Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-10-09
Colonel Forney on the Presidents
L. I..c..l a A...I.

Colonel Forney on the President's
Emancipation Proclamation.
Col. Forney writes from Washington TO the
the Philadelphia Press:
The President has spoken the great word
at TIE right moment. II be had uttered il
in the midst Of our reverses, il would have
been denounced as an act Of. exasperoiion.
He waited until new blaze Of victory ilu.
minated our banners, and then proclaimed
that second Declaration Of Independence
from Slavery, which il certain 20 awaken
more excitement than the first, and. il pos.
sible, TO lead 10 results more novel and
wiie.reachng. Such decree will startle
many convictions. As write millions are
discussing it in every section that is travers
ed By the telegraphio wires twill be greet
ed by many difference, Of opinion. II will
startle the weak, confirm the conscientious
and. for brief period, supply new woap-
on to the sylnpathizers with the common en-
cmy. In this great war all the party di.
visions oi, the loyal States have demanded
that the President should stand by the Con
stitution and execute the laws. His utter
ance Of yesterday was hut the expression Of
the executive duty, in accordance With the
act of Congress, and in this light is entitled
to the obedience and respect of all law abb
ding citizens. But the sens. in which this
noble act Of delivcrance will be received by
the American people trinscenis the narrow
limits OF respect for the statutes OF the Con
gre>s of the United Stl,es
IL supplies the want and the deinanl for n
positive, practical, aud decisive policy. Ii
will consolidate great progressive move.
ment. will satisfy millions who have insisted
that II /, vain to attempt war npon the re
beilion without at the sams time assaiiing
that rebellion in its stronghold, and it will
at once and forever separate the loyal from
the disloyal. The President has calmly and
heroicslly bided his time. For many months
he has resisted the ultra men of his own
party, when they required Of him this very
declaration at an earlier day; and. in resist.
ing them, he has secured the confidence and
regard of thousands who stand ready to sus-
| tain him, when he speaks in his own way
and at lis own convenience. He waited
until the traitors had exhausted the patience
and torbearauce of the Northern people,
until by many new manifestations of vio
lence and cruelty they bad proved their 80.
termination TO wage unc2asing and invcter-
ate war upon tho Government, until they
had invaded Ohio and Indiana, until they
had threatened to deyastats Pennsyvania,
and until thar blood thirsty briganis had
resolved TO destroy their own relatives and
friends in the cities of Nashville and Lou.
isville. At such moment the Presden,
rroclaims that all slaves of rebels shall be
set free, Internationally and forever. on the
first day OF the year of our Lord 1853. HG
gives notice TO the common enemy to pre-.
pare for his coming down. No reasonable
objection can be urged against this Presi.
dental proclamation. 1t cannot excite the
traitors themselves, because they have long
since announced their purpose to be one OF
continued aud remorSeess war upon the
Federal Government. The interest which
might be affected by it, aud which the sym.
pathizcrs in your midst viii attempt to ap.
prosch, is that represented by the majority
| of the Border State Congressman, who re
fused to accept the Presidents offer o.
gradual compensated emancipation. Bu
| this interest, assailed front, flank and rea,
by the Shareholders of the Cotton States
despised, deprecated, and plundered BY
them; It's people impoverished, and impris-
oncd, or driven like outcasts into the Noun
tans of Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky
will undoubtedly refuse to listen to any APP
peal that seeks to stay the hand of avengine
! justice upon Its oppressors. The people oi
the free States, and their brothers in arms
against the rebellion, will not only acquiescC
in this remedy OF the President but viii
hail it a. an inevitable result of the rebel
lion itself. They will see that willie VT
have been dazzled by the philosophy thai
eighteen or twenty millions of free whit,
people can readily suppress the revolt o
eight millions, these latter have from th,
beginning of the war been supplied with al
their material subsistence by the results o
the compelled yet certain labor Of four mil
lions OF slaves; and also that us the whit
producers ofthc loyal States have bee
Withdrawn from various industrial svoca
tions, agricultural, mechanical and manu-
featuring, no element, as in the South, ha
been left to supply the vacuum thus created
Slavery being indspntahy the cause of thi
war, Slavery must perish. In any even
. the Government must not be responsible fo
. its maintenance, or even for its federation
t in the seeding States and districts, in vie,
of the fact that, while it remains there.
/ fosters and feeds the armies of the enemy
/ Whether the proclamation OF the Presider
will be followed by seryile insurrection {
will be received by the slaves themselvC
; with favor, is one of those questions whic
: time may solve. The responsibility in ei
, ther case is with the real Abolitionists G
the country, these Abolitionists, the author
of this rebellion, being the slave aristocrat
themselves. What impression Mr.. Lin
, coins proclamation will make upon ioreig
nations remains to be seen. Happily, a
5 far as Great Britain is concerned, she car
not hate us with more bitter hatred.
4 will most certainly add to her guilt and t
our strength. II will prove that, in thi
: struggle. for the preservation OF the Reput
, lie, we have not hositated TO take the re
+ sponsibility of saving ourselves and Of STR
. king Slavery the severest blow it has eve
t received since the day it was planted on ou
Q shores by the English Goverpment
GIN. MORGAN has arrived on the Obi