, 1862-08-19
TIE POLICY OF EMANCIPATION,
Words Of a True Demoorat--Letter
from Robert Dale Owen.

T. TIE Hon. EDWIN &c STANTON, secretsry
II War.-s1R: My political antecedcuts are
lroWn to You. Always democrat, but never
proRlavery democrat; opposed, in principle |
nd feeling, from my youth up, to human
'lavery, but believing until receatly that, In
If wisdom in the North to abstain from inter
trence with the ger.franght domestic in
'tituticn of the South, and to trust to time for
's eradication; opposed, with q heredisary
version, to war, I was willing, before the |
,wora was drawn, to make any honorable CON
eessions that might avert It's horrors
But political Commissions bring with them !
great lessons and new du 1ss. War would |
not, under the divine economy, have been per- !
aitted as In all past ages it has been, If it had
pl1rgs we must recognize its necessities.
No civil var Of proportions 80 gigantic as !
That nov raging, ever existed IN the world |
before. It differs from al others, both in the
results sure to eusue from Its protractlon be-
yond brief period, and in the conditions
good: In calculating these, time is an essen
tial element
Seven or eight hundred millions are spent
At the best, as much more Is likely to go.
Two thousand millions or upward Il not an
improbable total. That is half the national
debt OF England and the interest on it
(probably At double the rate she pays will
make our annual burden nearly equal to hers.
If the War lasts three years longer, these
figures may be doubled- 1t must not last
thiee Jeate longer, unless we are willing to
risk national bankruptcy.
How is 1t to be terminated9
By concession? That is no longer In our
power. We can buy truce, q pause, by con-
ceEsion to the South; nothing more
By force Of arms, thens But II BY force, It
And It must be etfsctually done. After Que
such var the nation may revive, Its energies
still elastic; solvent still and respected 4
SECOND will ruiz it financially, to say nothing
Of worRe rnin- To save the coun try, then,
the war must not terminate without q suf6-
Gent guaranty against its resumption.
How can the var be quickly and efectually
terminated9 What guaranty is sufficient,
that it will not be resumedf
Gradually> very gradually, IS this contest
proceeded, have qeen approaching the con-
Viction that there is but one such guaranty:
the emancipation Of negro slaves Throughout
this continent. Perhaps-but as to th1ss less
ceItaln-that measure is the only sure meaHs
OF terminating, quickly and etEectuallg, this
War. Ihe recent reverse under Gen. McClel-
Ian, the, scattered rebel fires daily bursting
forth In Stats which our forces had already
eyeffnD, the fact that We are fighting against
brave men Of our own race, all iuersase the prof.
ably that We must deprive the South OF 1e-
gal right to its tour million lsborers before
We can succeed against their masters in s
1tASVuA01E tluE duI Ill I'LL E3lEELull 1n3QQGE.
an not an advocate Of revolutionary short
cuts out Of difficulty. am not in favor of
violating the constitution by way of escaping
dargtr- There might be Immediate ad-
vantage, but the precedent Is replete with
peril.
Could slsrerJ have been abolished, by
Northern action, while peace yet existed be-
tWeen the North and Sourh, without yfola-
tion ct the constitution in other words,
without revolutionary act? Clearly not.
Can slavery be eradica;ed now, ia war, With
out such violation ? Il emancipation be ncces-
ssry to insure the permanent peace and Safety
Of our government, and il We are willing to
pay all loyal slave owners reasonable price
for their slaves, clearly yes.
For no principle in Jaw is better established
than tEis, That when important public inter-
ests demand it, private property may be taken
at tair appralsement, Tor public use. The
! opening Of ret In improving city, the
runbilg OF ra:lEcad, are held, Ia this and
other civilized countries, to be objects Of suE
| fcitnt importance to justify what the French
laws " appropriation Jorcee pour cause d uttl,tt
But Of importance how utterly trivial Is the
| opening Of street, or Of railroad, compared
to the preservation, in its integrity, OF the
| greatest republic upon earth!
Ought We to declare general emancipation,
coupled With provision Tor the payment, to
all loyal Shareholders, of the fairly appraised
! value Of their slaScs This question resolves
| Itself into another: Have things gone SO FL
negro slavery within its borders, eau no long
| er co-exis1e That is the great question o
the day. think it must be answered, ever
now in the affirmative. Every month tha
passes Is converting hundreds Of thousands 0
moderate and conservative and peacs-losin!
men to the SAME opinion. They despair q
sectional friendship or national peace, INIT
the teeming Causes Of mortal hatred aud ciyi
war is rooted out forever.
