The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-12-09


colored persons with their own consent, at any
place or places within the United States.
EMANCIPATION WOULD ENHANCE WHITE LABOR
beg indulgence 10 discuss these
proposed articles at some length. With.
out slavery the rebellion should never
have existed without slavery 1t could
not continue. Among the friends OF
the Union there rs great diversity Of
sentiment and policy in regard to slave
ry and the African race amongst u.s.
Some would abolish it suddenly and
without comp nsation, and some would
abolish it gradually anl without com
pensation. Some would remove the free
people from us, some would retain them
with US. and there are yet other minor
diversities. We waste much strength in
struggling amongst ourselves. b.
mutual concession, We should harmon
ize and act together. This would be a
compromise among the friends and not
with the enemies of the Union. These
articles are intended to embody u plan
Of such mutual concession. L the plan
shall be adopted. it is assumed that
emancipation will follow, at least in sew
eral Of the States.
In the first article The main points
are: First, The emancipation. Sec
ond, The length of time for consum-
mating, in years and Third, The com
penoauon.
The emancipation viii be unsatisac-
tory to The advocates Of perpetual slave
ry, but the length of time should great,
y mitigate their dissa ,staclon. The
time saves both races from the evils Of
sudden arrangement, while most OF those
whose habitual course Of thought will be
disturbed by the measure, will have
passed away before lis consummalion.
They Will never see it. Another class
will hail the prospect Of emancipation,
but Will deprecate the length Of time.
They will feel that il goes for little to the
now living slaves, bat il really gives
them much. Il saves them from the
attend immediate emancipation in local..
ties where the circumstances are very
great, and gives it the inspiring assur-
ance that their posterity shall be free
forever.
The plan leaves to each State choos.
ing to act under it, to abolish slavery
now or at the end of the century, or AT
any intermediate time, or by degrees ex
tending over the whole or any part of
that period and it obIges no TWO States
TO proceed alike. 1t also provides for
compens' ton, and generally the mode
Of making it. This, it would seem, must
further mitigate the dissatisfaction Of
those who favor perpetual slavery,
especially those who are 10 receive com
pensalion.
Doubtless some Of those who are 10
pay and not to receive will object to it.
That the measure is both just and eco.
nomical is certain. The liberation Of
! the slaves is the destruction Of property
acquired by descent or by purchase,
the same as any other property 1t is
no less true for having been often said,
/ that the people of the South are no more
responsible for the introduction of this
property than are the people of the
! North, and when il is remembered how
unhssitalingly we all use cotton and
sugar, and share the profits of dealing
in them, ii may not be quite safe to say
that the South has been more RESPONSE
bic than the North for its continuance.
Ii, then, for common object, this prop.
erty is 10 be sacrificed. is il not Just that
II be done at common charge? And
II with less money, or money more east
y paid. we can preserve the benefits OF
the Union by this means, than we can
by the war alone, is it not economical to
do il
Let us consider it then let us ascsr-
tain the sum we have expended in the
war since compensated emancipation
was proposed last March, and consider
whether, if that measure had been
promptly accepted by even some Of the
slave States, the same sum would not
have done more TO close the war Than
has been otherwise done. Ii so, the
measure would save money and in that
view, would be prudent and scenomi
cal measure, certainly.
1t Is not SO easy to pay something rs
II is to pay nothing, but it is easier TO
pay large sum than larger one.
The aggregate sum necessary for com
pensaled emancipation of course would |
be large, bur II would require no ready |
cash nor bonds any faster than the
emancipation progressed.
This might not and probably would
not close before the end Of the thirty
seven years. AT that time we shall |
probably have 100, 900, 900 people 10
share the burden instead of 81 900 600 /
as now, and not only, but the increase
OF our population may be expected to
continue for long time after the period
as rapidly as before, because our terri
tories will not haze become full de
not state this inconsidera,ely At the .
same ratio Of increase which we have
maintained on an average from our first
national census in 1890 until 1860, we
should in 1900 have a population of
lob, 200, 4l5. and why may we not con
tinue that ratio far beyond that period ?