The national Republican., 1862-11-04
THE PREslDENv,s PROCLAMATION
AVN TIlE CONSTITUTION.

| IHA PRE2uDENVvS PhOCLh"hAhpN
AND THE CONTRIBUTION.
There has been much frothy defamation
and pointless diatribes upon this document.
Men have reasoned upon this subject precisely
rs they would have done had Congress or the
President proposed this measure in the time OF
peace. They have ignored entirely the state
OF che country, AMI sat down to this discussion
as though one half of the States Of this Union
We're not in rebellion, andputting forth all their
strength to overthrow the Constitution and the
Government.
The wrong education And the almost insane
bias Of many of our public men and editors in
favor OF slavery has led to this result. II seems
almost impossible for many persons here In
the North ever to see that slavery is the cause
Of all our troubles as q nation. Hence, when
II is proposed to deal with the institution as
the necessities Of the war and sound policy
dictate, they set up cry for its constitutional
immunities to exist unharmed. They even go
so far as to say that we must protect slavery at
the expense of our national life.
We find, in the Richmond Whiy an article
which has been quoted extensively in Northern
journals, from the Memphis BuVetin, showing
up what it considers the Presidents wrong
doing in issuing this proclamation. After con
sidering the Presidents interview with the
Chicago committee, the Bulletin proceeds to
say:
AFTER the President answers these objec-
lions, we would like to have his explanation Of
mi la
by Congress the llth day of February, ls6l:
Resoiued, That neither Congress, nor The
people, nor the Governments Of the non. slaves
holding States, have the right to legslate upon
| or interfere with slavery in any Of the slave
holding states of the Union.'
Il thea proceeds to quote from the Chicago
platform, as follows:
" RtSoIUed, That the maintenance, inviolate,
OF the rights of the States, and especially the
right of each State. to order and control It's own
domestic institutions according to it's own iudg>
ment exclusively, is essential to the balance of
power on which the perfection and endurance
or our political fabric depend"
Now, all this ia done with flourish, as much
as to say, we have annihilated the Presidents
| right to issue such proclamation.
There has never been but one opinion in this
country, either North or South, upon this
power over slavery 10 the States where It ex-
ist,: and that has been uniformly, with very in.
considerable exceptions in perfect coincidence
with the resolution quoted above, passed by
Congress February llth, 1861, and the resolu
;ion ol the Chicago platform.
Nobody. to any extent, has ever claimed
that, under the Constitution, In time of peace,
either the President, or Congress, or the State
Legislatures of the free States, could interfere
with slavery in the States where 1t exists So
universal is this sentiment, that even the Ameri-
can Anti.slavery Society has provision in its
Cun'itUtion declaring and affirming this doc.
TRUE. 1t il because the Constitution affords
| this protection 10 slavery that MIR. Garrison and
Mr. Phillips, with others who sympathize with
them. have made war upon the Constitution,
| calling it "a covenant with death and an
| t.. cement with hell" They have never al.
| tered IN" constitution OF their society, but
leaving It TO this day precisely as it was origi
ni5Iy adopted, rs affirmative Of the doctrine
for which we are now contending.
The Presidents proclamation then stand.
upon war principles and war necessities, and
the quotation Of the Constitution against it, or
ol sucu resolutions rs the above, have no more
force than so much blank paper. II were jus,
aF relevant TO quote the Constitution and these
! resolutions against the right to shoot rebels on
the battle field, 10 take them prisoner>to take
their horseP mules, cotton, &c, etc. Thesear
the necessities 9. the war, and these proceed.
ingH are therefore right and proper. Nobody
disputes this. They had as WE'LL though, as to
diapute the right to abolish slavery. II the
former is a necessity Of the war the latter is
equally so. The truth o the matter is. the righ,
to preserve the Government is The great riqL.
under The Constitution, aud all other thngs are
subordinate.
| We Observe that the Inteuigsncer of Friday
last has long article headed Emancipation
an Expedient and not Principle" 1t is per
haps TO be regretted that the Inteligsncer ha:
been SO long in getting it's eyes open. Had il
taken this view of the subject when the procla
nation was first issued, though Its reader,
might have missed some fine writing, 1t woult
certainly have given correcter view of thi.
question, and done itself more credit. 1t can
no. be possible that our neighbor did not un
derstand the proclamation in this light from
| the start.
Il a