Nebraska advertiser., 1862-05-29
A Proclamation.
By the President of the United States o.
America.

elUtefICO.
WHEREAS, there appears in the public
prints what purports to be a proclamation
of Major General Hunter, in the words
and figures following, to-wit:
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GENERAL ORDERS No. IL.
The States of Georgia, Florida, and
South Carolina. comprising the Military
Department Of the South, having deliber-
tely declared themselves no longer under
the protection of the United States of
America, and having taken up arms
against the United States, it becomes a
military. necessity to declare them under
martial law. This was ~accordinly done
on the 25lh day of April. 1862. Slavery
and martial law in a free country are al
together incompatible. The persons in
these three Sta!es-Georgia, Florida and
! South Carolina-heretofor held as slaves
are therefore declared forever free.
DAVID HUNTER,
conceal: Major General Commanding.
"ED. W. SMITH. Acting Assist. Adjutant Cen"
And whereas the same is producing
some excitement and misunderstanding,
therefore,
/, ABRAHAM LINcoLN, President of the
United States, proclaim and declare that
the Government of the United States had
no knowledge. information, or belief of
an intention on the part of Gen. Hunter
TO issue such a proclamation, nor has it
yet any authentic information that the
document is genuine. And further, that
neither Gen. Hunter nor any other COM
mander or person has been authorized by
the Government of the United States to
make prOclamations declaring the slaves
of any State free; and that the supposed
proclamation now in question, whether
genuine or false, is altogether void, so
far as respects such declaration.
further make know, that whether it
be competent for me, as Commander-in-
Chief of the Army and Navy, to declare
the slaves of any State or States free, and
whether at any time, in any case, it shall
have. become a necessity indispensable to
the maintenance of the Government to
! exercise such supposed power, are ques.
lions which, under my responsibility, /
reserve to myself, and which | cannot feel
justified in leaving to the decision of COM
.manders in the field. These are totally
different questions. from those of police
regulations in armies and camps.
On the sixth day of March last, by a
special message, / recommended TO Con-
gress the adoption of a joint resolution 10
be substantially as follows:
"Resolved, That the United States ought
to Cooperate with any State which may ad-
opt a gradual adjustment of slavery, giving TO
such State pecuniary aid, to be used by such
State in. its discretion to compensate for the
inconvenience, public and private, produced
by such change of system"
The resolution in the language above
quoted, was adopted by large %majorities in
both branches of Congress, and now
stands an. authentic, definite, and solemn
proposal of the Nation TO the States and
people most Immediately interested in the
subject-matter. To the people of those
States | now earnestly appeal. 1 Go not
argue. | beseech you 10 make the argu-
menls for yourselves: You cannot, if you
would, be blind TO the signs of the times.
/ beg of you a calm and enlarged consid-
Grafton Of them, ranging, if it may be.
lar above personal and partisan politics.
This proposal makes common cause for a
common object, casting no reproaches
upon any. It acts not the pharisee.-
The change it contnmplates would come
gently as the dews of heaven. not rend-
ing or wreeking any thing. Will you not
embrace il? So much good has not been
done. by one effort, in all past time, as,
in the providence of God, it is now your
high privilege to do. May the vast fu-
ture not have to lament that you have
neglected it!
In witness whereof l have hereunto set
my hand and caused the seal Of the Uni
ted States TO be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington,
this nineteenth day of Nay, in
Ihe year of our Lord one thou
L. s. sand eight hundred and sixty
two, and of the Independence
of the. United States the eighty
sixty.
am srrs-T I&nOr