Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-03-14
THE EMANoIPATEn SLAVES.

the slaves, which, so far as the border States
are concerned, it is manifestly for their inter-
est to do, the next question that presents it.
self is, what shall be done with these eman-
cipated slaves One great objection to the
emancipation Of the slave at all has heretofore
been that any proposition which has been
made for that end has merely released them
from bondage to their masters without maxi
ing provision for their future support or main
tenance except leaving them free within the
borders Of those States where they have hith
erto been held in slavery Here they are left
to contend with stronger race, at the mercy
Of all the prejudices that always have and do
still exist against them. The people Of the
free States do not desire to be overrun with
horde Of free negroes, just released from
long years Of servitude, and will not permit
their lands to be made the colonization ground
of race which, in their present semi barbar-
Gus state, would be only curse to the states,
and would tend to degrade the people Of the
free States to a level with the less enlighten-
ed and less prosperous slaveholding States.
Those free States nearest to the slavcholding
States have foreseen the evil Of such an emf
grafton, and have prohibited it by legislative
enactments. The nan-slaveholders, and even
the Shareholders themselves, of the slavehold-
ing States, also. are not willing that the
emancipated slaves should remain in their
midst. What then shall be done with them
should any Of the States embrace the proposed
terms Of emancipation;
President Lincoln, in his recent message,
has but carried little further and given tam
gible form to ideas which we're foreshadowed
in his annual message to Congress at the
opening of the present session, in which he
adverted to the fact that under the operation
Of an act Of Congress, passed at the e1traor-
binary session convened on the 4th Of July
last, and approved August 6, 1861, entitled
IAN act to confscate property used for insur-
rectory purposes" many coored persons held
to service under the laws Of certain States
would be entitled to freedom. Besides the
persons who might be emancipated under this
act, the President suggested that it was not
impossible that some Of the States would pass
similar enactments for their own benefit re-
spectiveiy, by the operation OF which persons
Of the same class would be thrown upon them
for disposal In reference to these two classes
OF persons, Mr. Lincoln then made the fol ow-
ing recommendation
Il recommend that Congress provide for accepting
such persons from such States, according mode
uNN ~ fU liz FlnHHu nj NtrHnH
some other plan 10 be agreed on with such States,
spectivey; that such persons, such acceptance by
The General Government be at once deemed free and
that IN any event. steps be taken for colonizug both
classes Tor the FIRST mentioned n the other shall
b. brought into eaistenoe) az some place or places
climate eongenia TO hem IL might be well TO consider,
TOO. whether the fce coored people already in the Unit
ed states could not so far individuals may desire, be
inc udod ia such colonization.
"lo carry out the plan Of colonization may involve the
acquiring ofteitory and also the appropriation Of
beyond that be expended in the territorial acouis
ton Having pracced the acquisition Of territory for
nearly sixty years the question OF constitutional power
to dc 50 is no longer an open question with The
power questioned at frst by Mr. Jefferson who how
ever n the purchase VI louisiana yielded his scrupcs
the plea Of great expedency lit be said that the
only object OF acquiring territory is to furnish homes for
white men, this measure effects that object; for the emf
grafton II co0red men leaves additional for white
men remaining or coming here Mr. jefferson, however
plaoed the Importance OF procuring Louisiana more
political and commercial grounds than providing
roon for population On this iohoe proposition, iHciud
g The appropriation OF money 10Th tie acquisition of
ferrtry does me epsdeacy amount 10 absolute eeei-
aty-tfat WITHOUT 0iich the Gorernnient psef cannot
BE- ptrpetuoteaf
The President now goes further than to
embrace the two classes referred to in his an
nual message, and proposes that Congress take
the initiative for the complete emancipation of
the slaves in those State which may see fit to
embrace the proHered aid The same course
that would be applicable to the two classes
then named would be equally expedient for
the more numerous class that would be EN-
braced in the new proposition. Some provi-
sion must be made for them in a climate and
on a soil that is adapted to their wants and
necessities. That provision the President
finds to be the most feasible, and conducive
Of the greatest good to the negro race, in a
system Of colonization. In this he shows
conclusively that in his mind all schemes of
emancipation without an eye to the future
status of the slaves are both imprscticable
and unwise. Congress then in giving practi-
cal form to the suggestions of the President,
have in hand a work requiring the largest
sagacty and the greatest wisdom.
Postmaster General Blair, in letter to the
emancipation meeting recently held in New
York, discusses the question of emancipating
and colonizng the negroes in manner some
what different from that in which it is gener-
ally considered at the North. Mr. Blair, being
familiar with the slave system, and thorough
ly hostile to it as any man can be, his state
ments and arguments deserve candid consid-
Grafton. He says:
"The difficult question with which we have to deal is
then the question Of race and do not think il is dis
posed Of that difficulties will be lessened by
emancipation by Congress, II such con
sttuiiona II would certainly add to the evaporation
Of the nOn-sayeholdug whites Of the South and might
unite them against the government and so they would
be unconquerable. As matters stand, put down
the rebellion because the people OF the natural strong
holds Of the Southern country with II is chiefly
in the low lands accessible from the and nAyiga-
bic rivers and bays that is rampant The noun
tain Businesses, where alone guerrilla be main
tanned, now held by Union men, and they more
numerous, and more robust, intelligent and independent
than The rebels IL chiefly the degraded class Of
ayehoders, who live IN the midst OF slavery, who
are now engaged against the government But the
Shareholders Of the mountains and high land region,
caste aud the policy object to would II adopted, APP
prehend array them against us Nor would we succeed
IL our object II they finally subdued and extermn-
ated II We eft the negroes the soil for other whites
would take the county, aud hold 1t against the negroes
nd 10 or