Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-12-10
Wednesday Morning Dec 10Th 1869,
THE MESSAGE

dents message means and nobody is pre-
pared to answer We have read and re,
read it, hoping to qualify ourselves to
meet the intrusive and perplexng inter
, rogalory but the task has turned out to
r be very serious one not that we Lave
any difficulty in discovering the proper
} impor, Of the language of each paragraph
peculiar as is the style OF the paper
We can do this readily enough, We can
surely understand that III Is not so easy 70
pay something az il istopW nohin9j int II is
elsi5r to pay large sum hm il IS to pay Lr'
ger Ons." But it is when taken us whole,
and considered in connection with other
papers of the President-inseparab con.
nected with the subject matter Of the
message-that it becomes incomprehensi.
ble to US ~ an exposition ofthe policy ofthe
/ Administration. We can safely say, how
ever, that it means negro emancipation
negro colonizaton-negro war, and negro
taxes. !. also means that the Union rs it
~9S Is not to exist again, and that Mr..
Lincoln and his friends kave determined
to dictatea Union to suit themselves and
drive the negroes of tire SUulh out OF their
present homes, though they should never
find others. But how all this is TO be
done is not so easily discovered nor is il
clear to our mind that Mr.. Lincoln intends
his policy TO apply to the States in rcbell-
ion at all lit looks more like an effort to
drive the border slave States into omanci-
patton, snd then, in the language Of Mr..
Greely-whose political pcotcge the Pres
! idcnt is -"let the Cotton States elope."
j But let us look at this emancipation bus
sncss for moment; As means Of per-
manent peace and union among the States,
Mr.. Lincoln urgently recommends the
amendment of the Constitution so as -
guarantee to any State in which slaves are
now held, and that may emancipate them
Al any time between this and the end Of
the present oouturr, O'pc0ifcd price for
each slave SO emancipated-to be paid in
the bonds Of the United States; AMI re-
quring any State that may adopt This
measure, and afterwards re-establish slave
", 10 refund the bord, he also wauts the
Cousutution so amended rs to authorize
Congress to appropriate money, and OH
crwise provide, for colonizing free persons
of coler, at their option, anywhere outside
Of The United STATES.
Then follows what would seem 10 he
text for this policy, in the shape Of very
absurd assumption, to wit ',oithoU slavery
the rebellion could rcrcr hare ergtsi; 's,thom
sltrery L co,,H not continue 1T the balance is
logical sequence the cause must be re>
moved before the effect can aease the ,oar
mast 90 on I'll ,lnery /, saded. But Mr.. Lin>
coin had previously proclaimed to the
world, that, Gil the lSt day Of January
next, he should, 10y proclamation, cman.
cipatc and forever set free, all the slaves
now held in the rebellious States aud he
repeats the same assurance in his late
message Then why this new scheme Of
emancipation, nt the option OF the States,
and At anv time within hirt,,srysn ysar,'
If he has the Constitutional right. and the
power 10 free the slaves by PROCLAMATION
in a single day, aud is determined to do
an vh,, will rnmoin ror his Now scheme 10
accomplish Ifhe has not the right, nor
the mower to free the slnyes bv nroc, anna.
tomas everv body knows he bas not
and as he hns often shown himself be has
nol-then vby triAo with the public by
urcteudino TO such riyht9 Then. again.
if there can be no peace till the final over
row Of slavery il proyided for, and if
TINT ouost;on beIoncs 70 tl,e States-os Mr.
Lincon's nev scbeme eeen,s to indicate-
,ybv did be moi invite than r. moo, in
Convention aud sat,Io # far tborseIYos
and bus,olo Il ont of ,ba bo,ds or ;ryo,.