, 1862-03-07
COMPENSATED EMANCIPATION.
SPECIAL N1n88AGE OF TMK PRHs-
DEM4 TO CONGRESS.

WAsHEGToSt March 1.-THE President TO-
day transmitted to Congress the following
message:
Ftlzo.g Citizens # The Senate and House of Repre-
I recommend the adoption OF a joint reso1u-
ton BY yonr honorable bodies which shall be
substantially as follows:
Resa9red. That the Cnitcd States nnoht In RI.
operate with any State which NAV adopt ersdnal
&boiishmeDt OF slavery, giving to such State necn-
niar aid to be nsed such State IN its discretion
private, produced BY such change Of system.
1.-THE proposition contained in the resolution
docs not meet the approval Of Congress and
the country, there Is the end but # it does
command such approval, deem it of import
anee that the States and people Immediately
Of the fact, 80 that they may begin to consider
whether to accept or reject it. The Federal
Government would lind its highest interest in
Euch measure as one Of tie most efficient
measures Of seh-presergation- The leaders Of
existing lnsurTection entertain the hope that
the Government viii ultimately be forced to
acknowledge the Independence Of some
part OF the disaffected region, and that all the
slave States north Of such points will then say
the Union for which we have struggled being
already gone, We nov choose to go With them.
ends the rebellion, and the initiation Of eman.
eipat1on completely deprives them Of it as to
all the States iuitiating The point ia not that
all the States tolerating slavery would very
soon, if at 81, initiate emancipation, but that
Whlie the offer is equally made to all, the
1t certain to the more Southern that in no
event shall the former ioin the latter in their
proposed Confederacy.
say "initiation," because In my Judgment
gradual, and not sudden, emancipation IS bet
ter Tor all In the mere financial or pecun;.
#
census tables and the Treasury reports before
him, can readily sec for himself how very soon
the cu1rent expenditures Of the war would
purchase, at q fair valuation, all the slaves in
any named State.
Such proposition on the part Of the zen.
eral Government sets up no CLAIM or riy1f by
Federal authority to interfere with slavery
within State limits, referring as it does the at-
solute control of the subject in each case to tic
State and its people Immediately interested.
It is proposed as matter Of perfectly free
choice with them. In the annual message
last December, thought fit to say the Tnioa
must be preserved, and hence Ill inaispen-
Eihle' means must be employed. I said this
not hastily, but deliberately. War has been,
and continues to be, an Indispensable means
eSgement ead of lie pfaste nsaa. se.r
wonld render the war unnecessary, % and i
would at once cease. II, however, Resistance
continues, the war must also continue aud
it is impossible to foresee ali the incidents
which may attend, and al the ruin which nav
follow; Such as may seem indispensable, OF
may obviously premise greater efficiency to-
wards ending the struggle, must and will
come.
The proposition now made is au offer
only, hope It may be esteemed no offcnse to
ask whether the pecuniary consideration ten
.aered would not be Of more value to the States
ind private persons concerned than arc tho
institution and property in If. in the Dra,ort
aspect of affalrse While it is true that the ths
adoption Of the proposed resolution would
be merely initiatory, and not within itself
practical measure, it is recommended in the
hope that it would sooner lead to important
Il In full view Of my great Responsibilities ia
my God and to my country I earnestly beg
the subject.
fSigned1 ABRAHAM I,tSco1x