Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-03-15


before it acted upon, or the faith of the
nation pledged thereto by Resolution Of
Congress. No power to purchase or ex-
port negroes, to buy lands for them abroad +,
to support them on native or foreign soil,
or to make agreements with states for
emancipation involving payment of money,
has ever been conferred upon the General
Governmet. Therefore none of these
things can be done without an amendment
of the Constitution, to which the people of
three .fourths Of the states will never assent,
Nor ought the people of this state ever to
agree to confer such power upon the fed
eral government, as it would entail bur-
dens upon them "grievous to be borne,"
and for an object quite foreign to their
interests. This state abolished slavery
gradually by the act of 1880, without
interference or aid from any quarter,
and the same course is open to any state
that chooses to follow our example.
Emancipation being a question for each
state to decide for itself, in view of its in.
terests, we have no concern with It beyond
our own borders, aud ought not to be taxed
with reference to it.
The President appears, in his remarks,
to limit his project to the Border Slave
States but there is no such limitation ia
the the Resolution he proposes. 1t applies
generally to all the Slave States. And
there can be ne reason hereafter to confne
it to one more than another. The argu-
ment must therefore be upon its general
application. But the same decisive objec.
tions lie against it whether it be general or
partial; the only difference being in the
amount Of burden assumed by the United
States.
The argument that to detach some of
the Border States from the list of Slave
States, will weaken the rebellion and tend
to close the war, would not, even if true,
justify this project. For the Government
has no right to assume a power not gran
ted to il by the Constitution, and apply the
money of the people to an object to which
they have not given their assent. But the
argument itself is unfounded as we'll as
1t is probable that the war
will be ended before emancipation could
be secured in any State, and with its ter.
mination the object just stated wholly fails.
And even if We put this consideration out
of view, it is by no means certain that the
of this emancipation project,
would strengthen the Union cause. 1t is
only adding a new subject of debate and
to those already existing, and
being considered by the Gulf States as
hostile to them, would iuspirt them to ad.
ditional efforts against US.
1t is quite uncertain whether any State
would act under the proposed Resolution,
if it should be adopted by Congress. Some
Of the Border States might, if the General
Government would pay the full value of
the slaves and remove them abroad and
the States for the "public in.
as the President terms it.
Of their temporary loss of labor; but if
The burden of emancipation is to be dsv,-
led between the General and State Gov
ernments, the latter would probably de-
cline taking any action on the subject
Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Miss,
ouri, are loyal States; but they, like
Pennsylvania, are burthcned by the war
in fact more burthened and injured) and
n addition to paying enormous taxes upon
,he national debt, cannot bear any large
share of the costs of emancipation. 10
larry out this project, therefore, the United
States must pay the bill, and an enormous
'ne it would be. Lately in the Delaware
S'i""u'e ~ ""N PtoPoooo lhaO lua1 OIabc J
with few slavcs) should adopt emancipa-
ion upon receiving 100000 from the
United States. But even that proposition
was rejected. Delaware is composed Of |
'n!y three counties, and if it costs a mill
on of dollars to secure emancipation
here, what would be the cost Of the pro.
eet if it came to be applied generally!
The President abjures the Abolition
doctrine of emancipation by force; Of
'onfscatiOn Of private property not ap-
olied directly to war purposes by the enemy, !
and SO far conforms his position to public
sentiment, to the principles of the Consti-
.ution, and to the laws of civilized warfare.
But the project of this message is one of
FOLLY and evil, and should be met by a
general protest, We feel confident, what |
ever else may happen, that the people of