Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-10-06
Emancipationa as viewed by n Repub.
lican.


The Newburyport Herald, Republican news
paper, believing that the Constitution confers on
the General Government no power to alter the
domestic relations Of the States, and holding that
an effort ON the part of a civilized Government to
engender servile insurrection is contrary to the
usages of warfare recognized by Christian
tions, in series of ably written editorials, com
pletely refues lhe subterfuges which the radicals
use as reasons whv Mr.. LINCOLN should ignore
the law of the land and cut loose from the moor
ings of the Constitution. The following is No.
3 of the series, and, as it comes from a man who
voted for the present vacillating and weak
minded President. we conceive it to be meet that
our political opponents should know what con-
servative Republican thinks of the emancipation
proclamation:
Our third objection to proclamation of eman-
cipation is that it would be contrary to the usages
of civilized warfare. 1t is plainly proposition
to ncite domestic insurrecton for the massacre of
millions of people portion of them supposed to
be loyal. and one half OF them defenceless women
and children. We do notquote here the censures
heaped upon the Europeans who, in former DAYS,
moved the Indians TO atrocious deeds; but let us
turn TO other cases. Said John Quincy Adams
in his correspondence relating to British Admiral
Cochranes proclamation referring 10 slaves in the
war of 1912: at is not conformable to the es-
tablshed usages of war among civilized nations" I"
again: THE principle is that the emancipation of
enemy's slaves is not among the acts of egit-
mate war;" once more: 1.-The right of putting TO
death all prisoners in cold blood and without
special cause, light as well be pretended to be a
law of war; or the right to use poisoned weapons,
or 10 assassinate.
John Quincy Adams was right. Napoleon
refused TO arm the Russian serIs against their
masters though they were OF the same race and
color, even when they came in Thousands offering
their services. Revolu;ionists have resorted to
such warfare but il would not he tolerated by the
civilized nations Ot this age.
But suppose such proclamation would ac-
complish even so much; by what authority can it
be done1 We contending for the Constitu-
ton as il is. and under the Constitution. Ii not,
we must be in violation of it, and without sane
ton of law, in which case jeff Davis's Govern
ment is Just as legitimate as ours, and the rebel
States are the United States as much as the
Northern States.
In subduing rebellion-of which this is the
most infamous the world ever saw-we can go as
far as the Constitution allows, aud there we must
STOP We know it is becoming common in this
day for persons to say will exercise certain
powers, Constitution or no Constitution, but that
that is the doctrine of revolutionists-of the
Robespierres and Murats, who in ninety days of
administration would plunge this people into all
the horrors of the French revolution, when no
mans life wouid be safe and all property would
be worthless.
Mr.. Lincoln is not of this class, he and his
Cabinet and the Congress derive their powers
from the Constitution, and TO that they must ad-
IN all hat. .racfrrt
Abraham Lincoln is President at Washington:
beyond and without it he is simply A Lincoln, of
Illinois, and has no more rights or powers than
has Sam Jones of Seabrook. 1T that Constitu-
ton gives him the power to emancpate slaves
within the States and against the will of the
loyal people thereof-for the loyal people are the
State-then he can do il; if not, then the States
or the people have retained that right to them
selves, and he has no more power TO deal with
the matter than we have with the specie in the
vaults of the New York banks Before he pro
ceeds-unless he can see bis authority, which we
fail to-let him ask the States, or if the crisis is
so great as not 10 admit of delay let him at least
do as much as did Louis Napoleon, when he
would prolong his term of office, appeal 10 the
people. Let him hear what the border States
will say-what the great Northwest will say
what every State west OF the Hudson river will
say; ave. and what New England even will say
But We have the right in the war power, they
tell US. War power. War power. What is that?
Will somebody please define it? Does anybody
pretend 70 say that because the nation may be
engaged in war therefore the President is endow-
ed with absolute authorityl-that he may say the
public good and the national welfare demand this
or that, and go and do il, of his own Will Why,
the Autocrat of Russia has no more power, and
Nero in his blOodiest days never dared exercise
SO much. Why, what does this power-this war
power-enable the Government to do?-to take
your property and mine. when we are loyal citi-
zensg If not. then il can not take the property
of any Southern man who may be loyal citizen.
Will it justify the instigation of the servants
about your house or mine TO burn the house over
our heads and our infant children and defenseless
women in themf Then il will not admit of such
crimes in Virginia and Tennessee How strange