Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1862-03-13
Message from the President.

WASHINGTON, March The Presi-
dent to-day RENTED to Congress the
following Message
Fel'ow-c iti=ens of tie Senate and
House Of Representatives. Il recon-
mend the adoption of joint resolution
by your honorable bodies which shall be
substantially as follows -
! "Reso1oed, That The United States
ought to cooperate with any State which
may adopt gradual adjustment of slave
ry, giving to such State pecnniary aid
to be used by such State in its discre-
ton, to compensate for the inconven-
fences, public and private, produced by
such change of system"
IF the proposition contained in the
resolution does not meet the approval of
Congress and the country, there is the
end !; but if it does command such ap-
proval, l deem it of importance that the
States and people Immediately interested
should be at once distinctly notified of
the fact, so thai they may begin to con-
slider whether 10 accept Or r".lect it. -
The Federal Government would ind its
highest interest in such a measure, IS
one of the most efficient means Of self
preservation. The leaders of the exist
ing insurrection entertain the hope that
this Government will be forced to ac-
knowledge the independence of some
part of the disaffectcd region, and that
all the slave States north of such parts
will then say-The Union for which we
have struggled being already gone. we
now choose to go with the Southern
section.
To deprive them of this hope sub
stantially ends the rebellion, and the in
itiation of emancipation completely de-
prives them of it as to all the States
initiating it. Tine point is not that all
the States tolerating slavery would very
soon, if at all, initiate emancipation
but that while the offer is equally made
to all, the more Northern shall, by such
initiation, make it certain to the more
Southern that, in no event, will the for
mer ever join the latter in their proposed
confederacy. say initiation, because,
in my judgment, gradual and not sud-
den emancipation is better for all. In
the mere financial or pecuniary view,
any member of Congress. with the cen
sus tables and treasury reports before
him, can readily see for himself how
very soon the current expenditures Of
this war would purchase, at fair valua-
ton. all the slaves in any named State.
Such a proposition on the part Of the
general Government sets up no claim of
a right, by Federal authority, to inter-
fere with slavery. within State limits,
referring, as it does, the absolute con-
troll of the subject in each case to the
State and its people Immediately inte-
rested. 1t is proposed as matter of
perfectly free choice with them. In the
annual Message, last December thought
fit to say The Union must be pre-
served, aud hence all indispensable
means must be employed. l said this
not hastily, but deliberately. War has
been made, and continues to be an in
dispensable means to this end A
practical ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the ma
tional authority would render the war
unnecessary, and it would at once cease.
II. however. resistance continues. the
war must also continue. and it is impos-
sible to foresee all the incident. which
msy attend, aud al the ruin which may