Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-03-12
mo. 46.
Message of the President.
WASHINGTON, March 6.


The President to-day transmitted to
Congress the following message:-
FELLOW Citizens fthe Senate and House
of Representatives.: -
l recommend the adoption of joint
resolution by your honorable bodies
which shall be substantially as follows:
ResoEred, That the United States ought to
cooperate with any State which may adopta
general adjustment of slavery. giving to such
State pecuniarv aid, to be used by srch State,
in its discretion, to compensate for the incGn-
venience, public and private, proposed 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 of it; but if it does command such
approval, | deem it Of importance that
the States and people Immediately inter-
ested should be at once distinctly noti-
fed of the fact, SO that they may begin
to consider whether to accept or reject
it.
The federal government would find its
highest interest in such measure as one
of the most efficient measures Of self
preservation. Tie leaders of the insur-
rection entertain the hope that tue gov
| erument will ultimately be forced to
acknowledge the independence of some
part of the disaffected region, and that
al! the slave States north Of such parts
will then say, "the union for which we
have struggled being already gene, we
now choose to 90 with them TO de-
prve them of this hope substantially ends
the rebellion, and the initiation Of eman-
cipation completely deprives them of 1t.
AS to all the States iniating it, the point
is not that all the States tolerating slav-
cry would very soon, if at all, initiate
emancipation, but, that while the offer
is equally made to all, the more north
ern shall, by such initiation, make it GER
tain to the more southern that, III no
event, shall the former join the latter in
their proposed confederacy. | say III
initiation, because | believe gradual, and
moi sudden, emancipation is better for all
in the mere financial or pecuniary view.
Any member of Congress, with the CEN
sus tables and the treasury reports before
him, can readily SEQ for himself how
| very soon the current expenditures of the
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 claims or right
by federal authority to interfere with
slavery within State limits, referring, AS
it does, the absolute control of the sub
ject in each case to the State and its PEG
pie Immediately interested. 1t is pro-
posed as a matter of perfectly free choice
with them. thought fit to say the
union must be preserved, and hence all
indispensable means must be employed.
said this not hastily, but deliberately.
War has been, and continues to be, an
indispensable measure to this end. A
practical acknowledgment of the ma
tional authority would render the war
unnecessary, and it would at once cease.
If, however, resistance continues, the
war must also continue, and it is impos-
sible to foresee all the incidents which
may attend, and all the ruin which NAV
follow. Such rs may seem indispensa-
bic, or may obviously promise great eff
cacy towards ending the struggle, must
and will come. The proposition now
made, though an offer only, | hope it
may be esteemed no offense to ask
whether the pecuniary consideration
rendered would not be of more value TO
the States and private persons concerned
than are the institution aud property in
it?
In the present aspect of affairs, while
it is true that the adoption of tho pro-
posed resolution would be merely initia-
tory, and not within itself practical
measure, it is recommended in tie hope
that it would sooner lead to important
results.
IL full view of my great responsibility
to my God and to my country, | ear
nestly beg tho attention Of Congress and
the people to the subject
A RAHAM LINCOLN.