Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1862-10-18
From the Oregon Statesman.
The Presidents Proclamation.

The President has at last resolved on en-.
tering upon Ills favorite measure of emancipa.
ton in the revolted States, and has issued his
proclamation. declaring that all States which
continue in rebellion shall submit to the forci.
bic manumission of all their slaves. There
would b. little utility in discussing the polit.
ical motives Of those who have pressed the
adoption of the scheme. since it has been ~.
solved upon; and indeed VIZ do not see that
it differs materially. in practical point Of
view, from the plan Of punishing rebels by
way Of confiscation, except in 80 far as the
issues hereafter, on account Of it. The proc.
lamation falls dead, at its utterancr, only as it
ia, and shall BE-, enforced at the point of the
bayonet. Emancipation, beyond the lines
held by our armies, is no more imminent now
than six months ago. 1t is, then, impractical.
bic everywhere till we have military possess.
sion of the revolted States. 1t cannot be
probable that the President would wish the
enforcement Of such a proposition. II peace
were once restored and the old status OF the
Union again acknowledged and yet it seems
plain that is simply that and nothing else-
for, until the authority of the Government is
again placed in full sway over the insurrec.
tionary States, his scheme will not and can
not BE- carried out in the regular and lsgalized
forms contemplated by the President. If the
country must b. conquered before emancipa-
ton becomes possible proposition, we can
not see the necessity of it after the conquest
is achieved. 1t is not the loss that will fall
an the slave States that we object to, for they
deserve ALL and more than all, tho retribution
which civilized rules will iermit the Govern
ment to inAict; but the Government will
have on hand at the close Of the war "negro
question" which will present more difficult
phases than any shape in which the question
las ever yet been seen. The President pro-
poses that the freed slaves shall BE- paid for
or at least that was the original proposal
by tax upon all the States. That is all
very easy in theory, but in practice will not
be found without its very serious embarass-
ments. The war debt has accumulated prob
ably 10 the round sum Of 81 ,5O0.O00.OO0 al
ready, and before the close Of the war. may
double or treble that sum. Such debt can
never b. paid without long and heavy taxa TO-,
levied at the highest rates the people can
bear. Their pat iotism will prompt it's pay
ment at the earliest possible date. We think
any cost incurred in direct effort to crush
out rebellion. will be cheerfully horn by the
people. But, add to that the burden the
sum necessary to pay for go many Of the four
millions Of emancipated negroes as shall be
found to belong to loyal masters. the expense
Of never ending legal contests, and the colon.
isation of the blacks and it will b. found nee.
cssary TO levy another enormous debt to the
already crushing one. all to pay dsloyal mas
tiers for property, for which, by every rule of
right. they ought not to recei,ea cent. BY
the Presidents plan, the loyal States must ex-
pend thousands of millions in conquering the
rebels. and then pay them thousands Of nil.
lions Of dollars to make their losses coed.
The colonization Of tho blacks will be
necessity consequent upon emancipation, for
no class of white citizens will want them
turned loose among them. We doubt whe,h-
er any approximate estimate of tho expenses
Of such measure has been or can be made.
We look upon tho scheme rs imprac,icable.
because it imposes burden to heavy for the
Government to bear. The proclamation is,
however, harmless for the present, except as
it may exasperats the rebels. and more com.
pletely bird together the South, and will re-
main so till the rebellion shall be nearer it's
end than now.