Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-05-21

re Friendships Proolnnasiou.
President Lincoln's Proclamation upon
Gen. Hunters order, is document worthy
Of the eouFce from vhichit eminsiel. Khsn
that osdog was issued, setting frs thealsyes
IN the three States Of Georgia, South Caro-
lima and Floriaa, We could not bat .balieve
1t authorized By the Administration, its vast
scope rendering Il highly Improbable that the
Ocmmander Of the Department woald issue
It upon bis own responsibility. Sucb, how
ever, :, seems, was the fact the President
declaring that no authority had been given
either Geo. Hunter, or any other command
e. 10 make suoh a proclamation. This he
ing the case, the Executive is forced 70 de-
olAreit Void. Every one win rejoice that the
President has announced what al have felt
to be the Osss, that the policy towards the
slaves in any portion Of the field Of opera.
tIons should not be lsft to the decision Of the
Commanders, but should be announced By
the Government itself. While the trestment
Of particular cases must of necessity bsleft
70 the Judgment Of the Commanders, It hes
been felt sll through the war that some ds1.
mite declaration Of policy Wss needed from
the head of tha nation, by'Which all EubOr-
dlnates should guide their action. Gen.
Buffers ''con.raband" position, Gen. sher-
mans ooncilistory proclsmation at Port Roy
al, Gen. Frsmont's emancipation proclama-
ton, Gen. Halleck's uOrdsr No. g." and the
trOublss in the Kansas Department, ell testi-
fy o'the danger Of leaving the disposal OF
the slavery question too entirely to the de-.
oisions Of Commanders in the field. Some
viii tfsait as smancipafonists, sems IS
pFOtectionists, and, viewing the field as a
Ehsls, disorder and contradictions must pre-
vail.
The President SOrcibly urges the import
snce Of the system of compensated emanei-
patton upon the slave States. BE points
them to ''the signs Of the times, and warns
them that the events Of q vast future may
cause them to lament that they did not ac-
espt Of the profsred assistance in ridding
themselves Of q great curse and doing an in.
oslelIabls good There is, indeed, in the
signs Of tss times, much TO cause the slave
States 10 look with apprehension into the
future. The march Of onr armies is, Wheth-
sr theiE commanders viii it or not, the
march Of freedom. The officers may return
the f1gltives that come into their lines to-
day, bat they win come again tomorrow.
They may proclaim ''thst they 70 into the
rSbellious country with no intentions of dis
turbing the institutions which they may
hnd, but the institutions wilI be disturbed,
and the negroes win flock to the shelter Of
the Stars and Stripes. The barbarities of
the rebels, as exhibited upon every battle
fsld, are fast driving ont any special sensi-
tivsuess on the part Of our common soldiers
against hurting the feelings of the perpetEa-
tors,ani the army is becoming abolitioniEed.
Not IN q political sense, for q majority of the
soldisEI perhaps, still carry with them q
fragment Of the old prejudice against
the word " abolition but in their
earnest and righteous desire to deal the re.
bsllion the dsadliest blows in every vulnera-
bic part, they wiz not stay their hand if
slavery Is the most exposed feature Of the
monster they are smiting. And 80 the es-
Gaping fugitive is welcomed in the federal
lines be Is taught to make himself useful to
the army, and when his master comes to hunt
him up, his chances for recovery are greatly
loossnsd If he spplies to the rank and file
rather than to a shOuldsr-straPped political
aspirant. But the danger to slavery does not
stop With the escape Of these fugitives.--
Thousands Of these soldiers, thus abolition
iSsd, will become the citiEsns Of the restored
Southern ssates, and, once established there
in, they wiz bring free labor in competition
with that that is forced and unpaid. They
win demonstrate the superiority Of the FORM
oF, and both BY their industry and their
moral and social influence, wiz work tor the
abolition Of slavery.
Bat there b greater cause yet for alarm on
the psrt Of the rebellious, sls7e-holdinR
States In the earlier months Of the war,
We heard much Of apprehsnsions Of negro
inSuETsctioas. That these uprisings 50 fear
ful to contemplate, have not taken place, is
due In great measure to the faith Of the
dawes themselves that the advance Of the
federal armies was to bring freedom to them.
L. this hops they have waited and borne with
patience, They have known, too, of the
emancipation which was urged by the Presi-
dsnt upon the slaVe-hOlding States and
adopted By Congress, and have waited for
the acceptance Of that Invitation. Should
they ZEE these frmsDootsa hopes Of flls;rs
GaIhsd, and no promise Of rslesss from
thsir bondage through The Wss q the whites.
the va Of the blacks ssZy commsoCs stsny
tine. And such s war would be faf more
ssrribie 70 ttas people Of the South than even
the adSdncIng hosts of the federal army. The
Es.olth ag vel IS the South may vel consider
The danger Of this, and it wiz be wsll for the
safety and prosperity Of the South that from
one side or the other comes the decision that
shall avsEt this dreadful danger.
F0r0isuSru IN New Orleans.