The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1862-03-12

WASHINGTON, March 6, 1862

The Pres ldeut to-day transmitted toI
Congress the following message:
FHo,c. citiz4,s or the Senate and House
of Representatives.:
l recommend the adoption Of joint
resolution by your honorable bodies which
shall be subj b|tantially as follows:
Rssolred, That the United States ought to
CO. operate with any State which may adopt
gradual alb plshment of slavery, giving to
such State peEuniary aid to be used by such
State in its discretion to compensate for the
inconyeniencfs public and private produced
by such change of system.
If the pro position contained in the res
olutlon does not meet the approval of
Congress aId the country, there is the
end but if il does command such approx
al | deem of importance that the States
and people il Immediately interested should
at once be d lstinctly notified of the fact,
SO that they hay begin 10 consider wheth-
er to accept or reject it.
The FedeF eFal Government would find
its highest Interest in such measure as,
one OF the Most efficient means of self
preservation. The leaders of the existing
insurrection entertain the hope that the
Government will ultimately be forced to
acknowledge the independence of some
part of the fisatfected region, and that
all the Slave States north of such parts
will then say, "The Union for which we
have struggl led being already gone. We
now choose ito 60 with the Southern Sec
ton"
TO depriFe them of this hope, substan-
TALLY ends the rebellion. and the initia-
tion of EN- hnciation completely deprives
them of it AS to all the States initiat-
ing it, the point is not that all the States
tolerating Slavery, would very soon, if at
all, initiate emancipation, but that, while
the offer is equally made to all, the more
Northernshall. by such initiation, make
it certain to the more Southern, that in
no event will the former ever join the lat
ter 10 thFir proposed Confederacy.
| say iinitiation" because, ia my judg-
ment, grb bdual, and not sudden, emanci-
patton il better for all. In the mere
financial or pecuniary view, any Member
Of Congrfss with the census tables and
the Treasury reports before him, can
readily be for himself how very soon the
current Expenditures of this war would
purchase at fair valuation, all the slaves
in any named State. Such proposition
on the phrt of the General Government
sets up pc claim of right, by Federal
authority, to interfere with Slavery with
in State limits, referring, as it does, the
absolute control of the subject in each
case to dhe State and its people immedi-
ately interested.
1t is proposed as matter of perfectly
free choice with them. To the Annual
Messagd, last December, | thought fit to
say "1 hs Union must be preserved, aud
hence a j INDISPENSABLE means must be
employe d. | said this not hastily, but
deliberately. War has been and contin.
ues to bF. an indispensable means to this
end. Al practical re acknowledgmen of
the natl Pnal authority would render the
war unn eccessary, and it would at once
cease.
IL, however, resistance continues, the
war muF st also continue. and it is i,npos-
sible to foresee al the incidents which
may at ttend. and all the ruin which may
follow IL. Such as may seem indispcDs-
able, o may obviously promise great eff.
cheney toward ending the struggle. must
and wi cone.
The proposition now made, though an
offer Only, hope it may be esteemed no
otfencq to ask whether the pecuniary con-
slderatF ion rendered would not be of more
value 10 the Stairs and private persons
concerhed. than are the institution and
property in it, in the present aspect of
affairs.
While 1t is true that the adoption of
the proposed resolution would be merely
initatory, and not within itself practi.
cal measure, it is recommended in the
hope that it would soon lead to important
results. In full view of my great respon-
sibillty to MY God aud to my Country,
earnestly beg the attention of Congress
and the people to the subject.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.