The national Republican., 1862-03-07

THE EMANCIPATION PR0SECT OF
TuD RDD0IDRN1s
The Presidsnt Of - United sts4ss yesterday
trsasnitssd v The Hsuse ths fsllowlng nor,
tA1t nsoagos II
F,uss. 0sissse Of Ne Senate "a
81 and House q REPRESENTATIVES.
I recommend The sdspaon q . joint rssola-
ton BY your honorable bodies, which shall be
Substantially - follows:
Resolved, That the United States ought to
90 operate with any State which may adopt
n.sSOy % O. % 81 v1 .uos ssI
IT. discretion to compensate for the inoonve.
change ofsystsm."
II ~ preposltion contained In the resolution
does not meet the approval Of Congress. end
ths country, there isthe end; but If II does COM
mand such approval, deem II Of impostanos
that The statss and people Immediately inter
ested ehould be at once distinctly notified Of the
faot, 70 that they may begin 70 consider whether
to accept or reject II The Federal Govern.
ment would nnd its highest interest in such .
measure - one Of the most eficieut means Of
selfpseservstion. The leaders Of the existing
insurrection entertain the hope that this Gov
ernment will ultimately be forced 10 aoknow-
ledge the Independence Of some part Of the dis.
affected region, and that oil the elave States
north Of such part will then say "the Union
for which ws have struggled being already
gone, We now choose to 60 with the Southern
section" TO deprive them Of this hope sub
stantially ends the rebellion; and the initiation
Of emancipation completely deprives them Of
II o. to all the States initiating It.
The point is not that al the States tolerating
slavery would very soon, II at all, initiate
emancipation, but that whils the offer ID equally
made 70 ell, the more northern shall, by such
initiation, make II certain to the more southern
that In no event will he former ever join the lat
tor In their proposed Oonfsderacy. say In.
itiaion, !" beoause, in my judgment, gradual, and
not sudden, emancipation l. bettsr for all. In
the mere financial or pecuniary view, any mem
ber Of Congress, with the census tables and
Treasury reports before him, can readily SEQ
for himself how very soon the current sxpsndi-
turss Of this war would purohsse, at fair valu-
alton, all the slaves in any named State. Such
proposition, on the part Of the General Gov
srnment, sets up NO claim Of right by Federal
authority to interfere with slavery within State
limits, referring rs 1t does the absolute control
Of the subject, in each case, TO the Slate and
Its people Immediately interested. 1t is pro
posed a. matter Of perfectly tree choice with
them. ...
In the annual message last December,
thought ct to say, tho Union must be pre-
served, and hence all Indispensable means
must be employed" said this, not hastily
but deliberately. War has been made, and
continues to be an indispensable means 70 this
end. A practical acknowledgment Of the ma.
tional authority would render the war unneces-
sary, and ir would ct onos cease. II, however,
resistance continues, the war must also con.
tinue, and 1t is impossible to foresee all the
Incidents which may attend, and all the ruin
which may follow It. Such as may seem indls
penssble, or may obviously promise great
efficiency towards ending the struggle, must
and will come.
The proposition now made, though an offer
only, hope 1t may be esteemed no offence to
ask whether the pecuniary confederation tend
cred would not be of more value TO the States
and private persons concerned, than are the
institution and property In 1t, In the present
aspect OF affairs.
While 1t Is true that the adoption of the pro
posed resolution would be merely initiatory
and not within itself q practical measure, 1t Il
recommended In the hope that It would soou
lead to important practical results.
In full view Of my great responsibility to my
God and TO my country, earnestly beg tht
attention Of Congress and the people to tb.
subject. ABRAHAM LINCOLN
March 6, 1852.