Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-01

4
| presented. And yet this region has NO sea-
coas', toueht no ocean anywhere. AS part OF
one nationals people now fnd.and may forever
n'd tfeir way TO Europe by New York, to South
america and Africa by New Orleans, and to
hsia by San Francisco. But separate our
s.Mino on country into two nations, rs designed
ny Ire present rebellion. land eyery man of
ms great interior region is thereby cut OF from
soie one or inorr of these outlets, not, perhaps,
e5 physica barrier, but y embarrassing and
oEercus trade regulations. - ..
And this is true, teAers di yiding, or boun-
oary line, may be fixed. place it between the
Wy A:c and slave country, or place IL south
VI Lhtntucky, or north Of Ohio, and still the
uuth remains, That none south of ii, can trade
10 any port or place north OF it, and none north
u, can trade TO any port or place south of it,
foreign TO them. These outlets, east, west, and
| sou'h, are indispensable TO the we'll being of
Tue people inhabtins, and to inhabit, this vast
interior region. Which of the three may be the
Gsf, ia no proper question. All, are better
man eiiher and all, of, right, heipng to the peo-
lir, and to their successors forever. True 10
themselves, they Will not ask ;ckere q line ,,f
separation shah be, but will vow. rather, that
there shall he no such line. Nor are the mar
elnal regions less Interested in these comm uni
cations to, and through them, to the great out
side wcrid. They too, and each OF them, must
have access 10 this Egypt of the West, without
paying toll at the crossing ofany national boun-
dary.
Our national strife springs not from our per.
manent part; not from the land we inhabit; not
non our national homestead. There is no pos
not mitigate, evils among US. In all its adap-
taticns and aptitndes, it demands union, and
athors separation. In fact, it would, ere long,
force re-union, however much of bio I'd and
treasure the separation might have cost
Our strife pertains to Ourselves-to the pass.
ing generations Of nrn and it can, without
conYulsion, he hushed forever with the pass.
ing of one generation.
In this view, recommend the adoption OF
the following resolution and articles amenda-
tory to the Constitution of the United States:
and nf
sentGfires OF The Cnfed States Of America in Con-
gress assembled, (two- thirds Of both houses con-
curring,) That the following articles be pro-
POSE to the legislatures (or tions) 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
part or parts of the said Constitution, viz:
"ARTICLE-. Every State, wherin slavery
now exists, which shall abolish the same there.
III, at any time, or tirues before the first day of
January; in the year ofIour Lord one thousand
and nine hundred, shall receive compensation
from the United States as follows, to wit:
1.-The President of the United States shall
deliver TO every State, bonds of the United
States, bearing interest at the rate of - per
cent per annum, TO an amount equal to the sg-
gre gatr sum Of for each slave shown to
have bt Ell therein, by the eighth census of the
United States, said bonds to be delivered to
such State by instalments, or in one parcel, at
lie completion Of the abOlishmCnt, accordingly
az the same shall have been gradual, or at ons,
time, within such State and interest shall be-
gin 10 run upon any such bond only from the
proper time of its delivery as AFORESAID Any
State having received bonds aforesaid, and
afterwards Teintroducing or toleratng siaverp
therein, shall refund to the United State& the
bor us so r. ceived, or the value thhreOf and all
interest paid thereon.
"ARTiCLE-. All slaves who shall have
enjoyed actual freedom by the chances of the
War,at any time before the end of the rebellion,
shall b.. forever free but all owners of such,
W no shall not have been disloyal, shall be
COMPENSATED for them, at the same rates as is
Provided for States adopting abolis ishment of
siaEcry, tul IN such way, that no slave shall
be twice accounted TOR.
"ARTICLE-. Congress may appropriate
money, and otherwise provide, for colonizing
free coIored persous, with their own consent,
d any place or places without the United
States.
articles at some loneeh. Without slavery the
rebellion conld never have existed: without
slavery it could not continue.
D.: Among the friends Of the Union there is great
diversity Of sentiment. and of policy, in regard
10 slavery, and the African race amongst u.s.
some would pernetitate slavery, some would
abolish II suddenly, and without compensation;
some would abolish il gradually, and with
compensation; some would rtmuv. the freed
p, opie from u.s. and some would Retain them
with rs; and there are yet other minor DIVERSE
tics. Because Of these diycrsitias, we waste
much strength in struggles among ourseles
BY mutual concession we should harmoni.e,
and act.togetier. This would be compromise;
bUt II would be compromise among the frien a.
and not with the enemies Of the UniDn. These
articles are intended to embody piar of such
mutual concessions. Ii the plan shall i,c adopt
ID, il is assumed that emanCiDa ion will follow
1t least, in Sc eral OF the States.
As TO the first article, the main points are:
ms, the emant ipa ion secondly, the length of
time for consumating it-thiIty-seyen wears:
and thirdly ,.the compensation.
lie emancipation Will be unsatisfactory TO
the adyocates of Perpetual slavery; but the
dissatisfaction The time sIares both races
from the evils of sudden derangemo nt-in fact,
from tne necessity ot any derangement-while
most OF those whose habitual csurse of thought
viii be disturbed by the mt asure will have
passed away before its consuInmation. Tkey
will never see it. Another class will hail the
prospect of emancipation but will denrecate
The length of time. They will feel that 1t gives
too little to the now living slaves But it really
gives them much. 1t saves them from the va
grant destitution which must largely attend
immediate emancipation in localities where
their numbers are very great and it gives the
inspiring assurance that their posterity shall
be free forever. " lis -
The plan leaves to each State, choosing to act
under ii, to abolish slavery now, or at the end
OF the century, or at any Intermediate time or
by degrees, extending over the whole or any
part Of the period; and it obliges no two States
10 proceed alike. 1t also provides for compen.
sation, and generally, the mode of making it.
This, II would seem, must further mitigate the
dissatisfaction of those who favor perpetual
slavery, and especially Of those who are to re-
ceiye the compensation. Doubtless some OF
those who are to pay, and not to receive, will
obltct. Yet the mt asure is both Just and eco
slaves is the destruction of fproperty-property
acquired by descent, or by purchase, the same
as any other property.
1t is no less true for having been often said,
that the people Of the South are not more re-
spcnsible for the original introduction OF this
property, than are the people Of the North; and
when it is remembered how unhesitatingly we
all nse cotton and sugar, and share the profits
OF dealing in them, it may not be safe to say,
that the South has been more responsible than
tie North, for its continuance. IT, then, for a
common object, this property is to be sacrificed,
is 1t not just that it bc done at a common
charge!
And if, with less money, or money more easily
paid, we can preserve the benefits of the Union
by this means, than we can by the war alone,
is il not also economical to do it Let us con-
slider it then. Let us ascertain the sum we
have expended i'll the war since compensated
eman cipation was proposed last March, and
consider whether, if that measure had been
promptly accepted, by even some Of the slave
States, the same sum would not ha ye done more
to close the war, than has beeHother wise done.
If SO, the measure would save money, and, in
that view, would be a prudent and economical
measure. Certainly it is not SO easy to pay
all, 4 iS tn hrt a ;c