The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1863-12-18

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since then, upo II a call Of the great.
ast respectable w, convention has
been held at Chicago upon the same
subject, summary of those views ia
contained in memorial addressed
to the President and Congress. and
winch l now have the honor TO Law
before you.
That this interest is one which ora
long will force its own wav / do NOT
entertain a doubt, while it is submit.
lted entirely to your wisdom ne To
what can be done now Augmented
interest is given to this subject bv
he actual commencement of work
upon the Pacific railroad, uuder ans
plces favorable TO its rapid progress
ma completion. Enlarged naviga.
ION becomes q apalpable need to this
great road.
THE DEPARTMENT or AGRrcrITrpE.
transmit the second annual re.
)ort of Commissioners ofthc Depart.
nent of Agriculture, asking your at.
fention to the Developments in that
ltai interest of the nation.
GENERAL sITUATioN-PAsr. PRESENT
AND FUTURE.
When Congress assembled a year
ngo, the war had already lasted near.
~ twenty months, and there had been
many conflicts, both on land and sen
With varying results The rebellion
had been pressed back into reduced
limits; yet the tone of public feeling
and opinion, at home and abroad
vas not satisfactory. with other
l'igns, the popular elections. then
lust past, indicated uneasiness among
ourselves. while amid much that was
cold and menacing, the kindest words
coming from England were uttered
IN accents of pity that we were TO
blind to surrender. Our commerce
was suffering greatly by few armed
vessels, built upon and furnished
from foreign shores, and we we've
threatened wilh such additions from
the same quarter as would sweep our
trade from the sea. and raise our
blockade. We had failed to elicit
from European Governments anv.
thing hopeful upon the subject. The
emancipation Proclamation which
was issued in September was run
ming its assigned period to the be.
ginning of the new year. A month
later, the final proclamation came, in
Gliding the announcement that col
.orcd men of suitable condition would
he received into the war service.
The policy of emancipation and of
the employment of black soldiers
gave TO the future new aspect, about
which hopes, fears and doubts con.
tended IN uncertain conflict. accord.
ing to our political system, as a mat
ter oFciYil administration. The Gen.
eral Government had no lawful DOW
er To effect emancipation in any State
and FOR long time it has been hop
ed that the rebellion could be sun.
pressed without resorting to il as n
military measure. 1t was all the
while deemed possible that ne ecessity
Tor 1t might come, and that ifit should
the crisis of the contest would then
be presented. 1t came. as expected
it was followed by dark and doubt.
uldays. Eleven months having been
passed, we are permitted to take an
lother review. The rebel borders arc
pressed still further back, and by the
complete opening of the Mississippi
river, the county dominated over by
the rebellion is divided into distinct
parts. Tennessee and Arkansas have
been substantially cleared of the in
surgent's control and influences; and
the citizens of each, ana owners of
slaves and advocates of slavery at the
beginning Of the rebellion, now de-
clare openly for emancipation in their
respective States. or those States
not included in the Emancipation
Proclamation, Maryland and Nilsson.
ri, neither of which, years ago, would
tolerate any restraint upon the ex-
tension of slavery into the territories,
only dispute now as to the best mode
of removing it from within their own
limits. or those who were slaves MT
the beginning Of the rebellion. fully n
hundred thousand are now in the Uni.
ted States military service, about one
half of which number actually bear
arms IN the ranks, thus giving the
double advantage of taking much Ia.
Dor rrom the insurgent cause, and
supplying the places which otherwise
must be filed with as many white men.
80 FAR rs tested, it is difficult to say
they are not as good soldiers as any.
NO scrvile insnrrcction, or tendency
TO violence or cruelty, has marked
the measures Of emancipation and
.arming the blacks.
These measures have been much
discussed in foreign countries, and,
contemporary with such discussions,
the tone ofpublic sentiment there is
much improved The same measures
have been fully discussed, supported
criticised and denounced, and the
result Of the annual elections is high
~ encouraging to those whose spec
ial duty is to bear the country through
This great trial; thus we have the
reckoning The crisis which threat.
cned to divide the Union is past.
RECONSTRUCTION.
Looking now to the present and
future, and with reference to the re.
sumption Of the national authority
within the States wherein that author