The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1862-10-03
The Presidents Emancipation procla-

announce that President LINCOLN had is
SUED Proclamation emancipa,ing the
slaves in all the Southern States after Jan
gary |, 1863. This crazy.act OF the Pres
ident has aroused the gdignation of the
loyal press Of the Northern and Border
States, and is condemned by all classes Of
people except Abo!:tionists, The New
York World, 4 conservative and able Re-
publican paper, treas this foolish and silly
! act Of LIScoLS in the following language !:
r President lincoln has swung loose from
the constitutional moorings OF bis inausu-
raj address and his messages at tie open
ing Of the two successive sessions Of Con
gress under bis administration. He is
fully adrlft on the current of radical fanat>
iclsm. We regret for his sake, we lament
for the sake Of the country, that lie has
been coerced by he insanity Of the radi
Gals, by the deunciation of their presses,
by the threats Of their Governors, and
Senators that he should resign, into pro-
clamatlon which on its face violates the
constitution, Is contrary 10 the general
current Of civilization in the conduct of
war as it has run since the Crusades, is in
opposition tothe solemn declarations made
by our government tha. this was not to
be war Of subjugation, and in manifest.
obstruction OF the reunion Of those States
for which the nation has fought, and is
ready to lavish lis blood and treasure.
We demand to be informed whence the
President derives his power TO issue any
such proclamation as be has now publish
ed Not from the constitution, surely,
for IT Is in plain violation of some of rs
leading provisions. Not from the laws OF
war, for the laws Of war tolerate no such
proceeding, Not even from the so called
confscation act, which the President was
at one time upon the point Of ve'oing for
the proclamation does not conform to its
provisions. This proclamation IS made il
pursuance Of that higher Iaw-that is to
say, that open defiance Of law-which has
distinguished the tribe of pesiilcnt aboli-
ton agitators from the beginning. Their
moral notions are so subimated and trans
cendental that they do no. recognize the
obligations of a compact, or the binding
force Of an oath, Of the authority of a con,
stitutional law duly enacted. They ac-
knowledge no law but their own .unrecu-
lated impulses. Sectional hate, party
spirit, political passions infamed to Gia-
bolical flry-these are the higher law y
Of these wre;ched zealots, in Comparison
with which the sacred obligations of the
fundamental law of the land, and the pub
lie law Of nations, are as light, in their es
tirnation. as the feathers Of a gossamer's
wing. In obedience to this hi CHER law Of
unreasoning passion they undertook, many
years ago, 10 annul one distasteful but mi
nor provision Of the constitution; now
they give loose reins to their fanaticism,
and drive with a coach -and-six through
the very body Of the instrument.
The constitution confers on the Federal
government no power TO change the do
nestle institutions Of the States this pol
icy makes changes Of the most violent and
sweeping character, changes which even
the republican party in It's national con-
ventions disclained any intention of mak>
ing and admitted to be unconstitutional.
The constitution protects the property of
all citizens from torfelturs by civil penalty
without trial aud conviction this policy
inhicts heavy penalties without even the
pretence Of a trial, inflicts them on all the
citizens Of whole States without even the
preteuce Of any discrimination between
the innocent and the guilty, blending them
all into one indistlngnishabIe mass. with
out any regard to whether they had borne
arms against the government or were non
combatants, or whether they had gone in
to the rebellion voluntarily or been coerc,
ed into it BY the terrorism which has pre-
vailed at the South. The constitution de
scribes the crime Of leyying war against
the United States as treason, end makes
certain broad regulations respecting its
punishment; but the policy in question
assumes TO punish levying war in differ
emf way from what the constitution allows
It to be punished, by Furnishing it under
some other name. A man canno. be con
stitutionaly punished as traitor sill he
has been first tried, but this policy at
tempts to circumvent the constitution bv
lnflictlng the punishmentunder some 9th
er form than as a penalty of treason. 4
universal confiscation Of the private prop
erty Of non combatants throughout the
whole States, without trial, without any
attempt to distinguish between innocent
and guilty, or between the property Of full
grown male citizens and that Of minors
and orphans, held by guardians or trustees.
is alike contrary to the constitution and
to the laws Of civilized war which respect
the private property of nome mbatants
If we descend from the constitution to
the confiscation act, we shall! find this ex~
traordlnary proclamation indefensbIe even
on the principles Of that act. The law
does not act on the gross population of
areas of country, but on individual persons.
The forteltuies it denounces are confined to
persons in rebellion against the govern
ment. What can be more preposterous,
or more nonstrOus perversion Of justice,
than to make the guilt or innocence of an
individual depend on whether the State 10
which he happened to be born shall have
representatives in Congress on the first
day Of January. II would be sufficiently