Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1862-03-14
Compensated Emancipation.

Ga the 9th of March, President Lincoln
transmitted special message to Congress,
together with resolution, which he
strongly recommends to that body for pas
sage The resolution provides thus :
&c That the United States ought to co-epe-
operate with any state which may adopt
a gradual adjustment of slavery, giving
to such state pecuniary aid to be used by
such State in its discretion to compensate
for the inconveniences, public and private,
prodrced by such change Of system" If
the states see fit to accept this proposal
they can do So and if they see fit to re-
ject it there is no cempulsion in the prem
Uses thus leaving them free to do as they
please. There is no doubt bat the border
states of Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky,
Maryland, and perhaps others, will gladly
accept the proposition. In fact it looks a
little like an overture to those states when
the President says in his message, g the
point is not that all the states tolerating
slavery would very soon, if at all, initiate
emancipation, but that while the offer is
equally made to ALL the more northern
shall by such initiation, make 1t certain to
the more Southern that in no event shall
the former join the latter in their proposed
Confederacy."
But let it be an overture to the Border
states, or anything else, it is an eminently
sound principle. There is DO attempt to
use force of arms or Federal authority to
suppress slavery in tie states where it now
exists, but humane offer to compensate
by way of pecuniary aid any state or states
that shall conclude to yield compliance to
the proposition.
When President Lincoln took the Pres
idential chair at Washington, it was tho t
by some that the unconditional abolition
Of slavery would be the end and aim of
his administration. Those who were ia
natical enough to dream of such pros
pect have been sorely disappointed. The
President has strictly adhered to the con-
stitution under which be was elected and
which he took solemn oath before high
heaven to uphold. Since the outbreak of
the rebellion this same class of fanatics
have expressed grave fears that President
Lincoln was cringing before the slave pow
er. This idea is shown to be an erroneous
one in the words of the President when be
says the Union must be preserved, and
hence all indispensable means must be
employed" We were never of that
school of politicians who entertained fears
that Lincoln would forget the principles
that elected him. He is thoroughly con-
vinced that slavery is an evil, politically,
morally and socially, and we are willing to
give him our implicit trust, standing as we
do upon the ground Of constitutional oppo-
sition to that institution. He never prom
ised to abolish slavery, and we never ex-
pected or desired that he should, unless it
could be done constitutionally, The propo-
sition now presented by him to the Con-
gress of the nation has no Objectionable
feature save that the people of the north
will have portion of the compensation to
pay, But the north had better pay tax
to rid the land Of an institution fraught
with so much evil than to pay a greater
tax for its support and continuance. We
are well satisfied to trust to time to dis
pose of slavery, provided we can be assur-
ed that pro-slavery men are not at the head
of the Government We do not desire
to see the thing crushed out by violence
or the use of any uncons titutional meas
ules Let it remain in its present limits
and it will soon become extinct,
We sincerely hope that congress will ia
gOrably consider the offer of the President
and pass the resolution presented by him.
1t will work more good to TIE country than
almost any other measure that could be
presented and adopted
Matters at Madison.