Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-05-06
FOREIGN INTSS,ELIGENCE.
EN9 EISR PRESS ONLINCOLNS 3OR.
DER STATE E4ANGLPA-
TTON SCHEME.


;Frvn. The Ioadon "I'nes," March eli
For sono tino it has boon expected among
the people OF the Northern American States
that their Government mas about to make some
important decision il respect to Slavery. A
manifesto which should eectrify the Old
World, Gauss & general revulsion Of feeling 10
the side Of the North and seal tho doom Of tho
rebellion even in tho more remote Slave States,
has been looked frr bY persons supposed to
share in some measure the confidence of the
Government. Wo do not know how far tho
Americans will consider that their expecta-
tions have been fulfilled. President Lincoin
has mada a move towards emancipation. He
hiss vantuve1 to lock "the everlasting Negro"
in the facr The hishss. person in tho State
docs ret continue to ignore what has been in
the m:Gds and or The tongues Of millions since
tho outbreak Of the war. So far, then, the
AholGon!sts and tho Black Republicans may
be satisfied. Ths President hay invited the
discussion Ola very delicate and dangerous
question, and nay give courage to al who
GaTt1...' u speak thor uiipds IN il, but VIM
wcr: W,znhold by the fear of Eamperiug the
policy of The Government Like the Sovereign
at an ola tournament, Mr.. Lincoln gives tho
Signal to the knights TO come forward and show
their pro~css But the Message which has
lust baun sQut 10 Congress can hardly be look
OIL upoi! AZ Am thing more than such TN inv!-
ti.i0r. Tno champions and the foes OF Slavery
aro summoned &c tho fight iii the IIslIs oi Con
gross ana in tho Legislatures Of the Border
States. But, rs set, the President does not
show Tia. ht las any plan luG assuring victory
! to The !atl4c. Indeed, ii is already ciesr that,
if Slsyery Is - cease, even IL the Border States,
the change lnEst he accomplished by otGa:
means than those a. which ne points.
/. is mol at7:;iso th.t "e On this Side Of tic
ocean should read ana re read tho paragraphs
| Of the Presidents Message, in tho endesvor to
understand their purpose, Tor the AneTlcdns
themselves aro a7ident!J puzzled. The Abo-
| liiionist newspapers Gre, cf course, pleased to
| fiad that tie Governments al length gives couh
tensncs 20 their cause and there is, moreover,
! in Nil probability, such feeling 0! sstisfac.
ion r. the puhir mind as is naturally pro-
ducsa auoSg n paople who arc exhauSIing
Themselves in n contest Of which they cannot
see the end, by the scmhlalcs Of vigorous
and original policy in their chiefs. But tho
| Presidents outline Of legislation does not
seem to hare commended itself ersn to jour
nails most favorable to his Administration. 1t
is, that Congress should pledge itself 10 Co
operate with ri;c Slave States for the abolition
Of slavery, and should devote the Federal
revenues to the compensation ct :hs mas
ters. Nov, the first thing that occIrs to
US ia, ;ba, lhia is . scheme totally inappi.
cable 10 th4 whole Uaon, which Mr. Lincoln
and bis friends declare 10 os still in exist
snco. TIE slaves throughout thc States were
returned BY the last census at 1000, 000.-
Their vslue is so enormous that it is of little
use 10 calculate it. Since the great increase
in the cultivation Of ccttoa tho price Of good
"6eld hand" has more than doubled, End in
one or two Of tee States the slaves are by far
the most valuable property possessed by the
inhabitants. When We consider the Immense
sums that these Negroes represent, and then
consider tho comparative poverty Of the Fcde~
ration, tho difficulty Of taxation, the present
financial erbarra: snents, the dsbt 40 rapidly
increasing, tee food of paper money, AID the
| resi- lukewa-n2sss CT the American people in
the csuss OF tie Negro, it is not difficult to see
| that tho plan OF Mr. Lincoln iS not intended
to apply to the whole South. TIE Negroes OF
Alabama or Texas may be as much objects Of
| interest to philsnthropsts as the Negroes Of
Maryiand; they have lhs Same claims to be
men snd brothers, they are, beyond doubt,
more hardly worked, thsy are moro Of
ten sold away frcin their families, and
the pictures which orators and novclists have
given of Negro suffering have been copied
| from incidents sought for in the annals OF the
! Cotton States. But the AbolitioIist zeal of
the President stops short OF the region where
slaves are most numerous and most coerced.
With frankncss which seems to be natural,
be avogs that his design is to enanclPate the
slaves in certain O.: the Border States, as .
matter Of policy. The Negroes OF Maryland
and Delaware are few ami comparatively Of
iittls ra!uo. ir Missouri, kentucky, aud even
Toaussses, t!ieY forGl but a snsn part CT tss
population Il hss entered .he minds OF MIR.
Lincoln and hs friends iha. il will be not i'm
possible to induce these Border States to sci!
thei. s.avss TO the Federal Government Or in
fother words, 10 abolish slavery on Eho receip:
Of compensation from the Treasury Of the
| United States In doubtful tone, aod with
awkward phrasealcgy, tEc President tells Con-
gress that nc recommends the schemo TO their
notice, but that if it does not meet with their
approval snd tho approvel Of the country it is
at an end He ttsG goes On to give MS TessonF
for inviting their consideration.
The leaders of the rsurrsction, We are told,
believe that the Federal Government will be
ultimately fpIcsd to acknowledge the inds-
pe,,denca Of some part o! the dtsaf region,
and ;hat then. e7en though tho Border States
might remain for tho time With tic North, they
would take the earliest opportunity OF seced
ing and joining the Southern Ropublic, which
would by that time bo fully organized and
capable at giving them help. We kuow not
if this policy has really found advocates 81
Richmond 1t certainly seems in contracic-
tion with tho very last resolutions OF the Con-
fciorata Congress, which were to the effect
that tie CoIiederacy would never make peace
on tho hssis of giving up any State which
belonged TO it. However, the theory of the
Washington Government is, that SO long as
Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and oven
MARYLAND, contain slaveownors and slaves, the
ConfeGerates will count On their sympathy,
and be disposed to prolo0g resistance: but that
! if Slavery be abolished III these important
States, the Coaiedera:es, reduced 70 the Cotton
and Tobacc, States, and seeing the rpcst popu
lous members Of their league rreVeTsi5ly
incorporated in tho old Union, will bs glad to
submit. Thus, the great objects Of tho "mode-
ate" men at the North would be attained. There
would b. in the newly reconstructed Union
sufficient prcn6ndeIen2e Of Free States to
make another secession impossible; while the
material interests Of Now England and New
York would rot 10 endangered By any i'll
advised application Of AboiitionisE principles
at the extreme Sauth, where Negro Slavery is
necessary fo1 the production Of the great
nat;ona! staple.
We fear, however, that this Utopia Of COM
promise will 10 difficult Of access. Although
ar. Lincoln talks in tho most cautious manner
OF Initiation" and says that "a gradual and
rota sudden emancipation will be better for
all and though he suggests in rather sig
n!heant manner thst 'the current expenditure
o. tho var would "Sery soon purchase all the
slaves in any ,nat1ca State" yet we canno.
thibs that thtTe is much eharco Ct Congress
voting taesparciass even o' the three quarters
OF million o! negroes to bc foHnd in the Bor.
! LaL.. 4