M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1862-07-31
The Presidents Appeal 10 the BOr'
der SInIes-And their FeRIy.

oftho Border Slaveholling States hav.
ing, ly special invitation Of the Presi
dent, been convened at Executive Man.
sion on Saturday morning, last week,
Mr.. Lincoln addressed them 40 follows
from a writtun paper held 10 his
hands:
GEErLEMEN; Ator the adjourn
ment Of Congress, now near, | shall
have no opportunity Of seeing you for
several months. Believing that You
OF the Border States hold me- re poger
for good tllan any other equal number
OF members, | feel it dnty which
cannot justi6ably waive, to make THIS
appeal to you.
intend no reproach or complaint
when | assure you that, in, my opin'
ion, if you all had voted for this reso
luton in tho gradual emancipation
message of last March, the war would
now be substantially ended. Aud the
plan therein proposed is yet one Of the
most potent and swift means OF ending
lit. Let the States which are III rebel.
lion sec definitely and certainly that
in no event will the States you repre-.
sent ever join their proposed Conled.
eracy, and they cannot much longer
maintain the contest. But you can.
not divest them Of their hope to nlti.
maicly have You with them, so long as
you show determination to perpetu.
ste the institution within your own
States. Beat them at elections, as
You have overwhelmingly done, and
nothing dsunted, they still claim you
as their own. You and ! know what
the lever OF their power is. Break
that lever before their faces, and they
can shake you no more forever. 81,
Most OF you have treated mo with
Kindness and consideration, and TRUST
yon will not now think improperly
touch what is exclusively your own,
when, for the sake OF the country, |
AJAX, "can you, for your States, do bet.
Ter than 10 take the course I nrgel"-
Discarding punctiiiO and maxims
adapted to more manageable times,
and looking on,,y to the Unprecedented.
" stern facts of our case, can you do
bcirer in any possible eventl Yo1
prefer that the constitutional relation
of the States to the nation shall be
practically restored without disturb.
ance Of .he institution; and, if this
were done, my whole duty in this re-.
spcct, under tie Constitution aud my
oath Of Office, wonld he performed
But it is not done. and We are trying
to accomplish it by war. The Incl
dents Of the war cannot DO avoided. =
Ifthe war continues long, az it must if
the object be rot sooner attained, the
Institution in your States will be ex.
tingmshed by mere frict ion and abra
aion--by the mere incidents of war
II will be gone, and you will have
nothing in liew Of 1t. Much Of its
value is already gone. Bow much
better for you and your people to take
the step which shortens the war, and
secures substantial compensation for
that which is sue to be wholly lost
in any other event! How much bet
ter to thus save the money which else
we sink forever in the warl How
much better do It while we can, lest
the war ere long render us pecuniarily
unable todoitl How mnch better for
You, as seller, and the nation. az buy.
er, to seil ont aud buy ont that without
which the war could never have been
than to sink both the thing to be sold
and the price o! it in cutting one-an.
others tliroats. ''''' 20
i do not speak Of emancipation at
once, bat of decision at once tu o,
mancipate gradually. Room in
South America for colonization can
be obtained cheaply, and in abund.
ance, and when numbers shall be large
enoug to lie company for one anoth.
er. the freed people will not be so re-
luctant to Co.. ,sfa .es fa s.at
l am pressed with a difficulty mol
vet mentioned--one which threatens
division among those who, united, are
none too strong. An]instance Of it il
known to you. Gen. Hunter is al
honest man. lie was, and 4 hope still
is, my friend. / valued him none the
less for his agreeing With me ii: the
| general wish that all men everywhere
could be freed. HS proclaimed al
men free. within certain States, and
repadiated the proclamation. lie OK
pected more good and less harm fron
the measure than / could Believe
would follow. Yet, ia repudiating h
/ gave dissatisfaction, If not offsnse,
to many whose support the country
cannot afford to loose, Aud t3is il
not the end OF it, The pressure IN
this direction is still lllupon me, and il
increasing. BY conceding what l now
aski youcaa relieve me, and, much