Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-12-11

the wellbeing of the people inhabiting and
to inhabit this vast interior region. Which
of the three may b. the best, is no prop
er question. All are better than either.
and all Of right belong to those people
and to their successors forever. True to
themselves they will not ask where a line
of separation shall be, but viii vow rath-
cr that there shall be no such line. III
Nor are the marginal regions less in.
tcrested in these communications to and
through them, to the great outside world.
They, too. and each Of them must have
access to this Egypt of the West without
paying toll at the crossing Of any nation
al boundary. Our national strife brings,
not from our permanent past, not from
the land we inhabit, not from our national
homestead. There is no possible severing
of this; We would multiply and not miti-
gate evils among us. All its adaptations
and aptitudes demand union and abhor
separation. In fact they would ere long
| force reunion, however much of blood and
treasure the separation might have cost.
Our strife pertains to ourselves, to the
passing generations Of men, and it cannot
without convulsioh be hushed forever with
the passing of one generation.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS PROPOSED.
In this view recommend the adoption
Of the following resolutions and articles
amendatory to the constitution of the
United States i 81 ID.
|
Resolved, by the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States of America in
| Congress assembled, two thirds of both houses
| concurring. that the following articles be pro.
| posed to the legislatures or conventions of the
United States, all or any of which articles, when
ratified by threefourths of the said legislatures
or conventions to be valid as part or parts of the
said constitution, viz - ~ f. ~. es
exists, which shall abolish the same therein at
any time or times before the first day of January
| in the year Of our Lord one thousand nine hum
| dred, shall receive compensation from the Uni.
| ted States as follows, to wit The president Of
| the United States shall deliver to every such
state. bonds of the United States, bearing inter-
est at the rate of-for each slave SHOWN to have
| been therein by the eighth census of the United
States, said bonds to be delivered to such state
| by instaments, or in one parcel at the compile
| tion of the abolshment, accordingly ms the same
shall have been gradual or at one time within
such state, and interest shall begin to run on
| any such bond, only from the proper time of its
delivery, as aforesaid and afterwards. ANY
state having received bonds as aforesaid. and al.
terwards introducing or tolerating slavery there
in shall refund to the United States the bonds 80
| received or the value thereof, and all interest
paid thereon. ,
Article-All slaves who shall have enjoyed &C,
tua freedom by the chances of the war; ut any
time before the end Of the rebellion, shall be for
ever free. but all owners of such who shall not
I~h -
them at the same rates as is provided for states
adopting the abolishment Of slavery. but in such
a way that no slave shall be twice accounted for
Article-Congress may appropriate money and
otherwise provide for colonizing free cOlored per-
| sons, with their own consent, at any place or
places without the United States.
DISCUSSION OF THE SLAVERY QUESTION.
| beg indulgence to discuss these pre-.
posed articles at some length. Without
slavery the rebellion would never have
existed without slavery it could not con.
tinue. Among the friends of the Union,
there is great diversity of sentiment and
of policy in regard to slavery, and the
African race among u.s. some would abol.
ish it suddenly and without compensation:
some would abolish it gradually and with
compensation; some would remove the
freed people from US, and some wonld re-
tain them with us, and there are yet 9TH
er minor dversities Because of these
diversities we waste much strength in
struggles among ourselves. BY mutual
concession we should harmonize and act
together. This would be compromise
among the friends. and not with the enc-
mics of the Union. These articles are
intended to embody plan of such mutu-
al concession. Ii the plan shall be
adopted, it is assumed that emancipation
will follow, at least in several of the
states.
As to the first article, the main points
are: first the emancipation; second, the
length of time for concentrating it, thirty
seven years; and third. the compensation.
The emancipation will be unsatisfactory
to the advocates of perpetual slavery. but
the length of time should greatly mitigate
their dissatisfaction. The time spares
both races from the evils of sudden de.
rangcment. In fact, from the necessity
of any arrangement, while most Of those
whose habitual course of thought will be
disturbed by the measure, will have pas
sed away before its consummation. They
will never see it. Another class will hail
the prospect Of emancipation, but will
deprecatc the length Of time. They will
feel that it gives too little to the now liv-
ing slaves But it really gives them
much IL saves them from the vagrant
destitution which must largely attend i'm.
mediate emancipation in localities where
their numbers are very great, and il gives
the inspiriting assurance that their pos
terity shall be free forever. The plan
leaves to each state choosing to act under
IL, to abolish slavery now or at the end Of
the century or at any intermediate time.
-. L.. xx-tx,I.x., <r.. L. LII -.