Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-10-02

EMANCIPATION.

tresioont mas done Q good deed AZ
good time. He has pronounced the
doom Of Slavery on the American Con.
tinent. After dallying with this great
sin. because he dreaded 10 do vioIence
10 the interests and wishes Of any por-
don Of tts people, be has accepted !hs
lesson Of experience, and ends tbe vsr
BY putting an end to The cause of the
war. II this rebellion has taught Us
anything. his shat BY slayery, We have
been defeated IN our national progress
|--sy slavery she richestSnd fzifzsl r0r-
tons Of opr Republic havs'besn kapt a.
. desert and & rildernessl-by slavery
- great part Of the psoPis have been es-
ranged from. one anosher-bY slavery
opr Institutions have been prevented
from developing the blessings our
fathers intended they should bestow.--
Slavery has been the perpetual disgrace
to the American name. Slavery has
bloomed into sedition, and rfpened into
war. Why should Il i've? It has
mensced our dearest rights, asd has
robbed US Of our dearest kihdfsd.-
This fearful monster, intertwihing H.
self around the Tiials Of the Kspablio,
retarding its growth. destroying its USE
fulness. making its very existence
vrelehed. ct last sought to take the
life which had nourished il, aad TO rend
the bosom on which il had grown. In
self defence we have wrestled in its en-.
braces-r-wrest.ed in. blood, war, ear
mage. desolation, and straightforward
all in vain. The struggle Is Eow for
lifeor death. IL slayery lives the Re-
public disss The Republic must live.
and so slavery must die. dThis 10 the
meaning Of the Presidents eproelama-
tiqn, and his words record slaYery'sin-
svitsbls doom. t+as 20 '.a7 .7aus'
President Lincoln has followed the
logical course Of events in issuing this
proclamation. He has been neither too
soon nor too late. He had multitude
Of interests 10 consult, all Of which in
volved the social, commercial, and po-
litical hsppiness Of our people. He
found the institution Of slavery sustain.
ing great agricultural interest in msny
States Of the Union. { Cotton, sugar,
rice. tobacco, and other staples, seemed
to live upon its labor. and vast Euro
pesn and American enterprises depend
cd on its preservation. The hamlet's
OF Lancsshire-the countingIfooms Of
New York--ihe mills Of Lowell--the
looms OF France; to the uttermost ends
Of the esrth-in India and Australia-
the safety Of the cotton crop and the
protection Of cotton labor were matters
Of comfort and necessity. rsiment and
bread. It was not an easy thing to
proclaim q decree so universal in its sp-
plication, and so radical and even dis
sstrous in its operation. y And to the
honor Of President Lincoln let as re-
cord it--that he did not make this
proclamation until the masters OF the
cotton crop and cotton labor compelled
him to do so By their treason and vio-
lence. Slavery might have passed
away in its own good time. under the
gentle influence Of bene6cent free in
stitrtions. and the world would not have
felt the change. But this did not salts
fy the ambition Of its lords, nor min
lister TO their cupidity. They grasped
at universal empire and sought to over
throw free republic, tina. a republic
with slavery for its cornerstone might
be erected on its foundations. How
much they have done to accomplish this
Wild and terrible design. the dreadful
experiences Of the past two yesrs--the
blood that has been shed--the devas-
tation that has everywhere extended
and the sad history these days are Gre
ating. will testify. That history rs a.
an end. The President turns q new
leaf, and, at the head of the page,
Writes--EnsdnePation.
He has written emancipation, and
there it will last forever q tribute to his
own wise craftsmanship and the forti-
tude Of the American people. The pa
tience and selfdenial we have manifest
ed from the beginning. in fighting this
war with smaller weapons, while the
great engine Of death still remained in
the arsenal. must forever be wonder.
But as We have been patient and self.
denying before. let Us be active, vigi-
LIANT, and unrelenting now. IF any one
ever dreamed that out Of this chaos OF
war and destruction peace might sud-
denly come as 3 compromise. or By
let him dismiss it from his
brain like an idle dream that it VAS
This proclamation Of the President ends
The rebellion. It viii not do so to-day,
or even tomorrow, but it will end in
very summary manner. We are now
putting the axe to the root; heretofore
We have contented ourselves with trim
ming the boughs. and breaking the
forgetting that new life was
oozing from the soil. Il
Toes not come as wild exhibition Of
despair, nor as q mere effort to rouse
!. dropping public sentiment or rally
,eatep and disheartened columns. Il
s the manifestation Of NorthernpOwer;
{ is the result Of overwhelming victO-
les. We have shown the rebels that
be sword is potent with us; we have
hown them that. without going beyond
be mere voluntary offerings Of life and
reasure, We have laid their conscript
,onfsdsrscy at our feet, acd now We
ropose to crush where We have con-
uered. and 10 take away the life Of the