Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-10-01
THE EM PROCLAmA-
THAN


/
Two days ago the President was wonderful
strorg IN the conf 9ence of thu country, not be
caus! Of his military conduct of the war for il
the opinion of all men, that had been disastrous
but because he had steadily manifested an sp
pATeutly infexible determination to adher
faithfully to ths Constitution in the politics
management of the war and in the general ed
4 ministrstion of ths government. 1t was the
meritol this sdherance that, in the minds of al
/ good and right-thinking men, covered his mul
| utuds of sins in the military conduct Of the WAY
50 lolg as he seemed to be fsst-snchored to th'
Constitution, good and right-shinking men neve
ceased to hope and believe that expeIienc,
would teach him to correct and overcome hi,
military mistakes, and that finally the govern
ment OF the Constitution uld!prevail over re
beiOn, and that THE UNION would be re-estab
| lishe1.
! Now that he has cut loose from the Constitu
| tiOn--now that he has resorted to the same
\ highT law than the Constitution fol- the pro-
/ fesssd purpose of suppressing the rebellion by
which the rebellion jus.ifss itself-gOod and
| nghtthinking men know not what to think or
believe, or whittier to turn for anchOTag5. They
are snitten with sense of alarm and dismay
| They feel that the foundations of the govern
ment are unsettled, if not broken up-ihat the
ship is adrilt without master, compass or rudier
and that the chances Of wreck are vastly
grestsr than of safety.
If The policy of the proclamation We're any
more defensibe than the Presidents cOnstitU-
tional power to issue it, the shadows which il
has cast over the land would not be so impene-
trable 1t is an act of as bad faith to every con-
seIvative man in the North as it is a terrible blow
to the Union men of the border slave States
The President has himself apprehended that It
might drive fifty thousand Union soldiers. be-
l. Il, yt,t l.. -.
armies We trust and pray that it will not, but
that it viii not work most injurious revolution
in the sentiment of those States we dare not
hope; and as to kentucky and Tennessee, what
a time is this to hazard such revolution We
await intelligence Of its effect in those States
with the most painful slxetY
If we desired more conclusive arguments
against the mare policy Of the proclamation than
any we have elsewhere seen, we should Sc k
them in the answer of the President t. the me-
mortal of the religious fanatics of this city, con.
tanned III our yesterdays issue. What good, /"
asked be, would proclamation of emancipation
from me do, especially as we are now situated ?
do not want to issue 3 document that the whole
world will see must necessarily be imperative,
ike the POpe's bull sgainsts comet. Wouldmy
I5JTd free the slaves when ! cannot even enforce
the Constitution in the rebel Statesl Is there a
single court or Magistrate or individual that
would be influenced by it there And what res-
son is there to think it would have any greater
effect upon the slaves than the lete law of Con-
gress which | approved aud which offers pro
lection and freedom to the slaves of rebel
masters who come within our lines. Yet
cannot learn that that law has caused a single
slave to come over 10 us. Aud suppose they
could be induced, by proclamation of freedom
from me, to throw themselves upon US, t5tat
IL u - ..sFL IL .
and care for such a multitude General Butler
srote me, a few days since, that be was issuing
more ratiOns to the slaves who have rushed to
him than to all the white troops under his com
mand They eat and that is all" Before the
President issued the proclamation he would
have done well to publicly answer these objse-
tiOns to the policy of it.
If utter desperation had not before seized the
people of the rebel States, as consequence Of
the abolition and couf5cstion measures of the
Congress at Washington, it will seize them now.
The war hereafter, on their part, will be a con-
test for existence as communities and iudi-
viduss
We protest against the proclamation, in the
name Of the Constitution, in behalf of good faith
to the conservative millions of the Northern and
border States, and for the sake of the only means
by which it has at any time been possible to re-
store The Union. We protest against it a
monstrous usurpation, criminal wrong, and an
act of national suicide.
Nevertheless, Democrats of other coaserva tive
people will not withdraw from the war. They
win fight in it and support it as before, not to
prestr'e the government, for that is subveTted,
but 70 maintain government. To do otherwise
is to invite Internal revolution, anarchy and con-
fusion, and TO sink into disgrace as people in
the eyes of Christeudom. The Southern re-
bellion is not whit more tolsrsble because of
this most untoward proclamation. That must
be resisted, whatever shall come and as to
what shall come, we can only watch and wait.