Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-10-10
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BY E.P WALTON
MoNrPELIER. ocroBER 10. 500.

bi bs r WhblONs
MONTPELIER, OCTOBER 10, 1862.
THE PRESIDENTS PROCLAMATION.
The proclamation has been badly treated
Published by telegraph, the telegraph seems
to have jumped at the chance of great ooca-
sion to make great blunder the press null
tiplied that blundor by its millions of issues /;
and worse than these, the blunder itself has
been the occasion Of the sharpcst criticism
and the seyerost denunciation. The Presi-
dent said that representation in Congress of
uary next will be evidence, in the absence Of
strong countervailing testimony, that such
State, or part Of State is notthen %, rebellion,
and therefore not subject to the provision of
the PROCLAMATION. The telegraph said "has
not been in rebellion" and this implied that
an amnesty is TO tss grantsf for .N pes3 trea-
son-that traitors are to go unpunished and
possibly even honored and treated as Of yore
JEFF Davis, and Toombs, and Mason in the
Senate again Cobb and Floyd once more
IN the Cabinet stephens, and Keitt, and
Pryor rampant again in the House Such
were the deductions made by as conservative
press as the n. y. Commercial Advertiser,
and as radical writer as the Rev. George b.
Chesver These deductions fall, Of course,
on the correction Of the blun1er the crti-
cism goes for nothing. In fact, the President
has been badly abused and by his friends
more than by his enemies See the Old Ma
tional Intellgencer intimating, in the kindest
tones and courtly phrases, that the proclama-
tion is piece of legerdemain that while It
proclaims emancipation, it means no emanci-
patton that it only means to convince every
body that emancipation is impossible and alb
surd Now, that is more than unkind, and
unjust, aud disrespectful to the President
Itsmacks Of treason it tells the rebels they
are not to fear the proclsmation-that they
may persist in rebellion without danger to
slavery tits counter proclamation. See
the New York World caricaturng the Presi-
dent as a Blondn playing his antics upon the
tight-rope That is positively abusive and in
sulting. Compared with that VIM. Lloyd
Garrison's comments are gentemanly and
just. lie sees as much good as he can in the
proclamation, and he is so far respectful to
the President as to condemn things rather
than the man-his measures, not his motives.
1t is colonization Of the blacks--ex patriation
mot the President-which is "mean, abu-
sive and proscripive."
There are four things in the proclamato
First, a reaffrmauon that the object Of the
war is practically to restore heUnion in allit
constitutional relations; second, promise to
urge the plan Of voluntary compensated eman-
cipation third, warning that all slaves in
rebollous states on the first Of January next
shall be treated by the executive department,
including the army and navy. as free men
and fourth, simple promulgation Of the new
acts Of Congress in repect to fugitive slaves.
The third point touches the quick. The con-
servatiyes condemn it for touching slayory
ia rebellous quarters, and the radicals con-
demn It for leaving slavery untouched in loyal
quarters. They both forget the law, and
therefore they arc both wrong we mean the
9th section of the condscation act, which is
copied into the proclamation The law de-
clares the freedom of slaves Of all traitors,
nnd aiders and abettors Of treason. The
President has Simply said to the masters this:
il you persist in rebellion, ii you abet it or
tacitly consent to it, il you permit the rebels
TO prevent the exercise of your political du-
ties and privileges, or neglect to assume your
part Of responsibility in the Government,
then shall consider you as rebels and your
slaves as ireemen under the law If you on
the contrary perform your functions and du-
ties in the Union and under the constitution,
then | shall consider your slaves untouched
by the law, and shall not NEEDLE with them.
He adds that if any loyal man shall suffer in
consequence of this application Of the law,
he shall recommend compensation by the L.
nited States That is the Proclamation as
we understand it. Our friend and sometimes
contributor was harsh in calling tia menace;
radicals and conservatives alike have abused
the proclamation. We suspect it wes greatly
needed as a spur to the border slave states,
and that the Presiden, has not in the slightest
degree exceeded his duty. As before obsery-
ed, We were long ago for giving him the pow
er to do this very thing.