Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-04-08
CHARACTERIZATION I'm lhe United states
Senate.

EnimncipatIOn I'm the Unftrd Stnte'
senate.
i The co-operaslge emancipation joint sesclu-
tIon transmitted 20 Congress BY President LiE-
COLIN on the sixth Of March last. In message
recommending its adoption, has beeu' as our
readers are aware, passed by the Senate, oy =
vote Of thirty two to ten With the exception
Of three--DAvIs, Of KeETUcKY; WILEY OF
VIRGINIA, and HEsDERsoN, OF Missouri--aU the
Senators from slave States voted against the
adoption of the resolution, on the ground cnie''
ly, that 1t was Inexpedent, ill-timed, ana calca-
lated 70 weaken the Union cause in tho South
On Thursday Last, the third inst the Senate
passed the bill for the abolition OF slavery In
the Dlstrlct of Columbia by vote of twenty
nine yeas TO fourteen nays, as follows:
Yeas Messrs. Anthony, Browning, Chand-
Ter, Clark, Collamer, Dixon, Doolittle, res
sender, Foote, Foster, Grimes, Hale, Harlan,
Harris, Howard, Howe, King, Lane OF Indiana
Lane oil Kansas, Morrill, Pomeroy, sherman
Sumner, Ten Eyck, Trumbull, Wade VIII
kinson, Wllmot, and Wilson Of Massachusetts
--29.
Nays-Mesara Bayard, CArlile, Davis, Hen
dersOn, Kennedy, Latham, McDougall, Nesmitn, !,
Powell, Salisbury, Starke. Wiley, Wilson oi
Missouri and Wrigbt--H.
All the. Jess. the papers OF that party claim
are Republicans. Mr.. CowAs, of Pennsylvania
and Mr. PEARcF, Of Maryland, were absent
The general provision of tho bill is that "all
persons held to service or labor in the District
Of Columbia, by reason Of African descent, are
hereby discharged and freed from such service
or labor" The compensation provided for In
the bill is not to exceed, on an average, three
hundred dollars for each slave.
Among the important amendments to the
original bill, which were adopted, are the fol-
lowing:
1t is provided that no one who has aided the
rebellion shall receive any of the compensation
for slaves provided for 10 the bill. Every claim
ant Of compensation must take an oath that he
has rot aided the rebel csuse, but his oath will
not be conclusive.
Another amendment provides that, in taking
testimony before the Commissioners whom the
Sill creates for adjudgiDg to whom compensation
is to be allowed, no witness shall be excluded
by reason OF color.
An amendment Was also adopted appropriatng
one hundred thousand dollars to aid the vOluu.
taty emigration Of the manumitted slaves to
HsJti. Liberia or other foreign country.
There were numerous objections made 10 the
bill 10 the Senate. Some held it to bo unoon-
stitutionR, and others pressed the objection that
/. would have an unfortunate effect upon the
Union cause in the South, and especially in tho
border States. Some who Wsrein favor Of the gen.
erIl measure, desired emancipation to be gradu
al and provision made for the peremptory Eemov.
al of the blacks from the country, and others
wanted the subject referred 10 vote of the
white inhabitants of the District. Bot all OBJ
jections were overruled BY the decision Of the
majority
The bill now goes to the House of Repre-
sentatives, where It will probably be passed
with fresh amendments and mOd6cEtons.--
Several Republican papers, as for instance, the
New York Times, condemn the appropriation
Tor removing the negroes from the country,
though wise in itself, as folly in view of imme.
diate emancipation. They think the slaves
thus suddenly liberated will be no proper cub
jects for colonization and settlement, where
they will have to depend upon themselves -
The Tines urges that by the substitution Of
gradual for immediate emancipation only can
the advocates Of the bill save themselves from
the charge Of disgusting heartless cruelty un-
der the mack of eager philanthropy The
measure IL oharacterIges as lll-timed, and dc
mands that IL shall not be also ill-contrived and
mlschievous in practice.
Thus, two important measures looking to.
ward plan of general emancipation have been
discussed in the United States Senate, and
passed by a large majority. We need not dwell
upon the impropriety, to speak in no harsher
terms, of the agitation of such questions ai a
time when all the united energies Of The coun
try should be devoted to the task of putting
down the rebellion and the restoration of peace
and order.
The passage OF these two measures in the
Senate is probably only the beginning Of So
ries in the same direction. They are perhaps
designed as test to zee what the country will
bear. The Republican and Fusion press gener-
ally approve Of them. The same party will |
doubtless approve and applaud other Abolition
as fast as they may be concoctei and
brought forward. Thus, the preservation Of
he Union and the assertion of the authority of
be Constitution will gradually cease to inau.
nee the minds Of the now dominant party, and
he sole objects of tho war will be with them
he emancipation of the negroes and to hold
he Southern States, by military occupation, as
erri.ories merely.
Legislative Summary.