Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-03-07
SPECIAL MESSAGE OF THE PREsI.
DENT.

The President Of the United States Yesterday
communicated to both Houses of Congress the
subjoined special message on the subject of
slavery. IL was read and referred In the House,
but not read during the brief public session Of the
Senate
FsHo,c Citizens of the Senate
and Honse of Representatives.:
| recommend the adoption Of joint resolution
by your honorable bodies, which shall be sub
stantially as follows,
"RssoIpsd, That the United states ought to
cooperate with any State which may adopt grad
ual sbolishment Of slavery, giving to such State
discretion to eonp ensate for the Inconvenience
public and private, produced by such change of
system.n
II the proposition contained In the resolution
DOES not meet the approval Of Congress, and the
country there 10 the end but II II does command
such approval, deem ii Of Importance that the
States and people Immediately interested should
be at once distinctly notified Of the fact, so tina:
they may begin to consider whether to accept or
reject 1t. The Federal Government would ind
its highest interest in such measure as one of the
most efficient means Of self-preseryation. The
leaders Of the existing insurection entertain the
hope that this Government will ultimately be
forced to acknowledge the independence Of some
slave States north Of such part will then say the
Union for which we have struggled being already
gone, we now choose to 60 with the Southern
section" To deprive than OF this hope sub
stantislly ends the rebellion; ana the initiation
Of emancipation completely deprives them OF II
| as to ali the States initiating It.
The point is not that al tbs States toleratinp
slavery would very soon, IL at all, Initiate euan.
Il h..tf hat xx,tf IL. L.,
to all, the more northern shall, by such initiation
make Ii certain to the more southern thst In nc
event will the former ever join the latter In thei,
| proposed Confederacy. l say "initiatiop,n be-
carse, In my Judgment, gradual, and not sudden
emancipation Ia better for all. In the mere fnan.
| eial or pecun!ary view, sny member OF Congress
with the census tables and Treasrry reports before
him, can readily see for himself how very soon
the current expenditures Of this war would pur.
/ chase, at fair valuation, all the slaves In any
named State Such a proposition, on the part OF
the General Government, sets up no claim OF
right by Federal authority to interfere with
slavery within State limits, referring, II does
the absolute control Of the subject, in each case
to the State and Its people Immediately interested
II 10 proposed matter Of perfectly free choice
| with them.
In the annual message last December, though t
! at to say "the Union must be preserved, and
hence all Indispensable means must be EN- ployed q
said this not hastily, but deliberately War has
been made, and continues to be an Ind spensable
means to this end. 1 practical acknowledg meni
of the national authority would render the wal
unnecessary, and 1t would at ehes cease IL,
however, resistance continues, the war must ALEC
continue, and II 10 impossible to foresee all the
incidents which may attend and ell the ruin
which may follow It. Such a. may seem ind!s.
pensable, or may obviously promise great eff.
cheney towards ending the struggle, must and
will come.
The proposition now made, though an offer
only, hope IL may be esteemed no offense to ask
whether the pecuniary consideration rendered
would not be Of more value to the States and pr.
yate persons concerned, than are the institution
and property In u, In the present aspect Of aain
While IL 10 true that the adoption Of the pro.
posed resolution would be merely initatory, and
not within Itself practical measure, Ii Ii recon-.
mended In the hope that IL would soon lead TO
important practical results.
In full view Of my great responsibility TO my
God and TO pay country, earnestly beg the at.sn.
lon Of Congress and the people 10 the subject.
MsrSAs, lsoa. ABRAHAM LTNcoLs.