The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1862-12-12
The Presidents Message on Emancipa
ton.


COW of which is herewith submitted. In
accordance With the purposes expressed IN
the second paragraph OF that paper. now
respectfully recall your attention to what
may be called compensated emancipation" "
A uation may be said to consist of its tor.
ritory. its people, its laws. The territory Is
of certain durability. "One generation
passoth away and an thor generation oomolh,
but tho earth abidetb forever" 1t is of tho
FIRST Importance to duly consider and osti
malo this mover. ending part. That portion
Of the oarths surface which is owned aud
inhabited by tho people Of tho United
States, is we'll adapted to tho homo Of one
national family, aud it is not we'll adapted
for two or more. Its vast extent, aud it's
variety Of climate aud productions, are Of
advantage in tho age OF our people, what
ever thuy might have boon in tormor ages.
Stoam, and telographs. and intelligence,
have brought those to be an advantageous
combtna alton for ono united people.
In tho Inaugural Address briefly pointed
out tho total inadequacy of dsunion as a
romcdy for differences between tho people
of the two sections. l did so in language
which cannot improve, and which, there
foro, beg TO repeat. ..
One section of our country believes sla
very is right and ought to be extended,
whilo tho other believes it is wrong aud
ought not to DO extended. This is tho ouly
substantial dispute.
Tho fugitive slave clause of the Constitu-
tion and tho law for tho suppression of the
African slave trade, arc each as well en-
forced, perhaps, as any law can ever bo in q
community whero tho moral souse of tho
people imperfectly supports tho law itself.
Tho great body OF the people abide by tho
legal obligations in both cases, aud few
b. eak over each. This, think, cannot bu
perfectly cured, and it would be worse in
both instances after separation of the SEQ
tious than before. ..... s.. ...
Tho foreign slave trade. now imperfectly
suppressed, would be ultimately revived
without restriction in one section, while
fugitiyes, now only partially surrendered,
would not be surrendered at all by tho
other. Physically speaking, wo cannot
separate. We cannot remove our respective
sections from each other. nor build an i'm.
passable wall between them. A husband
and vito may be divorced and go out of the
presence and beyond tho reach of zach
other but tho different parts of our country
cannot do this.
They canno. but remain face to face, and
intercourse, either amicablo or hostile, must
continue between them. Is IL possible, thon,
to make that intercourse moro advanta
geous or moro satisfactory after separation
than before Can aliens mako treaties
easier than friends can mako laws Can
treaties be moro faithfully enforced betwocn
aliens than laws can among friends: Sup
pose you 60 to war, you cannot fight always
and when, after much loss on both sides
and no gain on either you cease fighting
the Identical old questions as TO torms ol
intercourse are again upon you.
Thore is no limo. straight or crooked
suitable for national boundary, upon
which to divide Trace through from cast
to west, upon the line between the free
and slave country. and we shall find little
moro than ono third of its length arc rivers
easy to be crossed. and populated, or soon
to DO populated. thickiy upon both sides
whilc ia nearly all its remaining length arc
merely surveyors lines. over which people
may walk back and forth without any con
sciousncss of their presence. No part o
this line can be made any more difficult tc
pass by writing it down on paper or parcb
mcnt as national boundary.
Tho fact of separation, If il comes. givo'
up on tho part of tho secoding section tn,
IuBtlfO bIhFO uionR WIN UT oNuS
oonsttu tional obligations upon tho section
seeded from, while should expect n
treaty stipulation would evor DO made 4
take its place. ''
i But thoro is another difficulty. 'Th
great interior region, bounded oaSt by th
/ Allephanics. north by tho British dominions
west by the Rocky Mountains, and south b,
tho limo along which tho cultivation of corr
,I sun al
of Tonuossec. all Kentucky. Ohio, Michigan
! Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri. Kansas, low
and Minnesota, and the Territories of Da
aotah, Nebraska, and part OF Colorado
have above ten millions Of people. and will
have fifty millions within fifty years, ii no
prevented by any political folly or mistake
1t contains more than ono-thrd OF th
country owned by the revolted States, Ger
tuinly moro than one million of surface
miles ono half as populous as Massachu
setts already is. it would have more thai
> seventy Ave millions of people. A glanc
: at tho map shows that, tcrrtorially speak
ing, is the great body Of tho Republic
Tie other parts are but marginal border
to it, tho magnificent region slipping ives
4 from the Rocky Mountains to tho Pacific
being the deepest and also the richest Il
: undevelopod resources in the production q
4, provisions, gra nF. grasses, and all whic
: proceeds from them. This great in:erio
region is naturally one Of tho most import
ant in the world. Ascertain from the sts
tistics tho small proportion of the regio
, which has not as yot been brought into cuI
:ivation, and also the largo and rapidly in
croasing amount Of its products, aud W
shall be overwhelmed with the magnitud
of the prospects presented and yet this re
giou has no seacoast, touches no ocean any
where. As part of ono nation it's peopl
now may find, and may forever find tho
: way, to Europe by New York, to Sout
0 America and Africa by New Orleans, an
to Asia by San Francisco.
But separate our common country int
. two patons as designed by tho preseE
!, !, rebellion, and every man in this great IL
terior region is thereby cut of from som
one or more of these outlots, not pefhaI
:. by physical barrier, but by embarrassin
, and onerous trade regulations, and ths
i true wherever a dividing or boundary Lin
may be fixed. Place it between theHno
e FREQ and slave country, or place il south {
a Kentucky, or north of Ohio, and still th
/. truth remains that none south of IL ca
r trade to any port or place north of it, an
4 mono north Of il can trade to any port
: place south ofit except upon terms dictate
by government foreign to them. Thet
outlets. east, west and south, are indiepeusi 81