Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-03-14
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BURLINGTON:
FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH Il. 1862.
THE PREsIDENT'sLAsT MESSAGE.

The President on the 9th inst, transmitted
to Congress the following Message:
| Fsligr Chi=eus Of The Sesate,
and House Of RJaessniaiiUos;
| | recommend the
adoption Of joint restitution by your honor
able bodies, which shall b. substantially as
follows
| Resolued That the United States ought to CO.
! operate with any State which may adopt gradual
aholishment Of slavery, giving to such State Pc
cunisry aid 10 be used by such State in its dlscre
ton TO compensate for the inconveniences, public
| and private, produced by such change Of system.
II the proposition contained IN the resolu-
tion does not meet the approval Of Congress
and the country, there Is the end but II 1t
does command such approval | deem it of
importance that the States and people imme-
diatelv interested should be at once distinct
ly notified OF the fact, so that they NAV be-
gin TO consider whether to accept or reject
il. The Federal Government would find its
highest interest in such a measure as one of
the most efficient means of self-preservati0n.
! The leaders of the existing insurrection en-
tertain the hope that the Government will
ultimately be forced to acknowledge the in
dependence of some part Ot the dlsafected
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 20 with the southern sec
ton" TO deprive them of this hope, sub
stantially ends the rebellion, and the initla-
tion of emancipation completely deprives
them of 1t as to all the States initiating it.
The point is not that all the States tolera-
ting slavery would veIy soon, if at all, ini-
tiate emancipation; but that while the offer
is equally made L all the more northern
shall, by such initiation, make it certain TO
the more sout efn that III event will the
former ever juiu a. Latter in their proposed
c1niederacy s.y " mutation" because,
in INV Judgment, gradual, and not sudden
emancipation is better for all. In mer.
financial or pecuniary view any member OF
Congress, with the census tables and the
treasury reports before him, can readily see
for himself how very soon the current ex-
penditures of this war would purchase, at
fair valuation, 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 Interfere with
slavery within State limits, referring as 1t
does the absolute control of the subject in
each case to the State and its people imme-
diately interested. II is proposed as a matter
of perfectly free choice with them.
in the annual message last December, |
thought fit to say " The Union must be
preseTyed, and hence all indispensable means
must be employed." / said this not hastily,
but deliberately. War has been, and c0nti-
nues to be, an indispensable means to this
end. A practical acknowledgment OF the
| National authority would render the war un-
| necessary, and it wOulC at once cease II,
| however, resistance continues, the war must
also continue, and it is impossible TO ioresee
| all the incidents which may attend, all the
the ruin which may follow it. Such as may
| seem Indispensable, or may obviously promise
| great efficiency toward ending the struggle,
must and will come. The proposition now
made is an offer only, aud hope 1t may be
esteemed no offense 70 ask whether the pecu-
| mary consideration rendered would not be
| of more valLe 70 the States and private per-
| sons concerned than are the institution and
property in it, in the present aspect OF AFFAIRS.
| While 1t is true that the adoption OF the
proposed resolution would be merely lnitia-
! tory, and not within itself practical meas
ure, it Is recommended in the hope that II
would soon lead to important resu It's In
full view of my great responsibility TO my
| God and to my country. earnestly beg the
attention of Congress and the people 10 the
SUBJECT.
(Siyned) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Mr.. Linccln's Message has perhaps taken
Congress and the Country little by surIrsc
but it is highly characteristic Of him. Pres
ID mt Lincoln, as his recommendation shows
remains where he did when he said, in sub
stance. that the Union could not permanent,
endure partly free and partly slaye-that
from the necessities Of the case, Freedom an'
Slavery must always be in conflict, and tina
there can be no reliable peace, till one o
the ether has the mastery. la that contilc
his sympathies are on tie side of Freedom
Freedom for all men, he considers the thini
to be aimed at, Throughout the Unite
States. lie does not Ignore the fact tha
the abolishment OF Slavery in any Stat
where it prevails, will be attended viii
difficulties Neither does he claim, as man
do, that the wrong and mischief Of SLAYER
concerns nobody bus the State communItle
) whore it prevails, and that the duty of ever
} body else is to let it entirely alone to leay
it TO work out it's naturally selfish, inhuma
unchristian and destructive ends IN ever
Q condition OF society, without let OF hint
e rance FROM government authority, or eve
from the disturbing influence Of rational an
moral appeals. On the contrary, he believ
: Its existence is an injury 20 all parts Of IL
j body polite, and that rightfully and beneI
' cially may there be a cooperation betwee
5 the National and Stat authorities for its T
e moval. 81 believing. without heralding
: display. he sends to Congress this plain al
simple recommendation. The details of
B., plan Tor accomplishing this desired result
does not indicate but that any reasonab b
e iudicious and effectual action toward It
the part of Congress, will receive hls sanctiO
/" cannot be doubted.
This indication Of the Presidents positi