Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-03-11
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT.
Gradual Emancipation Recommended,
The President transmitted to Congress the fol-
lowing message on the 9th lust

The President transmitted to Congress the fol-
lowing message on the 9th lust
wAsuiNG1es, March G, 1867
Ftloio. Citstns Of tie Sei,ate and House n Re.
pFesentdtires . / commend the adoption Of u Joint
resolution by your honorable bodies which shall
be substantially as follows
Resoirtd. That the United States ought to CO.
operate with any State which may adopt gradual
abolishmept Of slavery, giving to such State
pecuniary aid, 10 be used by such State in its
discretion, to compensate for the Inconvenience,
public aud private, produced by such change Of
system
If the proposition contained in the resolution
does not meet the approval Of Congress and the
country, there is the end, hut fit does command
such approval, deem 1t Of Importance that the
States and people Immediately interested should
he a. onee distinctly notified Of the fact, 50 that
they may begin to consider whether TO accept or
reject ii. The FelerA Government would find
It's highest interest in such IL measure, aa one Oi
the most efficient means Of selt-preservaton
The leaders Of the existing insurreclion enter
tanned the hope that this Government will ulti-
mately be forced TO acknowledge the lndepend-
ence of come part Of the disafected region, and
that all the slave States north Of such parts will
then say--The uniou for which We have struggled
being ali ealy gone, we now choose to 60 with
the Southern section To deprive them ol this
hone substantially ends the rebellion aud the
initiation of emancipation completely deprves
them of il as to N the States nliating II, The
point il not that all the States toleratiDg slavery
would very soon, il ut all, initiate emancipation ,
but that while the offer il equally made to all
the moro Northern shall, by such initiation,
make II certain to the more Southern, that, in no
event, will the former ever join the latter in
their proposed confederaey say initiation
because, ii my judgement, gradual and not sud
| den emancipation is better for ALL In the mere
financial or pecunary views and member of
Congress, with the census tables aud Treasury
reports before him, can readily zee for himself
4 how very soon the current expenditures OF this
war all the slaves in any named State. Such a
proposition, on the part of the General Govern
ment, sets mp no claim as right, by Federal
authority, to interfere with slavery within State
limits, referring, as it does, the absolute control
Of the subject, in each case to the State and its
people Immediately interested. II is proposed
as Il matter Of perfectly free choice with them.
Ia the annual message last December though
tit to say: ''The Union must be preserved and
hence all Indispensable means must be employed" "
| said this not hastily, but deliberately. War
has been made and continues to he an indis-
pensable means to this end A practical reac-
knowledgment Of the national authority would
render the war Unnecessary aud would at once
cease. Ii, however, resistance continues, the
war must also continue aud il is impossible to
foreHee all the incidents which may attend and
all the ruin which may follow it, Such as may
seem indispensable, or may obviously promise
great efficiency towards ending the struggle,
must and will come. The proposition now made
is an offer only. hope it may be esteemed nc
offence to ask whether the pecuniary considera'
tion rendered would not he of more value to the
States and privSte persons concerned than are
the institution and property in it, in the present
aspect Of affairs. While i 10 true that the adop
tion of the proposed resolution would be merely
initiatory, and not within itself q practica
measure, it is recommended, in the hope thai
it would soon lead to important practical
results In full view Of my great responsibility
to my God and my country, J earnestly beg the
attention of Congress and the people to the sub
ject. ABRAHAM LINCOLN.