The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-03-07
BY TELEGRAPH.
.E 4
Last Nights Report.

W as4itHtstotfs btutsf "
The President to-day transmitted to
Congress the following message: go
Ftlior- Cfttizeas Of tie Senate and Hoas.
Of Representdtises 's
recommend the adoption of joint
resolution by your honorable bodies, which
shall be substantially as follows:
Re~lecd. That the United States ought
to cooperate with any State which may
adopt gradual abolishment Of slavery,
giving to such State pecuniary aid TO be
used by such State in its discretion to
compensate for the inconyenieneies, p, b
lie or private, produced by such change
of system.
Ii the proposition contained in the res
olution does not meet the approval Of
Congress and the country, there is the
end. but If It does command snch approy-
al, deem it Of importance that the states
and people Immediately interested should
be at once distinctly notified Of the fact,
SO that they may begin to consider wheth-
err to accept or reject it. The federal
government would find its highest inter-
est in such measure ~ one of the most
efficient measures of self preservation. -
The leaders Of the existing rebellion en-
terrain the hope that the government will
ultimately be forced to acknowledge the
indepsndence Of some part Of the disaf-
fected 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 10 90
with them" To deprive them Of this
hope substantially ends the rebellion. and
the imitation of emancipation completely
deprives them Of it in all the States initia-
ting. The point is not that all the States
tolerating Slavery would very soon, if at
all, initiate emancipation. but that while
the offer is equally made to oil. the more
northern shall, by such initiation, make it
certain to the more southern that 10
no event shall the former join the
latter in their proposed confedeacy.
! say initiation, because in my judgment
gradual, and not sudden emancipation. 10
better fer all. In the financial or pccu-
mary view, any member OF Congress, with
the census tables and the treasury re-
ports before him, can readily see for
himself how very soon the current
expenditures of the war would pur-
chase at fair valuation al the slaves
in any named State. Such a prop
osltion on the part of the general Govern.
ment sets up no claim or right by Fed
eral authority to interfere with slavery, Is
il gives the absolute control OF the subject
in each case to the State and it's people
Immediately interested. 1t is proposed as
a matter of perfectly free choice with
them. In my annual message last De-
cember, | thought fit to say the Union
must be preserved, and hence all indis.
pensable means must be employed. | said
this not hastily, but deliberately. War
has been and continues to be an indispens.
able meaus to this end A practical re-
acknowledgement ofthe national authority
would render the war unnecessary, and it
would at once cease. Ii, however, resist
auce continues, the war must also con-
tinue, and it is impossible to foresee all
the ruin which may follow. Such as may
seem indispensable. or may obviously
promise great efficiency towards ending
the struggle, must and will come. The
now made, though an offer
only, | hope it may be esteemed no Of
Tense to ask whether the pecuniary con-
sideration rendered would not be Of more
value to the State and private persons
concerned than are the institution and
property in it in the present aspect OF af-
fairs While it is true that the adoption
Of the proposed resolution would be merely
and not within itself practical
measure, it 10 recommended in the hope
that it would sooner lead to important re-.
suits, In full view Of my great response
bility to my God and my country, / earn.
astly beg the attention of Congress and
the people to the subject.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.