Have We the means Of paying loyal slave
owners fair price for their slaves 1t nc &c
now, before protracted contest has exhauste'
our resources, yes. If We wait the termina
tion Of 8 three or four years. war, very ce1
talnly no.
In that price deportation must not be est
mated. The South asserts that negro slave
are Indispensable to her. Thst Il ouly SO fa
true that she does absolutely need hired negr
workmen, and ought not to be deprived {
| them. Her agriculture would for time,
ruined without tpenl- But no good MN dc
eues q settlement under which any sectio
Of our country would be even temporaril
ruined.
Nor can it be doubted that the South how
ever strong her preiudices and traditions
favor of owning ntr laborers, has herself bee
brought, by the perils OF the hoqr, to thin
seriously Of cnange Of system rs the onl
means left her to obLain aid aud comfort froI
Europe. Nor can all her leaders be who'll
blind to the fact that such change Of sJstel
would advance, in the end, beyond calcu1:
tion. her materla1 prosperity
Suppose declaration, to the effect that Il
government, urged By the necessity OF sci
preservation. takes, at fair valu atioD, tt
slave property Of the South! Will such
, claratlon cause negro tnsurrcction and indi
. eliminate assassination Of whites througho'
: the 6;aye Statese The result, so far, has clear
shown that the negro, mild and long-snffsrlo
, and often attached to his owner, is little. dt
posed to resist, under IN organization Of b
; own. Once assured OF freedom, he will grad
, ally join our cause-that is all. He can ths
c be hired as laborer or soldier, as may seem
i payment being made for him If his mast
: proves loyal, and his services being eondsc
ted if the se are due to rebel In all this !
are clearly in our right. .
Look now st the question In Its foreign s
Q pect, under the chances OF European interve
= tion. Be those chances great OF small, fnte
+ ventfon mDy occur, and that ere long.
Hit occur, its character will chiefly depel
e upon WhatY shall have been the autecedent s
y ton flour government in regard to slavery.
II, previously to such intervention, We sn'
have Issued q general declaration of emau
70 patton, then We shall stand before Europe
% the champions Of human liberty, Whlle o
e enemies Mil be regarded as the advocates
lr in France, aud throughout Europe general
will then prevent the respective goveramet
d from intervening, except it be in our favs
'e No European government dare place itself
q the attitude Of 8 slavery protector.
q If, On the contrary, We shalt have left t
n Issue as 1t now stands, cur policy fndicat
e. only by the con6scation act, not broadly q
q boldly announced, and more especially If
South, despairing Of saving her lavoriie ms
~ tutiop, comedies, as the price OF foreign rec,
T. milton ard support, voluntary system
st gradual emancipation-not at all an unlk
le move-then the sympathy Of public opini
Of throughout Europe will be with the Sou
II and will sustain any action in her favor.
ut Think, too, in such an event, how false {
es position! how low we shall have fallen
re the eyes Of the wo1Idi hoH unenviable
place we shall occupy in history through
Il tmet
u It is idle gaeconade to say that, thus 81
re ated, We can defy Europe. LIT the South,
ot concedipg emancipation, secure the sympa]
N icEs Of laborers, without action Of ours; Il
7e throw into the scale against us the lhi
millions Of England, the forty millions
% Frence-and Who shall say how many tens
I'll millions beside ?-and what chance for succs
he or for reputation, shall re have, .6truggl
ey for nothing nobler than self existence,
lc- eonivoca1 attitude before the world, mate!
y, agajnst opponents who shall have f0festal
Ee Us and assumed the Initiative Of progress ?
While the contest assumed no higher Ct
re acter than thst OF q portion Of great nat
desiring separation from the mother com
'as and 5oTcibly casting off its authorlEy, =
re more sympathy can we expect from Eur
n, than ne ourselves gave to Spain when she
ne Mexico, or to mexico when Texas struck
no | Independence? Until tae issue is changed
re that the great question of human liberty
ice comes involved in 1t, we must expect Fl
European powers at the best Only lndiHere'
Is, coupled, probably, with the feeling tia
l 5.a