Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-03-12
A Message from the President.

A~SHlNGION, MAhCH u
President to-day transmitted TO Con.
gress the following message:
FELLOW CITIZENS or H SENATE AND
House. OF REPRESENTATIVES, recommend
the adoption of q joint resolution by your
Honorable bodies which shall be substan-
TALLY as follows: Resolved-That the U.
S. ought to cooperate with any State
which may adopt a gradual adjustment
of slavery, giving to such State pecuniary
aid to be used by such State in its discre-
ton to compensate forthe inconvenience,
public and private, produced by snch
change of system. If the proposition con-
tanned in the resolution does not meet the
approval of Congress and the country,
there is the end; but if it does command
such approval; l deem it of Importance
that the States and people Immediately
interested should be at once distinctly
notified of the fact, so that they may begin
to consider whether to accept or reject it.
The Federal Government would find its
highest interests in such a measure as one
Of the most efficient measures of ~self-pres-
ervation. The leaders of the existing in
surrection entertain the hope that the
Government will be ultimately forced to
acknowledge the independence of some
part of the disatfected region, and that all
the slave states north of such parts will
then say the Union for which we have
struggled being already gone, we now
choose to 60 with them.
To deprive them of this hope, substan-
tally ends the rebellion, and the initiation
of emancipation completely deprives them
of it. As TO all the States initiating it, the
point Is not that all the States tolerating
slavery would very soon, if at all, initiate
emancipation, but that while the offer is
equally made to all, the more northern
shall by such initiation make it certain to
the more southern; that in no event shall
the former join the latter in their proposed
Confederacy. ] say initiation, because in
my judgement gradual and not sudden
emancipation is better for all. In the
mere financial or pecuniary view, any
member of Congresr, with the cenSds ia
bles and the Treasury report before him,
can readily see for himself hCw very soon
the current expenditures Of the wal would
purchase, at a fair valuation, all the slaves
in any named State. Such a proposition
on the part of the General Government
sets up no claim Or right by Federal au-
thority to interfere with slavery within
SNoNt AAAA4NS,- IClGlIAlS dS II OOCS " H
absolute control of the subject in each
cases. to the State and its people immedi-
ately interested.
1t is proposed as a matter of perfectly
free choice with them. In the annual
message last December 1 thought fit to
say the Union must be preserved, and
hence all indispensable means must be
employed. l said this not hastily, but
deliberately. There has been, and con-
tinues to be. an indispensable means to
this end. A practical re-acknowledg-
ment of the National authority would rem
der the war unnecessary, and it would at
once cease. If, however, resistance con-
tinues, the war must also continue, and it
is impossible 10 foresee all the incidents
may attend, and al the ruin which
may follow. Such as MAY seem indispen-
pensible, or may obviously promise great
efficiency towards ending the struggie, |
must and will come. The proposition
now made, though an offer only, l hopeit
may be esteemed no offence to ask wheth-
sr the pecuniary consideration rendered
would not be of more value to the States
md private persons concerned, than are
he institution and property in it in the
present aspect of affairs. While it is true
hat the adoption of the proposed resolu-
ion would be initiatory, and not within
tself a practicable measure, it is recon-
nended in the hope that it would sooner
cad to important results. In full view of
my responsibility to my God, and my
country, I earnestly beg the attention of
and the people to the subject
ISignedl ABRAHAM LINCOLN.