The Portland daily press., 1862-07-28

sure that happiness and swell that grandeur.
| and 10 link your own names Herewith for
| ever"
At the conclusion of these remarks some con-
versation was had between the President and
several members of the delegations from the
Border States. in which it was represented
that these States could not be expected to
move in so great matter as that brought to
their notice in the foregoing address while as
| yet the Congress had taken no step beyond the
passage of a resolution. expressive rather of a
sentiment than presenting substantial and
reliable basis of action.
The President acknowledged the force OF
this view. and admitted that the Border States
were entitled to expect substantial pledge OF
pecuniary aid as the condition of taking into
consideration a proposition so important in its
relations to their social system.
1t was further represented in the Conference
that the people of the Border States were in
terested in knowing the great Importance
which the President attached to the policy in
question, while it was equally due to the coun-
try, to the President and to themselves, that
| the representatives of the Border Slaveholdng
States should publicly announce the motives
under which they were called to act, and the
considerations of public policy urged upon
them and their constituents by the President.
| With view to such a statement of their po-
sition,. the members thus addressed met in
make to the President, and, as the result of a
/ comparison of opinions among themselves, they
| determined upon the adoption of a majority
and minority answer.
To this address three several replies were
made. The majority of the delegations de-
| clined to lay the proposition before their con-
| stituents, or to urge it upon their attention.
| They give the President credit for honesty and
declare their own loyalty. They have voted
all the money and men asked for to crush the
| rebellion, but they lack faith in the feasibility
| of the government paying for the slave proper
ty of the country. Even ifconfined to the five
should be reckoned at $500 each, it would re-
| quire S47S,0 ,l33. They say:
We did not feel that we should be justified
| in voting for a measure which, if carried out,
, would add this vast amount to our public debt
at a moment when the Treasury was reeling
under the enormous expenditure of the war.
They doubt whether such project will ever
be put into a tangible shape. As slaveholding
is right, the call upon them to give it up in
wolves a sacrifice beyond what is made upon
any other loyal men, and they add:
! Such sacrifice submitted to by us would
not have strengthened the arm of this Govern
ment or weakened that of the enemy. 1t was
| not necessary as pledge of our loyalty, for
! that had been manifested beyond reasonable
doubt in every form and at every place posi-
bic. There was not the remotest possibility
that the States we represent would join in the
rebellion nor is there now or of their electing
to go with the Southern section in the event of
recognition of the Independence of any part
of the disafiected region. Our States are fixed
unalterably i'm their resolution to adhere to and
support the Union. They see no safety for
themselves and no hope for constitutional lib
erty but by its preservation. They will un-
der no circumstances consent to the dissolu-
ton; and we do them no more than justice
when we assure you that, while the war is con-
Quoted to prevent that deplorabe catastrophe
they will sustain it as long as they can muster
man or command dollar. Nor will they
ever consent, in any event, to unite with the
Southern Contederaey. The bitter fruits of
the peculiar doctrines of that region win for
ever prevent them from placing their security
and happiness in the custody of an association
which has Incorporated in it's organic law the
seeds of its own destruction.
Then they turn to the phenomenon of seces-
son and notice the growing unanimity of the
rebels, which they attribute in great part to the
utterance of radical doctrines in Congress- In
this connection they deprecate the Presidents
allusion to Gen. Hunter, but do not quite un-
derstand it. They conclude as follows:
But we have already said that we regarded
this resolution as the utterance of sentiment
and we had no confidence that it would assume
the shape of tangible, practical proposition
which would yield the fruits of the sacrifice it
required. Our people are Influenced by the
same want of confidence. and will not consider
the proposition in its present impalpable form.
The interest they are asked TO give up, is to
them of immense Importance, aud they ought
not to be expected even to entertain the pro-
posal, until they are assured that when they
accept it their Just expectations will not be
frustrated. We regard your plan as Il PROPOSE
ton from the Nation to the States, to exercise
an admitted constitutional right in a particu-
lar manner, and yield up a valuable interest
Before they ought reconsider the proposition.
it should be presented in such a tangible. prac-
teal, efficient shape. as to command their con-
fidence that its fruits are contingent only upon
their acceptance. W cannot trust anything TO
the contingencies OF future legislation.
lfCongress, by proper and necessary legis-
lation, shall provide sufficient funds and place
them at your disposal. to be applied by YOU to
the payment of any of our States or the citi-
zens thereof. who shall adopt the adjustment
OF slavery. either gradual or immediate. as they
may determine, and the expense of deporta-
ton and colonization of the liberated slaves,
then will our States and people take this prop
osition into careful consideration, for such de-
cision as in their judgment is demanded by
their interest, their honor, and their duty to
tine whole country.
This reply was signed by twenty of the Sem
ators and Representatives from the States of
Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and
Tennessee.
A minority Of the delegations from the same
States, with Mr.. Fisher of Delaware, made a
different reply, and pledged themselves to urge
the people of the Border States to consider the
Presidents proposition, and they do so on this
ground, viz
We believe that the whole power off the Gov
eminent, upheld and sustained by all the influ-
ences and means of all loyal men in all sections
and of all parties, is essentially necessary TO
put down the rebellion and preserve the Union
and the Constitution. We understand your
appeal to us TO have been made for the purpose
of securing this result. very large portion
of the people in the Northern States believe
that slavery is the clever power of the Rebel
lion.' 1t matters not whether this belief be
well-founded or not The belief does exist.
and we have TO deal with things as they are
and not as we would have them be. In eonse-
quence of the existence of this belief, we un-
derstand that an immense pressure is brought
to bear for the purpose of striking down this
institution through the exercise of military au-
IL