The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-04-24

i
the time of Fremont's Proclamation
there was no trouble about this matter
Hundreds of slaves had come into Fort
lress Monroe, and were named contra
bands by Gen. Butler, and nobody OBJ
jected or demanded their return. Hun.
dreds of slaves were. constantly vrun-
ming away and nobody went a step in
pursuit, and no complaint that they
did not was heard. Everybody recog.
nized that the South had brought this
trouble upon themselves and that ii
waspartial retributiye justice, and good
enough for them. But suddenly the
Kentucky politicians, NOT so much we
think from the fear of slaves being
emancipated, as for desire to control
the Observation-Disclosures an outcry
against the Fremont Proclamation, and
the President, with the best of motives,
not wishing to run any risk of an, i'll
result to the returning loyalty of Ken
lucky, ordered its modification. The
pro-slavery leaders at once took cour.
age.-Atthe North they began to re-
organize the Democratic party on the
old pro-slavery basis. They had OBJ
tanned one victory, as they construed it
and were painting for other conquests.
Assisted by few sensational Republi.
can papers, they secured Fremont's
removal. They demanded that the
war be so conducted that whatever else
was injured slavery might be saved
harmless. The Generals who issued
pro-slavery proclamations got louder
praises than those who won battles.
The demand was openly made that the
army devote itself to slave catching.
All public acts were judged by the
Democratic leaders according TO their
effect upon slavery. If anti-slavery,
they were denounced. They based
their temporary support of the Presi-
dent upon an absurd supposition that
they had control of him, a surmise
that the emancipation message did
away with. Every character of pub
lie action betrays the spirit of the lea
ders referred to. Does Andy johnson
90 to Tennessee for the purpose of re.
storing that State to loyalty, the only
quotations from his speeches, which
arc dwelt upon by the Democratic lea
ders, are those which promise that sla.
very will not be disturbed. Does MIR.
Etheridge make a speech declaring
that slavery will be swept out of exis.
tence if it stands in the way, they new
err say any thing about that. They
even attempt to prove that the negroes
who have been released by their mas
tiers running away from them, cannot
exist except in slavery, and fiercely at
tack every attempt of economy or phi
lanthropy that would disprove their
declarations in this respect. So far has
this insane devotion to the preservation
of slavery been carried, that these men
take sides with the British tories against
their own country. To-day they are
arguing with the London Times and
Herald that Dir. Lincoln's Emancipa-
ton Message was to cut off the slave
States on the gulf, and bride the Bor-
der States to join the North in new
Union. 1t would not be so bad, if this
devotion to slavery, this determination
to preserve it harmless in war of
which it is the cause, did not clog
necessary legislation and restrain the
exertion of the full power of the gov.
ernment to suppress the rebellion.
This same spirit whose malign indica-
tons we have noted above, hinder the
perfection of the tax law. Houses and
land, grain, and manufacturers of all
kinds must be taxed, but no tax shall
be laid upon cotton or slaves. So it
defeated the confscation bill which
would pass at once, were it not for a
fear that SOMEBODY'S slaves would be
set free. 1t is in the way everywhere.
If there were no slavery at the Sontb,
we believe that the rebellion would
have been suppressed by this time, for
we should have fought the rebels as we
would fight any other enemy who is
trying to kill US and destroy our gov
eminent, instead of fighting him with
the perpetual reservation that no harm
comes to slavery. Let the war GO on
and slavery take care of itself, is the
motto of all unequivocally loyal men.
Let the war go on SO far as it can, and
we take care of slavery, is the motto
of the Democratic leaders.-Detroit
| Tribune. ~ Ht 9fsl1a t
s.ro. The Chicago Elections.
The Republicans have been badly
defeated at the charter election in Chi
caro- The ONLY reason ya boya soop