The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1862-10-11
From the Constitutional Union.
WHAT THE PRESIDENTS PR0CLA-
NATION MEANS,

4
dent? My construction of his words is
most horrible, and I wish to be enlighten-
ed if am wrong. He forbids the officials
Of the United States from interfering in
the efforts which, the slaves will make to
obtain their freedom. The meaning of
this seems to be, that if the negroes, in
effecting their, escape, choose to murder
their masters, they are tat liberty to do 1t,
and if the United States officials happen
to be present and see it, they must not
prevent it; otherwise, they will be dis
missed from the service And further
on, the President says that all the ne
groes who will succeed in reaching the
District of Columbia will be free and pro-
tected. Consequently, on that spot where
the President has an absolute sway, and
where the white murderer will be hung,
the black murderer win be safe. If the
President did not mean all these iuferen-
ces, he has been very unfortunate incom-
posing his proclamation. Humanity and
the honor of the country command him to
explain his words. ss gtlsq y f3a.sa
iJle A CITIZEN OF PHILADELPHIA. !"
If the President means anything by
that portion of his proclamation quoted,
he undoubtedly means just what is set
forth by our correspondent. The whole
passage to which reference is made is as
follows:l 3a y Did,.
"That on the first day of January, in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and sixty.three, all persons held
as slaves within any State, or any desig-
mated part of Stale, the people whereof
shall then be in rebellion against the Uni
ted States, shall be then thenceforward
and forever free, and the Executive Gov
eminent of the United States, including
the military and naval authority thereof,
will recognize and maintain the freedom
of such persons, and will do no act or acts
to repress such persons, or any of them,
in any efforts they may make for their &C
tual freedom" s..... ,a
By this extract it can be seen that no
distinction is made by the President be-
tween the property Of Union men and
those actually in arms against the Gov
eminent. All is embraced in one gene
raj wide-sweepiDg emancipation, and then
comes the particular portion of the official
uhase which has startled this community
with thrill of horror, and if carried out
will make the name of our country a re-
proach in all parts Of the Christian and
civilized world. The President commands
the civil, military and naval authorities of
the country to edo no act or acts to re-
press such persons" meaning the slaves
of the South, whom he has proclaimed
free, and invited to rise and maintain their
freedom at all hazards, cor any of them,
in any efforts they may make for their
actual freedom" Now, what will be the
practical effect of this order and invitation
from the Chief Magistrate of the nation
the effect which the President must have
foreseen, if he did not mean to produce,
by his action? This proclamation can
only become known to such of the class
as it is intended to operate upon through
the agency of the army and navy. They
must carry it with them and promulgate
it, for in no other manner can the slaves
ever hear of its existence. Their masters
will not tell them of it, nor explain to
their feeble understandings what it means.
Suppose, then, it is announced in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the land OF. naval
forces of the United States, and the slaves
rise in armed rebellion against their mas
tiers, in an "effort for their actual free
DOM and murder white men, ragish and
debauch and torture white women, burn,
imPale and slaughter white children; by
the Presidents proclamation the "execu-
tive Government of the United States,
including the military and naval authori-
ties thereof" must ssdo no, act to repress
such persons or any Of them, in any efforts
they may make for their actual freedoms
And did not the brutal negroes Of Saint
Domingo do just such deeds as we have
described in their "efforts for actual free.
DOM" as the President designates such
revolving acts Of heathenish brutality p
History fails in depicting the terrible,
scenes that were witnessed on that island J
when the negroes, instigated BY Just such i
teachings as those promulgated by the
Abolition Republican party and it's lead
ers at this time and in this Christian
country, rose upon the whites in an "ef-
fort for actual freedom" In all directions
was to be seen blood, murder and carnage.
White men were killed, white women de-
bauched before the eyes Of their fathers,
husbands, brothers or children, and then
butchered with the most unheard-of bar
barity; young children were roasted and
eaten by drunken and excited negroes, in