The national Republican., 1862-06-20
The Ema nc,pat,on Commission.

will appear tonight in another ofstheir select
entertainments. 7, n'.h1 ad' 70 ''. so
The Emancipation Commission. -
1t ia due to the Commissioners appointed
under the Emancipation Act, and 10 the public,
that the method they have adopted f0r the IA
o,rtainment Of the value Of the slaves. whtoh
seems tn be misunderstood by many should be
explained. This we propose briefly to do sfter
free conversation with the Commissioners
upon the subject, In which their reasons for
the course they are pursuing were given With
out reserve. 1t Ia known that the Emancipa
tion Act has fixed \ maximum average Of CON.
pensation to the slaye.ownsrs. and that this
average is three hundred dollars per head.
At this rate, the sum total Of compensation
cannot exceed nine hundred thousand dollars
for three thousand slaves, and the law assumes
that no more than that number were In the
District at the date of It's passage. . II there
were but two thousand FIVE hundred slaves, the
aggregate compensation cannot exceed seven
hundred and hfty Thousand dollars. But In
either case, the Commissioners may adopt a
lower rate Of compensation than the maximum
fixed by law, If they shall be convinced that
that rate is too high. .'l -. ,
Their present Impression IL, that the ma aximun
allowed by the aot IL not more than fair 70.
muneratOn to the claimants; and their opinions
on this subject are based on the testimony
which has been ELECTED In the examination OF
the slaves with view TO their appraiaement.
II seems that up to the 10th day of April, when
the act went into operation, tho great mass of
the slaves were actually rendering service To
their owners, or beiDg hired out ut the usual
rates of wages. In the former Gases, their
labor saved the hiring of free servants ut the
customary rates, and In the latter their wages
constituted n substantial income 10 their
owners. Taking this actual income derived
from the slaves rs test 0f their value, the
Commissioners believe that they we're worth
lowed by the law. Still, II would be an inter.
minabe labor TO ascertain the value Of each
slave by this method In which their chances
Of life, their hire for u series Of years, their
possibilities OF escape, and other ciroum
stances, would require an elaborate oxlouia
lion in each individual case. To avoid this i'm
practicable Q, aud within the time limited by law,
Impossible method Of procedure, they have
rssorted TO the obvious. and st the same time,
NJ they suppose, more satisfactory plan 0f
known standard Of prices.
1t Is immaterial, that on principles of striot
equity and absolute right, these shareholders
had no Just claim to the wages Of their slaves
ants Ia not good, but at the same time admits
that there is q color Of title-s;rengthen enad BY
time-if not ago d legal title, which should not
be destroyed without Offering fair and reason
but the compliant has boon made, that the
Commissioners, instead Of estimating the value
of the slaves upon the basis OF these facts, 70.
garding their actual utility to their owners at
Inc tlm6 IUO ACl Vi 0hduClphu0n WAS pAhAou,
have gone back to the period Of, highest prices
prior 10 the Commencement Of the war. IgL.s 80
Their reasons for this course are these: They
find, upon the testimony Of those most GOnvsf
SAINT with the subject. that slaves which con-
tinued In service, though ACTUALLY ~ valuable
to their owners on the 18th day Of April last ~
they were two years ago, had no nxed Standard
of value. No one was willing ~ buy property
which might join the army, or take flight to the
North in twenty.four hours. The temporary
n TTpipn and tha n Ri nj " n
the future, consequent upon the war, had Of
themselves done much to destroy the value OF
slave property; while the presence Of one hun.
droi and nfty or two hundred thousand soldiers
around Washington, together with the moral Of
feot Of the Emancipation Act itself, had COMPILE.
ted the ruin OF that species Of value In all this
section Of country. % .L.g ILL.,, tr,l--
1t was therefore next to impossible for the
any correct idea of the relative value OF slaves
without going back /, period whom sales were
numerous.
In point Of fact, the Commissioners have
taken the last scsls Of current prices which has
medi 4tely prior TO the rebellion. Tie most re-,
cent sales and prices are Of course best rsmem.
bered, and II Ia therefore easier to refer the
value of each slave 10 the standard furnished
by those sales, than to any other. To aid them
stone. have summoned An extensive dealer In
slaves from Baltimore whO has, ut their request,
brought with him his accounts Of purchases for
Il number Of years past. They are thus sna-
b ed to test the accuracy OF his estimates In
each Case by his own extensive business trans-
actions. r -.sygr.. '.alf.I ..t..-r.
The high figures actually agreed upon
as the appraised values will necessarily bs
scaled down To tile standard hxsd by law
and may be reduced to an average Of 500 or
5000, with equal facility AS to $500, the maxi
mum allowance. H.. a.....rs
In order to avoid inn position, the Commission.
ers have advertised IN the daily papers OF the
city Il complete list OF the petitioners, with the
names of the slaves claimed by them. The oh.
ject of this publication H. TO Gall forth informa.
rion going to show that the claims are fraudu
lent. or that the petitioners, by reason Of dis.
loyalty, are not entitled ~ com senaxtion. They
receive the testimony offered by the petition
ers as to the validity OF their olalms, Ut the
time of tho appraisement. But evidence going
TO impeach the claims viii bs heard as well ~
the replication OF the iclalnant, vt any uDs
previous to their final report. The amplest
time Ia therefore given for the defeat OF fraud
ulent or disloysl claimants. uI hrs 'Jnl.u-a
We are authorized to say that the various
stories which aredin circulation, to the effect
that the Commissioners have decided pOints VI
law, or have adopted n rule Of legal intorprS'
alion. which VIII exclude many from the bon
efts Of the act, which liberal construction
hrln xuitb ,erta anti alxr