Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-12-05

restriction IN one section, while fugiiycs, now
only partially surrendered, would not be sur.
rendered at all by the other. Physically speak
ing, we cannot separate. We caun0t Remove our
respective sections frou each psher, nor build
en- impassihle wall between theni a husband
aud vifc may be divorced and go out u he
presence and boyond the reach d zach other,
but The diferent parts ol ourcountry cannot do
thih 6e
They cannot but remain face 10 fce, and ~ J
tercourse, either amicable or hostile, must con-
tinue between them. II il possible then To make
that intercourse more advantageous or
more satisfactory after gcpRra4
ton than beforcP Gan aliens make treaties cas-
ior than friends can make laws9 Can treaties be
moro faithfully enforced between aliens than
laws ESQ among itiends2 Suppose you 20 TO
war, you cannot fight always. and when aher
much loss on both sides and no gaip on either,
you cease fighting, the identical old questions ns
to terms Of Intercourse are ngain upon you.
There is no line, straight or crooked, suitable
for national boundary, upon which to divide.
Trace through from cast 10 west, upon the line
between the free aud slave country, and we shall
find little more than one-third Of its length are
rivers easy to be crossed, and populated, thick
ly upon both sides, while in nearly all its re-
manning length are merely surveyors lines, over
which people oiay walk back and forth without
any consciousness OF their presence. No part
Of this line can be made any more difficult to
pass by writing u down on paper or parchment
as a national boundary.
The fact of separation II it comes gives up on
the part of the seceeding section the fugitive
slave clause, along with all other constitutional
obligations upon the section seeded from, while
| should expect no treaty stipu lation would ev-
er be made 10 take its place.
But there is another difficulty: The great in
terror region, bounded cast by the Alleghanies,
north by the British dominions, west by the
Rocky mountains, and south by the line along
which the cultivation Of corn and cotton meets.
and which includes part Of Virginia, part Of
Tennessee, all of Kentucky, Ohio Michigan,
| Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa,
Minnesota, aud the Territories of Daco,ah Ne
braska, and part of Colorado, have about ten
millions Of people and viii have fifty millions
within fifty years, if not prevented by any po-
/ litical folly or mistake. Itcontains more than
one-thIrd Of the country owned by the reyolted
States, certainly more than one million Of sur
face miles; one-half popui0us as Massachu-
setts already is 1t would have more than seven
| ty-hve millions Of people A glance at the
map shows that, tcrritorially speaking, it is the
great body Of the Republic. The other parts
are but marginal borders TO it, the magnificent
region sloping west from the Rocky mountains
to the Pacific, being the deepest and also the
ton of provisions, grains, grasses and ali which
proceeds from them. This great interior region
is naturally one of the most important in the
world. Ascertain from the statistics the small
proportion of the region which has not as yet
been brought into cultivation, and also The large
and rapidly increasing amount Of its products
and we shall be overwhelmed with the magni-
tude of the prospect presented, aud yet this re-
] gion has no sea-coast, touches no ocean any
where. As part of one nation its people now
may find, and may forever find their way ia
Europe by New York, TO South America and
Africa by New Orleans, and to Asia by San
| Francisco.
But separate our common country into two
nations, as designed by the present rebellion
and every man in the great interior region is
thereby cut off from some one or more Of these
outlets, not perhaps by physical barrier, but
by embarrassing and onerOus trade regulations
and this is true wherever dividing or bounda-
/ ry line may be fixed. Place it between the now
free and slave country, or place it south of Ken
lucky, or north of the Ohio, and still the truth
remains that none south of it can trade to any
port or place north of it, and none north of II
can trade TO any port place south of it, except
upon terms dictated by government foreign to
| them. These outlets, east west and SOUTH are
Indispensable TO the well being Of the people
inhabiting, and to inhabit, this vast interior re-
Egion. Which of the three may be the best is
no proper question; all are better than either
and all of right belong TO the people and theil
successors forever. True to themselves, they
will not ask where line Of separation shall be
but wall vow rather that there shall be no such
line. Nor are the marginal regions less interes-
I ted in the communications to and through them
to the grea: outside world. They do, and each
one of them must have access to their Egypt ol
the west, without paying toll at the crossing Of
any national boundary. Our national strife
the lands we inhabit, not from our nationa
homestead. There is no possible swerving o
this but would multiply and not mitigate evils
among us. In all its adaptations and attitudes
it demands union and abhors separation. In
fact, it would, ere long, force reunion, however
much of blood and treasure the separation might
have cost. Our strife pertains to ourselves, t.
the passing generations of men, and it cannot
without convulsion be hushed forever, with the
passing Of one generation. With this view ]
recommend the following resolution and artic.
les amendatory to the Constitution Of the Uni.
ted States.
Rvso'vcd, BY the Senate and House of Repre-.
sentatives Of the United States Of America III
Congress assembled, two-thirds of both House.
concnrring, that the following Articles be pro.
posed to the Legislatures or Conventions Of the
several States, as amendments to the Constitu.
ton Of the United States, all or any of which
articles, when ratified by three-fourths of the
said Legislatures or Conventions to be valid as
part or parts of the said Constitution, namely;
Artiele,-Every State wherein slavery now
exists, which shall abolish tho same therein a,
any time or times before the first day of Janu.
ary, in the year of our Lord, 1900 shall receive
compensation from the United States as follows
TO wit: The President of the United States shall
deliver to every such State bonds of the United
States, bearing interest at the rate of -, fol
each slave shown to have been therein by the
eighth census of the United States, said bonds
to be delivered to said States by installments
or in one parcel at the completion of the abol-
ishment, accordingly as the same shall have
been gradual or at one time, within such State
and interest shall begin to run upon any such
bonds only from the proper time of their deliv-
cry and afterwards. Amy State having received
bonds as aforesaid, and afterwards introducing
or tolerating slavery therein shall refund to the
United States the bonds so received, or the val
ue thereof, and all interest paid thereon
Article.--Au slaves who shall have enioyed
actual freedom by the chances of the war, al
any time before the end Of the rebellion, shall be
forever tree, but all owners of such, who shall
not have been disloyal, shall be compensated for
them at the same rates as is provided for States
adopting adjustment of slavery, but in such q
way that no slave shall be twice accounted for
Ariiele.--COngress may appropriate money, OF
otherwise provide for colonzing free colored per-
sons with their own consent al any plaee ar
places within the United States.
Ibeg indulgence to discuss these proposvsi
articles at some length. Without slavery the
rebellion would never have existed. Without
slavery it could not continue. Among the
friends of the Union there is great diversity of
sanf fimant and naliev IN rae,os-I ~, .l,.,.. = >