North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1862-10-15


subject SO difficult that good men differed upon
it that four gentlemen from New York, who
had called upon him on business connected
with the war, had got at loggerheads on the
question, two OF them advising him to issue
proclamation and two dissenting to the policy
that even the last session of Congress, in which
were decided majority of anti-slavery men,
could not unite on the subject, and that the
same was true Of the religious people. Why,'
SAID he, (and this must have astonished the
pious gentlemen the rebel soldiers are
praying with great deal more earnnestness
fear, than our own troops. and expecting God
to faror their side"-(wh presumption y
" for one of our prisoners, who had been a
prisoner, told Senator Wilson that he met
with nothing so discouraging as the evident
since,aty of the rebels in their prayers"
" But" said he, "we will talk over the mer-
Its of the case :" and now comes the interest
ing commentary of the President on the text
of his own proclamation. We give his own
language, as reported by the committee, cut
ting it into short paragraphs, that the
iull import and force of the observations may
be the more readily seen. He says:
"What good would proclama ton of en-
ancipation from me do, especially as we are
now situated 2" ..t .s1.E 2 I
81 do not want to issue document that the
whole world will see must necessarily be mop
erative, like the Pope's bullagainst the comet"
" Would my cord free slares, achsn can
not eren enforce the Constitution in the rebel
States 2" @ ..- ..
mo wonder, when he pays so little regard
to it himselfl
'' Is there single court, or magistrate, or
Individual that would be influenced by it
there 2" ..r
And what reason is there to think it
wonld have any greater effect upon the slaves
than the late law of Congress, which l ap-
proved, and which offers protection and free
dom to the slaves Of rebel masters who come
within our lines d?
Yet l cannot learn that that law has
caused single slave to come over to u.s."
g And suppose they could be induced, by a
| proclamation of freedom from me, to throw
themselves upon US, what should We do with
them 2" r.. r.s
How can we feed and care for such a null
titude 2"
General Butler wrote me, few days
since, that he was issuing more rationS to
the slares who have rushed to him than to
! all the lrhite troops under his Command"
THEY EAT, AND THAT is ALL"
"If, now, the pressure of the war should
call off our forces from New Orleans to defend
some other point, what is to prevent the mas
! ters from reducing the blacks to slavery
again for am told that whenever the reb-
els take any black prisoners, free or slave,
| they Immediately auction them off,"
"Now, then. tell m, if you please, what
possible result of good would follow the issu-
ing of such proclamation as you desire 2"
| There is the Presidents own commentary
upon his own folly. Who finally induced
him to post himself as laughing stock for
the whole world, We do not know; but
we have in the proclamation itself, which he
issued two weeks after ridiculing the idea,
that there was pressure" enough from some
! quarter to do it. ...
Let US hope that hereafter he may pray
with the feryency he ascribes to the rebels,
that the Lord may save him from his friends
! and give him firmness to be men ~