Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-05-20
TELEGRAPHIC.
Further Details Of the Gun
boat Fight!
THE GlLENA BADLY DAMAGED !
The Monitor also Injured /
PROCLAMATION BY THE PRES.
IDENTi
Gen. Hunters Order An
nu'Ied
EMANCIPATION URGED UPON THE
STATES
Last Nights Repsrt
PROCLAMATION By the PREsI.

A PROOLAAlfATI1N BY the PRRsI.
DENT.
WAsHrHeros, May 70.
| Whereas, there appears in the public prints
What purpOrts 10 be proclamation Of MsjoT
General Hunter; and whereas. the same is pro
l ducing some excitement and Misunderstanding
therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln. President Of the
United States, proclaim and declare that the
Government of the United States ha- no kuoWl-
edge or belief of an intention on the part of
General Hunter to issue such q proclamation,
nor has It yet any authentic information that the
document Il genuine, and believes that neither
General Hunter, or any other Commander or
person, has been authorized by the Government
OF the United States 10 make proclamation de.
olaring the slaves of any State free and that the
supposed proclamation now In question, wheth-
er genuine or false, is altogether void 80 far As
respects such declarations.
further make known that whether it be compe-
tent for me as Oommander-in Chief Of the Army
and Navy to declare the slaves Of any State or States
ee, and whether st any time, or In any case It shall
have become necessity indispsnsibs to the mainte-
nance OF the Government to exercise such supposed
power, questions whish undsr my responsibility
re srve to myself, and which cannot feel justified
In leaving to the decision OF commanders IN the
held. These are totally different qusstions from
thee Of police regulations in armies and camps.
On the 6th day of March last, by & special mes.
sage recommended to Congress the adoption Of
Joint resolution, TO be substantially as follows
Resolved, That the United States ought 70
90 operate with any State which may adopt 8
y
State In It's discretion, to Compensate for the in
convenience, public and private, produced by
such change Of system"
The resolution, In the language above quoted,
was adopted by large msjorities In both branches
Of Congress, and now stands an suthentic definite
6nd solemn proposal of the nation 70 the States
aud people most interested In the subject matter
To the people of these States, now I earnestly
appeal l do not argue beseech you to make
the arguments for yourselves. You Cannot if
you would, be blind to the signs of the times
beg Of you q calm and enlarged consideration of
them, ranging If itmay be far above personal and
party politics. This proposal makes common
cause for common object, casting no reproaches
upon any one It aois not the Pharisee. The
changes 1t cOntemplates would come gently as
the deWg of Heaven, not rending or wrecking
any thing. VIII you not embrace itl So much
coed has not been done by one effort In all past
time, a. In the Providence of God it Is now your
high privilege to do. May the vast future not
have TO lament thEt you have neglected It.
In witness whereof hereuntO set my hand
and eaused the ssal Of the United States to be
annexed.
Done at the City of Washington. this 18th day
Of Nay, In the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and siXtY-tWo and of the IDde-
pendence Of the United States the eighty sixth.
(slgned,) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
VIZ. n. SEWARD, Secty of State