The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-20
How Much Longer must Slavery be Spared

how Much Longer must Slavery be Spared?
The wisdom that comes after the event and
arises from experience, and not from sagacity and
prophetic forecast, is common and not very re-
markable attainment. But the practical use of
this wisdom, making it, by reflection, light the
path forward as we'll as backward, is less COM
mon and more difficult virtue. knowledge of
errors is one thing, while cheerful alacrity to
profit by this knowledge, and to abandon the
course that has led to disastrous results, is quite
another.
The country has been taught, by its disastrous
experiences OF the past two years, that there is
great and crying evil somewhere in our national
life Something is most certainly wrong, or the
Republic would not have been plunged into the
terrible scenes of war which has written in blood
the annals OF the nation for the past year.
The Government assumes to believe that Slave
~ is the great evil the terrible and defiant wrong,
the giant wickedness, that has brought on this re-
bellion. President Lincoln told the Border State
men as much as this and he told them more.
He said that it was the hope that the Border
States, through their kindred institution would
at last-in case of separAtion-cast their lot with
the Gulf States, that stimulated the South to pro-
long the war and put forth every exerton to
maintain and make successful their rebellion and
for this reason, and to take away this hope, he
urged the Border States to inaugurate some mea-
sure of emancipation. This course of the Presi-
dent was admission that Slavery not only was
the cause of the war, but that it was the main
stay of the rebellion; an admission not reluctant
ly drawn from the Government, but boldly put
forth positive fact, upon which the emancipa
ton policy of the Government rested for its time
illness and chief justification. The President has,
in most solemn manner, assured not only the
Border States, but the whole country, through
his message respecting emanc patton, that all nee
essary means will be resorted to, to the end that
the Union and the Government may be preserved,
and he more than intimated that, unless emanc-
patton was, under this invitation, resorted to BY
the States addressed, it would come soon as nee
essary incident OF the vigorous prosecution Of the
war.
Plain men see but one end to which all the
logic Of the Presidents messages and addresses
lead, and that is, that Slavery is subordinate to
the preservation OF the Union, and must give way
when the necessities of the national lie demand
it. They accept the utterance of the Chief Mag
istrate in his letter to Mr.. Greeley, as indicative
a. L
free the slaves whenever that work will tend to
save the Union. They believe Mr. Lincoln to be
honest, and to mean what he says, when he de-
cares that ne Shall do more to destroy Slavery
whenever he is persuaded that such course will
advance the cause OF the Government. They also
believe that he pers onally wishes that all men,
everywhere, sh ould be free. 20 reading and in.
terpreting Mr.. Lncoln's record, it isn't easy to
understand why he waits, or why he doubts. And
yet, ii seems as though those who were charged
tor the time with the care OF the sacred ark of our
liberties were infinitely more concerned lest they
should assail some prejudice, or disturb, or for
the time disregard, some "vested right" of the
traitors who are moving heaven and earth to des-
troy our Government, than they were that loyal
men should be spared the toll, the waste of treas
ure the destruction Of life, and the terrible ago
ny that ever keeps company with gigantic war.
How long must this be !? For how many
more months must the blood Of loyal men, cry
from the ground against treason, before the blo,O
that strikes home, shall faup How much longer
must the loyal States send forth their population
by thousands, and add day BY day, immensely to
their already crushing burden of taxation, while
the rebels are allowed to hold, occupy, and poss.
their property, free from the touch of the Fed
eral power5 When will the military necessity
for freeing the slaves arise, if that time has not
now come What further suffering must the
people endure what further peril must the Gov
eminent be in, before indispensable means
can he resorted to /? The people who have given
unselfsh!y, periodically, and with unparalleled
abundance of their life blood, to support and
carry on the war; earnestly asking these
questions now. They are pressing them in no in
subordinate or mutinous spirit. They are not