The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-07-03

Dispatch to the N. Y. World of Saturday
The President on General Emancipation.
His Reply to the Delegation Of ss Pro-
gressive Friends.''
WASHINGTON, June 20.
This morning an important interview
took place at the White House, between
the President and delegation from
the religious society called the Pro-
eressive Friends, on the subject OF gen.
eral emancipation, during which the
Presidents views were plainly stated.
The delegation was composed of Thos.
Garrett. of Delaware Oliver Johnson,
q well known abolitionist, of New
York; Alice Hembleton, Dinah Men,
denball, William Barnard and Eliza
Agnew, of Pennsylvania and were
presented to the President by Senator
Wilmot accompanied by representa-
tives Kelly, Davis and Campbell, of
Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Johnson addressed the Presi-
dent, and said they did not come rep
resenting any personal or party inter
est. Their clients were four millions
of slaves, who cannot speak, but lift up
their chained hands in agonizing sup
plication for freedom which prayer it
was in the Presidents power, in this
solemn crisis, to grant. He then read
memorial adopted at late meeting,
calling upon the President to issue a
proclamation freeing all slaves, and
stating that IN his speech delivered at
Springfield, before his election to the
office of chief magistrate, the Presi-
dept expressly declared:
ga house divided against itself can.
"not stand. believe this Govern
"ment cannot endure permanently half
slave and half free. ] do not expect
"the Union to be dissolved. ] do not
"expect the house to fall, but expect
cit will cease to be divided. 1t will
"become all one thing or the other"
After the memorial had been read the
President said, as he had not been fur
nished with copy of the memorial in
advance he could not be expected to
make any lengthy remarks. He was
pleased that the delegation had not
come as office seekers, for they caused
him much trouble and perplexity. The
next most troublesome subject was
slavery. He agreed with the memoir
alists that slavery was wrong, and diff
fered only in respect to the ways and
means of getting rid of it. The ex-
tract from this Springfield speech in the
memorial, he said, was incomplete, not
including the sentence to which he had
indicated his views as to the effect upon
slavery itself of resistance to its extern
sion. If a degree Of emancipation
would do the work, John Brown would
have done it at Harper'S Ferry. The
Constitution is binding upon the peo
pie of the South, but it cannot he en-
forced at present. Do you think de-
cree of general emancipation would be
any more effective?
Mr.. johnson said: True Mr.. Pres
ident, the Constitution cannot now be
enforced at the South, but you do not
for that reason give up the struggle.
The memorialists believe that the ex-
tinction of slavery would attain your
object"
The President said that he felt the
magnitude and Importance of the task
before him, and hoped to be rightly di
rected in the embarrassing circumstan-
ces surrounding him. He felt deeply
his need of divine aid and guidance,
and had sometimes thought he might
be an instrument in the hands of God
in accomplishing a great work, and
certainly he was willing to be one.
Perhaps Gods way of accomplishing
the end which .memorialists have in
view was different from theirs; at any
rate, he should endeavor to do his duty
with firm reliance on the divine arm,
and seeking for light from above to do
his duty.
Tie delegation then retired.