East Saginaw courier., 1862-07-29
THE BORDER STATE MEN ON
EMANCIPATION.
The Reply of the Minority Of the
Border state Representatives.
WAsnINaToN, July II, 1862.

~ WAS luhcuucu w BiNO W tho papiiO
the recent correspondence between the
President aud the border State represen-
tatives. The majority response of the
latter was handed To the President to-
day. He expressed his willingness for
its publication, but by some strange mis-
apprehension of the usefulness Of worn
out concern, the only copy not in the
hands of the President, who cannot be
found tonight, has been given to a local
paper here. This establishment, having
obtained possession of this correspon-
dence, refuses copies, or permission to
copy it, even for the associated press.
The minority response is terse and to
the point. 1t meets the request of the
President, and its authors have provided
copy for the press. 1t is as follows;
Washington, July Is, 1862.
Mr.. PREsIDENT---The undersigned,
members of Congress from the border
States, in response to your address of
Saturday last, beg leave to say that they
attended meeting on the same day that
the address was delivered, for the pur-
pose of considering the same. The meet.
ing appointed committee to respond TO
your address. That report was made on
yesterday, and the action of the majori-
" indicates clearly that the response
reported, or one in substance the same, +,
can be adopted and presented to you.
Inasmuch as we cannot, consistently
with our own sense of duty to the coun-
try under the existing perils which sur
round US, concur in that response, we
feel il due to you and to ourselves to
make to you brief and candid answer
over our own signatures. We believe
that the whole power of the government
upheld and sustained by all the influence
and means of all loyal men, in all sc c.
tions and Of all parties, is essentially nee
essary to put down the rebellion and
preserve the Union and the constitution.
We understand your appeal to MS to have
been made for the purpose of securing
this result. a very large portion Of the
people in the Northern States believe
that slavery is the lever power of the re-
bellion. 1t matters not whether this be.
lief does exist. We have to deal with
things as they are, and not as we would
have them be. In consequence of the
existence of this belief, we understand
that an immense pressure is brought to
bear for the purpose of striking down
tins institution through military author
ity. The government cannot be main
tanned in this great struggle if the sup
port aud influence of the men who en-
tertain these opinions be withdrawn
Neither can the government hope for
early success if the support of that ele-
ment called conservative be withdrawn.
Such being the condition of things, the
President appeals to the border State
men to step forward and prove their pat
riotism by making their first sacrifice
No doubt like appeals have been made
to extreme men in the North to meet US
half way, in order that the whole moral,
political, pecunlary and physical force Of
the nation may be firmly and earnestly
united in one grand effort to save the
Union and the constitution. Believing
that such were the motives that promo
ted your address, or such the results to
which it looked, we cannot reconcile it
to our sense Of duty in this trying hour
to respond in . spirit Of fault finding and
querulousness over the things that are
past. We are not disposed to seek for
the cause of present misfortunes in the
errors and wrongs Of others, who now
propose to unite with us in commo pur.
pose; but, on the other hand, we met
your address in the spirit in which it was
made, and, as loyal Americans, declare to
you and to the world, that there is no
sacrifice that we are not ready to make
to save the government and institutions
of our fathers. Few of us though there
may be, we will permit no man from
the North or from the South to 20 furth.
or than we in the accomplishment of the
great work before us. We, in order to
carry out these views, will, so far al may
be in our power, ask the people of the
border States calmly, deliberately and
fairly to consider your recommendation.
We are the more emboldened to assume
this position from the fact, now become
history. that the leaders of the Southern
IcOclltOu uhNc OllcIcu W hUOiiSu sldNcIJ
among them az o condition to foreign in
tervention in favor of their independence
as a nation. If they can give up slavery
TO destroy the Union, we can surely ask
our people to consider q question Of
emancipation to save the Union.
With grca, respect, your Obedient servants,
JOHN W. N0ELL
SAML. Y. CASEY,
GEO. p. FISHER,
A. J CLEMENTS,
WIN. q. BROWN,
JACOB b. BLAIR,
w J. WILEY.
This response was presented by Mr.
Maynard, who, although he has not sign
ed the response, has written a very pat
riotio letter to the President approving
his policy.
When the President said to the dele
gates from the border slave States that
in his Judgment the rebellion would now
be at an end if the policy Of emancipa-
ton had been initiated at the date Of
his message on the subject in tho early
part Of the session, attention was called
to the fact that Congress had made no
appropriation, snd il was.suggestcd that
the Presidene should now recommend a
n.rmancnt allowance for tba nurnosa in