Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-03-08
n. Prs.lasnt's Message.

The Presidents Message.
The message from the President, which
was published in our tslegraphic columns yes
teraay morning, is one Of the most imPOr-
tant documents Of the war, and is one af the
lsgitiuats fruits Of the rebellion which tend
% reconcile rs to the war itselE 1t proposes
and recommends plsn ioF gradual emanci-
patton, which has been urged By many loyal
papers and men since first the war broke out.
It proposes that Congress shall say to any
and all of the slsve States, 1--WE are ready to
pay you q fair valuation for the slaves Of
year loyal masters, whenever you may come
80 SEE tho necessity or the desirability Of such
a STEP" It does not assume for the Execu-
tsve OF for Congress the right to interfere
with slavery in any of the States, and there
aors eounot be condemned upon that ground
by any who deny that right. It leaves the
matter solely 10 the discretion of the slave
States, believing that shey viii, of themselves,
zee che usefulness and practicabiltty Of the
scheme.
The measurs viii operate, If At all, in the
border States frst. Their interestO are far
more closely connected with the free than
the slave States. Their products are ex-
changed with the former, and their natural
positions are such IS to make slavery q
troublesome institution. So long IS Ken
tueky is separated from Ohio only by a river,
30 long win slaves in Kentucky be species
of property that is not easily kept in bounds.
Beside the facilities for escaping into a land
of freedom, the comparative systems Of free
and slave labor win be in such close contrast
that both the masters and slaves cannot fsil
70 see the iniuite advantages Of the former.
The same comparison Will be instituted in
Delaware, (whiehis already nearly freed from
6laves) Maryland, Virginia and Missouri. To
adopt the recommendations Of the President
viii iRfuse new life in the worn out lands
and careless habits Of the inhabitants, and
win restore these States to their former
wealth and standing. Remove slsveFy, and
Northern capitalists, with Northern mechsn-
les, viii enter those States and put an energy
and entsrprizs into them that they hsve moi
yet known. Agriculture wiz flourish, man
TssotOries will spring up, schools win be es-
tablished, and a new face entirely be put upOr
them.
The President wisely speaks Of the 'initis
ton" of this policy, for let il beonee adopted
By the border States, and the example Wouli
be contagious. The prosperity of the eman
cipatsd States would excite the emulation o
the Others, and the Cotton States would III
tinantsly be the border States, when they, il
iion from ruin, to adopt the same policy
And thus, By tie setion Of the STATES them
selves, We should ultimately become fre,
people from the Lakes to the gulf. It Woult
be work Of time, and perhaps few of d
now living would see the consummation o.
the grand scheme, bat let the leayen b,
putin operation, and the whole mass will
surely be lsa7sned before the work ceases.
There are intimatiOns in the Message tha
this measure is proposed in anticipation o
another and more emphatic action if it Il
refused. The President says that war Il
now an Indispensable means to the pressrYa-
tlol Of the Union, and that while resistance
continues, the war must continue. whatever
incidents may attend and whatever ruin
may follow. The language is significant
and hints at an exercise OF the ''war power
if the more peaceful solution of the clavery
question is not accepted. By one or the
other By peace or war, We believe slavery
must virtually end with the rebellion.