Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-03-13
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

The following is the very important mes
sage OF President Lincoln upon the subject
of the gradual abolition of slavery:
WASHINGTON, March 6.
The President to-day transmitted to Con-
gress the following message;
Fellow Citizens of the Senate and House of
Representatives:
recommend the adoption of Joint reso-
luton by your honorable bodies which shall
be substantially as follows:
Resolued, that the United States ought to
cooperate with any State which may adopt
gradual adjustment of slavery, giving to
such State pecuniary aid to be used by such
State in its discretion to compensate for til >
inconveniencies, public and private, produced
by such change of system.
If the proposition contained in the resolu-
ton does not meet the approval of Congress
and the country, there is the end but if it
does command such approval, deem it of
Importance that the States and people imme-
diately interested should be at once distinctly
notified of the fact, so that they may begin
to consider whether te accent or rafct It
highest interest in such measure, as one of
the most efficient means of self preservation.
The leaders of the existing instruction en-
terrain the hope that the government will
ultimately be forced to acknowledge the in
dependence of some part of the disaffected
region, and that all the Slave States north of
such parts will then say " The Union for
which we have struggled being already gone,
we now choose to go with the Southern sec
ton"
Deprive them Of this hope, and substantially
ends the rebellion, and the initiation of
emancipation completely deprives them OF it;
and to all the States initiating 1t the point is
not that all the States tolerating slavery
would very soon, if at all, initiate emancipa-
ton, but that while the offer is equally made
to all, the more Northern shall by such initia-
ton, make it certain to the more Southern,
that in no event will the former ever Join the
latter IN their proposed confederacy, because.
in my judgment, gradual and not sudden
emancipation is better for all in the mere
financial or pecuniary view.
Any member of Congress with the census
tables and the treasury reports before him
can readily see for himself how very soon
the current expenditures of this war would
purchase at a fair valuation all the slaves in
any named State. Such proposition on the
part Of the General Government sets I'D no
claim Of a right by Federal authority to in
terfere with slavery within State limits, re-
ferring as it does the absolute control of the
subject in each case to the State and its peo-
Pile Immediately interested 1t is proposed
as matter of perfectly free choice with
them.
In my annual message last December,
thought fit to say, g The Union must be pre-
served, and hence all indispensable means
must be employed said this not hastily.
put deliberately. There has been and con-
inues to be an indispensable means to this
md. A practical acknowledgements of the
rational authority would render the war I'M
necessary, and it would at once cease. If
however, resistance continues, the war must
'lso continue, and it is impossible to foresee
III the incidents which may attend and all
he ruin which may follow it. Such as may
eem indispensable, or may obviously promise |
,reat efficiency towards ending the struggle, |
must and will come s al "a.
TIE proposition now made, though an of. |
er only, hope it may be esteemed no of |
ense to ask whether the pecuuiary consider
tion rendered would not be of more value to |
he States and private persons concerned
han are the institutions, and property in it, |
n the present aspect of affairs. ..
While 1T is true that the acception of the
proposed resolution would be merely initiate
y, and not, within itself, practical measure,
is recommended in the hope thatit would
DON lead TO important results.
In full view OF my great responsibility to
ny God and my country, earnestly beg the |
ttentlon Of Congress and the people 10 the
ubject
Signed, ABRAHAM LINCOLN.