The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1862-03-22
BEL AIR. MD. SATURDAY MORNING.

mysterious clrcuml0cutl0n, That the hold
ing of the Northern Slave States by the
Federal Government, will insure the re-
turn of the Confederate States to their Gal
legiance."
1t appears to us settled matter, that
the Confederate States can expect no as
sistance from, at least, Maryland or Della
ware, during the war, and but little aid
from Kentucky and if they succeed in
maintaining their independence, without
the help of these States, it will be mat
ter of Indifference to the South afterwards,
whether they join the Confederacy or not.
! The President takes this occasion to
remind Congress of an astute remark
which his Excellency "thought fit" to
make in his annual message in December
last, viz: "The Union must be preserved,
and hence all indispensable means must
be employed" He now adds, for the in
formation of the honorable recipients of
his philosophical favors: 81 said this,
not hastily, but deliberately And for
the further enlightenment of our benighted
representatives in Congress, he gravely
adds: GA practical acknowledgment of
the national authority would render the
war unnecessary, and it would at once
cease" Or, in fewer and in palmer
words, if all parties would agree to quit
fighting, "the war would at once cease n
After having SO far committed himself
in the announcement last December, that
''The Union must be preserved, and hence
all indispensable means must be employed,'
the President finds it necessary to clear
his skirts of the responsibility of failure
to make good the first part of his oracular
announcement, by proposing the dernter
resort, as regards the latter part, namely,
by asking Congress, as an indispensable
measure, to appropriate money from the
Federal treasury to the purchase of the
negroes And in commentator of this
expenditure, he very justly says that the
current expenses of this war 100000
per diem) would soon purchase, at fair
valuation, all the slaves in any named
State.
We were not prepared to receive the
confessions contained in this message,
from such high source, at the present
time; coming, as they do, upon the heels
of the reputed great Federal victories of
Roanoke Island and Fort Donelson; Meth
er were we prepared to receive from that
quarter such an unjustifable and unex-
ampled interference with State institu-
tons Even while making this extraor-
binary proposition, the President dis
claims interference, and candidly acknowl-
edges that he "sets up no claim of right,
by Federal authority, to interfere with
slavery in State limits" This proposal
to buy the slaves is undoubtedly an Gin
terference;'' and as the President as
sures Us that the Federal Government has
no "right" to interfere in this matter, we,
as citizens of Maryland, very respectfully
but firmly protest against any such action;
and also suggest that the President and
Congress confne themselves strictly to
their legitimate duties, and leave to the
States the conduct of their own internal
affairs.
But even granting the premises assumed
by the President, viz: that it is justifa-
BILE for the General Government to tempt
the States with brides to alter their con-
stitutional institutions, we hold that the
execution of the scheme, with any shadow
of justice, is entirely impracticable. The
President asks Congress to offer the States
sum of money Cor, rather, Government
notes, to be named, in consideration that
they (the States) will abolish slavery, (the
normal condition of the negro by allow
ing the masters a certain pecuniary remu-
neration, the amount to be named by the
purchaser. We make bold to say, that
neither the Federal Government nor the
State have any authority to legislate any
kind Of property out of the hands of its
owners, without full and satisfactory re-
Enumeration for the same. If this was not
true, there would be but little need for
government. Governments are instituted,
primarily, for the protection of life and
property; and the moment they are WELD
ed for the destruction of either, that mo-
ment they become curse instead of
blessing. Look at the difficulties that
would be presented to an attempt to exc
cute this proposition. The President
recommends the payment of certain
sum to the State. How will the State
determine whether the parties interest
ed (the slave-holders) wish to take ad-
vantage Of the offer made, or not? We
suppose, by adopting the plan of taking
the sense of all the voters in the State.