New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-05-13
Meeting In Favor of Negro Emancipation In
New York, ~

Il
The large hall Of the Cooper Institute was
lensely crowded by respectable audience on
March 7, says the Express of the day
'ollowing, who were convened for the purpose OF
declaring in favor of the emancipation Of savery,
IN the ground that the peculiar institutionn had
been the life and source Of the present rebellon.s
There was q large number of Germans, with many
ladies' present, apparently with the Intention OF
hearing one of the speakers, the Hon. Carl Schurz
Mr.. James A. Hamilton presided, and letters
apologizng for absence were read from Hon. Chas.
Sumner, Henry Wilson, and others.
Mr.. McKaye then read series OF resolutions,
which were adopted, declaring that all men are
born free and equalthat in the present crisis, he
it is the right and the duty of the
National Government, in this extensiye exgency,
to destroy slavery-that either the nation or
slavery must die-that its destruction None can
reestabish peace and sperity-that exclusive /
supreme Jurisdiction of the National Constitution
must be held over all the territory now occnpied
tuition has exclusive Jurisdiction, it ordains liberty
and not slavery-that no peace must be made, |
until slavery is extirpated from the whole land-f
that hatred or hostility is extended towards |
slave barons,'' and finally that it ia the duty Of /
the Government to adopt such measures, as will
complete the work Of emancipation, which the
revolution begun.
REMARKs oF Mr.. CoSwAY. Y.-The Rev. NJ D. Con-
way, Of Kansas, wac the first speaker. He said
that slavery was played out that it had had fair
show on the best half Of the continent, and had
only produced fever, malaria. and ague: Uaugh:
ter.) He spoke Of the curse which slavery had
brought on Virginia and other States, and main
tained that it was the duty of the government to
destroy it by force. That meeting would be vel
coined by the country and BY the President. He
had lately heard conversation with the President
on the subject Of slavery. The President had not
said then one word to indicate that there was
constitutional hindrance in the way of lemancipa-
ton he believed that the only difficulty was in the
Northern people who were not prepared for IT. and
who had not as yet been brought to consider the
question sufficiently to admit Of their approving
Immediate emancipation. The President cast the
matter the shoulders of the people, and the peo
Pile transferred the question to the President. Let
the people speak ont, then, and the destruction OF
slavery was certain.
Having to conquer the South, they must conquer
it goriously, magnanimously and make the great
noon of the nineteenth century witness the aboli-
there was one thing that made the blood of the
people of the Northwest boil in herror-and that
was when they read that one of their great Gen
erals, after planting the American flag over cap
tured fort and taking twelve slaves prisoners, re.
turned them to their owners. lHisses, and loud
cries of /" shame.') He illustrated the course of
| the Government with Slavery by an anecdote. A3
huge anaconda had escaped from menagerie in
Boston. The people were greatly excited at the
I circumstance they closed their doors m.appre-
hension Of danger; at length they held meeting
in the third story Of brick house, and, after ma
9ture consultation, a few8yaliant young man re-
solyedsto 60 out and meet his sefpentine majesty
They left and returned with the report that the
snake had fled at their approach and took refuge
/ in barn. Every heart was flushed with victory,
and " veni, yidi, vci seemed to beam in every
| eye. At length amaiden suggestiyely remarked
that the snakecould come out as well as go into q
barn and her words chilled the victory
The doors, however, were opened, and the cti-
zens in their various pursuits travelled carefully
every eircutons route to get clear OF the snake;
At length a doctor resolved to end the career of
| Ia Ha n
barn, and the serpent soon attacked it, while he
from the top killed the snake. Prof. Agassiz had
the animal stuffed, and he need not tell them that
he who killed it was not a member of the present
Government. daughter and applause) Probably
at that time some Individual peeped from one ot
the windows of the closed houses, and exclaimed
while the snake was being killed: Don't harm
it, for its constitutional anaconda !" daughter
l and loud applause.) The speaker, in conclusion
1 advocated the immediate freedom of the slaves
with proyiso that those Of loyel masters .ahoult
i be purchased. -
SpEEeH OF CARL scEuRz.-The Hon. Carl Schuri
was the next speaker. He said that he did NOT be
lieye the remarks he would make would exactly
fit the ine Of argument adopted in the resolutions
hut he would give the meeting his own ideas, suc.t
as they are. He then referred to the war, and
| argued that it was the result OF slavery. Pres
dent Lincoln has said it once, and there was wis.
dom in IL the expressien-" the country will have no
extinction lApplause.) There were men in the
North and South ready to favor the rebellion as
la#g as 1t had q chance Of success. But if such an
attempt should succeed 1t would lead to new
strug gles--(a voice, "John Brown ,'-long ap.
planse.) Those struggles would be more acrimo.
nious and dangerous in their nature than the pres
ent conflict ca voice. that's so.') The old
Union. as they had knownit was gone. (Loud
applause.) If JEFF. Davis andl /, amy surrendered
and repented at the foot of Capitol Hill in sack.
cloth and ashes, could never be restored: cloud
Il applause.) They would either have to submit to
the South or conquer the South. cloud applause. J
1t might be questionable whether they should or
should not initiate the course Of the King of
Naples in suppressing rebellion-but they could
ity. Mr.. Schurz then argued that the disloyal
States should be eoerced if necessary; that their
| respective Governments being rebeious. should
be overcome by force, But then consolidation
| of power in the Government would be the first
step in the removal of the line which separated
Republicanism from Autoeraey, and would not
fail to be prejudicial to popular liberty. The
| Union could alone be preserved by establishing
instead of restraining lberty--and the removal Of
| the cause of the war, slavery, would accomplish
that end. 1t had been said, however, that when
the present rebellion should be crushed-lhe South
would never attempt another. True: But did
they never anticipate that the nation might be en-
/ gagged in war with foreign countries Such coun-
tries, well aware that the South were dsahectedto
purposes, or the South might evince their disoyal-
| tv by aiding the foreigners. (Appause) By de-
stroying slavery, they would change the aspira-
tons of the South and open new prospects before
| hem
The leaders of the rebellion would then lose
| their influence over Southern society. The non.
i slavehoding population there would then use an
| influence and power. In the meantime the Gov.
ernment should first abolish slavery in the District
| of Columbia, and in the navy and dockyards of
the United States Second, the General Govern
ment should throw off all responsibility for the ac-
cursed Institution. Third, let the property of
rebels, inclusive of slaves be eonfscated. Fourth,
let compensation be offered to the Shareholders of
loyal States, who might be in favor of a plan of
general emancipation, provided always that such
| plan would make tie re-esta bishment of slavery
impossible. In conclusionl Mr.. Schurz narrated the
case of slave who had given important informa-
tion to one of the Union Generals, and who, for
his patriotic act was delivered up to his master,
who whipped him to death. (Sensation and cries
of shame.) He maintained that the destruction OF
slavery was the only course calculated to ensure
the permanent peace of the whole country. cloud
applause)
Cheers were then given by the audience for Gen.
era Fremont and " Jim Lane" One individual
proposed three cheers fer General Mcclellan -
but the meeting did not respond. Three or four in.
dividuas, however, hissed loudly at the name, bui
the police rushed, to the scene, and promptly sup
pressed the demonstration.
At this juncture, telegraphic dispatch fresh
from newspaper ofice-containing the message
of the President to Congress- proDosinp to initiate