New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-19
SLAVERY -sRIEE ~
ER sTOPPEDs

Just after the fall Of Sumter, Mr. DBuel $.
Dickinson. in a speech upon the Rebellion,
aludng to Slavery. said that it was our duty
to finish up every thing a. We 90, leaving
" nothing to 10 done BY .ho.e Who come
latter u.s."
Thirty years ago, an ihe suhsid,noe OF To-
Southampton instruction, slavery Agitation
began 10 ripple the surface Of public affair.
From that time forward i went on increasing
in Intensity aggravated by Texas a1nr1a,on,
tie Tue.tive-SIa1e avs, the kausas-Nebraska
bal, the Died Scott decision, and the Iccomp-
ton Constitution. Finally, 1t eliminated IA the
Secession Of a dozen StatoS from the Federal
Union, which soon plunged tie country into n
war whose gigantic proportions have had few
parallels in modern times. MI good ciuzene
de.irc TO see this agitation come To final cnd;
and all WISE men, TO secure This object az
willing 70 sacrifice money, prtjuoice'. and even
The institution Of 5lasery Itself
Strange to say, Ohr recent victories are
stimulating Tho hope, IN some scmi-sece's'on
quarters. Of "a restoration oi tie Union,
through compromise with the Rebels, that
shah put the country back precisely where 1t
stood when fancy VAS supreme IN the Jndiciar!'
and Cobb AID Floyd sHayed The Cabinet, and
payis, Toomhs, and Mason, ruled IN the senate,
and Stephens, kcitt aud BDIkesdalc riotcd 10
the House. and when the propagation OF negr"
slavery over the continent was the one object
towar. which Cabinets, Congresses, AID Courts,
bent all their energies.
Admit for tho moment that thc loyal North,
after spending eight or ten hundred millions If
il. money and shedding streams Of is choicest
blood to crush the ,layeholden' rebellion.
should. in the Gu,h Of victory, either propose
or accept such humliuiing terms of reconcilla
tion-,lovM II stop Siarery oeifahonf 1t us
see whether, owing TO inevitable circumstance,
it would not aggGasate it tenfold beyond the
highest pitch to which 1T has yet attained.
On tho 9th of August last Congress passed
" an act 10 couliscaie property used for lnsur-
- rcctonary purpofes, which declared, IN SUBJ
stance, that all slaves vino should be required
or permitted By their masters, or the agents Of
their masters, to take up arms ogainst the
United States, or be in any way employed BY
the Rebels in or upon any fort, uayy-yard,
dock, armOry, ship, intlenchnent, or IN an,
military or naval service whatever, should be-
forever thereafter free; and that such require
ment or permission should be- sufficient an
swcr TO any subsequent attempt to hold then.
as slaves.
Nobody doubts the constituionaliiy of this
act. 1t remains in full force and yigor. II
has irreyOcabIy fixed the status Of every .la,e
IN the land who has been employed in aiding
the rebellion in my of the modes named. Re
peal il tomorrow, or restore tho Union ac.
cording 10 the old order of things, and, if YOU
please place ,Jeil. Davis in the White House,
and this would not remand ono Of these negroes
back into Slavery. Their tenure to liberty il
as good as that of Roger Il. fancy or George
Is. Mcclellan.
Doubtless the act Of August has already set
free fully half n million OF slaves. Some OF
them are women, and few are dccrept old
men; but the great mass are the stalwhri, Wig
orous negroes, above the average ia respect Ia
intelligence, and unquestionably composing quite
one-tbird, in strength and capacity, Of tho en-.
tire laboring element OF Southern Slavery.
Nor, il estimating tho eXteat VI this abolition