Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-03-14
Message from the President.

WASHINGTON, March g.
The president to-day transmitted TO Con-
gross the following message:
Fello,c Citi=ens Of The Senate and House Of Rep
rcscntatires:
recommend the adoption Of joint resolu-
tiou by your honorable bodies, which shall be
substantially as follows:
Resolued, That the United States ought to
cooperate with any Stute which may adopt
gradual abolishment of slavery, giving to such
State peeuniary aid, TO be used by such State
in its discretion to compensate for the incon-
venienccs, public and private produced by such
change Of system.
If the proposition contained in the resolu-
ton does not meet the approval of Congress
and the country, there is the end; but if it does
command such approval. deem it of impor-
tance that the States and the people immedia e.
ly interested should be at cnce distinctly Motif
cd of the fact, so that they may begin to con-
slider whether to accept or reject it.
The Federal Government would find its high
est interest in such measure as one Of the
most efficient measures of selEprcscrvation.-
The leaders of the existing insurrectiOn en!er-
tain the hope that the government will ulti-
matey be forced to acknowledge the indepen-
deGce of some part Of the disaffected region,
and that all the slave States nDrih of such
parts will then say, ''the Union, for which we
have struggled, being already gone, we now
choose to go with them." To deprive them of
this hope substantially ends the rebellion, aud
the institution of emancipation completely de-
prives them of it.
As TO all the States intending it, the point
is not that all the States to,erating slavery
would very soon, if at all, initiate emancipation,
but that while the offer is made equally to all,
the more northern shall, by such initiation,
make it certain 10 the more southern that
in no event shall the former join the latter in
their proposed coniederacy. | say initiation,
because it is my judgment gradual and not sud
den, emancipation is better for all. In the mere
financial or pecunidry view, any member of
Congress, with the census tables and Treasury
report before him, can readily see for himself
how very soon the current expenditures of the
war would purchase, at a far valuation, all the
slaves in any named Stale. Such proposition
on the part of the General Government sets up
10 claim or right by Federal a lthority to in
tcrfere with slavery within State limits. refer
ring, as it docs, the absolute control OF tine sub
iect in each case TO the State and its people inn
mcdiately interested. 1t is proposed as mat
| ter of perfectly free choice with them.
| In the annual message last December
thought fit to say that the Union must be pre-
served, and hence all indispensable means must
be employed. | said this not hastily but de-
! liberatly War has been and continues to be
an indispensable means to this end. a practi-
cal acknowledgment of the national author
| ity would at once cease. If, however. rcsis;
anco render the war unecicary and it would
continues the war must also continue and it is
impossible to foresee all the incidents which
may follow. Such as may seem indispensable
or may obviously promise great efficiency to-
ward ending the .truSgle must and will come.
The proposition now made, though an Offer
only, hope it may be esteemed no offence to
ask whether the pecuniary consideration ten
dcrcd would not be Of more value to the States
and private persons concerned than are the inst,
tuition and property in it in the preaseut aspect
of affairs. While it istrue that the adoption
of the proposed resolution would be NEARLY
iuiiatory and not within itselfa practical meas
ure, it is recommended in the hope that it woulG
soon lead to important results. In full view o
my great responsibility to my God and to my
country, earnestly beg the attention of Con
grcss and the people tc the subject
| (5igncd) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.