for us to make war On
this emancipation proclamation now. 1t
has gone forth to the world. and whatever
we might say would not affect its operation
one way or the other. However, rs pub
lie journalists, we feel called upon to e1-
press our views on the subject.
We do not believe in the emancipation
policy in any light in which it can be pre-
seuted. That it violates the constitution
does not require argument to establish.
And as a war measure, there is no ques-
ton 10 our minds but that it will be Of in
calculable advantage to the cause of the
rebellion. The passage Of the confscaticn
bill Ivy the Abolition Congress, was the
means Of increasing the rebel army huDd'
reds Of thousands. And the proclamation
Of emancipation will make soldier oil
! every Southern man who is capable oil
! bearing arms. Thus these two measures
will render the war contest of far greater
magnitude than could be comprehended al
its commencement The Southerners now
sec that their all is at stake-life, property
and honor as they suppose, and rivers o.
Northern blood will have to be spilled be-
fore they can be suhjugated.
Another strong objection against the
emancipation proclamation is its despotiC
tendency. we firmly believe that the
President has 10 more right or power tt
issue proclamation declaring freedom tC
the slaves, than he has to subject the whites
of the rebel States to slavery. If the Pres
ident has to annul or to interfere with the
local laws and institutions of States at all
he verify can rule with more absolute des
potism than the AutOcrat of Russia. We
hold that the President has no more RICH
to abolish slavery than he has to abolish
the institution of marriage, or any other
relation or institution created and regula-
| ted By State laws.
The other proclamation in our columns
is also of extraordinary character. 1t de-
clares martial law and suspends the
ha6edS corpus throughout the land. This
also seems to US i'll timed. unconstitutiona
and uncalled for. Laying aside all const;-
tutional and legal objections, we must say
that We cannot see the necessity of SO ex-
trem a measure at this time.
1t is not necessary for US to extend oul
objections to these proelamations from oul
/ Executive. As much as We regret and de-
plore their appearance, We shall not relax
our efforts in behalf of the cause of the
Union and the constitution. We shall con.
tinue to sustain the Administration in car,
rying on the war as though no such edicts
had been sent out. Let US, as Democrats,
coutiue our aid in putting down the rebelled
and leave the corrections of abuses of pow
er to the ballot box.