, 1863-05-01

speech before large audience in Albany on
the necessity Of standing by the Government,
and helping /. to put down the rebellion. We
can find space for only the following extracts,
but they will repay perusa1. He makes some
strong points:
ruB PBrs1pKsT's PROCLAMATION JUSTIFIED.
'I pass to the wrong which those abolition
lists commit, who condemu the President for
not proclaimipg freedom to MI the slaves, and
also to the wrong which those democrats
commit, who condemn him for proclaimlng IL
to my. Now, the truth on the one hano H.
thst the President has no right to abolish sla-
very, except IS Commander'in Chief, and no
right even in that capacity TO abolish 1t any
further or faster than the military neceselties
Of the country call for. The tratn on 1ne
other hand Is, that he has te r,ghe Thjch is
called for by such necessities. In hls mnsa 9Si
critic;sed. much condemned and mnch 5aal.
culed letter to Horace Greeley, tae le9'GTnt
laid down the true doctrine In tins case. a;ds ~
would help ns In the var 10 ca ahen ~ tha PrcsI
dent should cali them. If it wonld not help
rs to call those Of North Carohna, those ne
should not call. In nothing Of Al THIS has ne
eGant s that If tie slaves will not come, it Is
Sreless to cal! them; and am aware th0t 1t
is Ferv frequently and confidently asserted
tbat their love of their masters and mistresses
is to great to permit Them to came. Il, how
tyer, they will come, then BY all means they
should Be called-and this too, even II they
ehould, as it is said they would, prove too
law to work where the1eare no whips to work
under; and even If they should, as it is said
they would, prove too coWnrdly to fight.
For where they are their toll sustsins the re-
be1lion.
! claim not to know whether the Slaves will
come to our standard-or whether, If they
should come, they will either work or fgh-.
But do claim that, inasmuch as there Is
chance, be 1t however small, that they will
come, and chance, be it however small, that
they will worE, and chance, be it however
small 1bat they will fight, the Presidents Pro-
cla1nation Of Freedom is justified. For what
If it shall turn out that the slaves are able to
tear themselves away from their dear masters
| and mistressesl What an immense advantage
to our cause will that be; and even though
they shall prove unable or unwilling to ren.
der us any service after coming to us? And
| what if it shall turn out that they are willing
| to work on our side, and to work rs faithfully
| is did that handful Of escaped and deserted
| slaves, who, instead ct being, as was all along
alleged, a charge upon the National Treasury,
put into 1t, over and above wages and expen-
seq, between five and six hundred thousand
| dollars-then will this immense advantage be
| doubled. And then, 3 still greatcr advantage
| to our cause, If they sha1l be willing to fight
for it, and our officers and soldiers shA1l be 30
earnestly patriotic as to let them fight for it.
| For know not why, if they shall be willing
| to fight for us, they aha1l not fight with as
| signal bravery and effectiveness as did the ne
| groes in both Of our vars with Great Britain.
Whether our officers and soldiers will be SO
| much in earnest to put down the rebellion as
to let the desspised negroes help put it down,
remains to be seen- II entirely in earnest,
they should welcome the aid not only Of the
negroes and Indians, but Of even the devil
himself
I repeat that I know not whether the slaves
will come to US, or whether, If they do, they
patient and forgiving Of ali the races. They
will certainly prove that they are, If they can
forget that nlonstruuB and meanest crime Of
letting the thousands, who toiled on the
Vicksburg cut of, fall again into the hands OF
the vindictlye Shareholders; md if they can
also forget the ilnumerable instances in which
slaves coming to our lines, some with very
valuable news Of the designs and movement:
Of the enemy, and all with hearts and hands
TO help us, hare with satanic malignity been
returned to the fate from which they had fled
and if, in . word, they eau forget our persist
| ent 1idicule, 1oatning aud Mnrderous hate o.
!, 4 people who have done not one wrong in rc
turn for the mountains Of wrong under which
we hnre buried them. 1t is true that eTeI
! such people may ut last be goadcd to re
, repgeful and bloody Instructions. Not, how
ever, if they can have way Of escape from
their opprcssors. The Presidents Proclana
tIon is the safety-valye. One Of nly chief rca
sous for welcoming 1t was that it would prob
ably prevent scrTlle instructions.
1spoke Of the blacks coming to our side
:, Let nc not be misunderstood The abolition
; Of slavery will not send the Southern black:
: TO the North, bnt it will send the Norther,
= blacks to the South. 4 genial climate, and
; still more, masses Of their race will attrac
them thither. They, who seek to make til
:, | white laborer Of the North Jealous Of aboli
| do nithar frttor a1ft dis
ii.ge1luously.
And there Is still another complaint whicl
: have to make, It is the I'M jnstice and in:ul
:, to the President Of which they arc guilty, VII
charge him with turning the war into an abo
p litioH war. He soleunly declares that hi
!. sole end is TO put down the rebellion; IN
= that whatever he does with slavery Is don
= hut incidentally and but to that sole enc
). What if the President, having taken it int
:. his head that one Of the most effective thing
= !, rebellion is to free the cotton from the ten:
Il cIous grasp Of the Confederate Government
!, should be multiplying endeayors to that end
AZ Would it be- fair to charge linn with pcrFer
% deliberately affirm that 1t would be quite d
~ II fair to charge him with pervcr.ing it into
= war to free tie slave. Let us all DC just
7 til. President. To be unjust to him Is nj
u only to wrong him, but to wrong and pc
~ haps ruin the country Democrats! there Al
= some who accuse you Of opposing the Pres
- dents Proclamation beca,lse you would pc
-. vert the war into war for slavery. Arc yc
= net indignant at theaccusation? Surely, yo
~ should be. For nothing in all the history
~ IMAM could be more reyofting than such pc
IT, version of u inst war, and sl'ch betrayal of
y righteous cause. Great is the Wickedness
T.. a slayeholding people who make war +
IT. s3asery. But the wanton and nnnitigat
an wickedness Of non-slaYeho}ding peopl
of who would join them, would be infinite
#. greater.
& I must bring ny speech TO close. Do s.
n T., wonder that I, SO old and radical an Abo
Id zionist, have expressed in It no concern abo
| slaycTy9 I could not express what did y
N. fcel. Since the bombarding of Sumter, la
n felt no concern about slaytry-for could n
~ doubt that it was the eficctua1 bombardng
III slavery, As the war has advanced, I hs
been increasingly confident that the peo]
,,a would never consent to re-cstAblish the cat
.en ao Of oil this blood and horror and dcsolatit
-" As I hare seen the plowshare of war p
through slavery, have felt more and mi
-a- TINT The time for the ab ominatton to p
ia away had como. And now have NC signs Il
. sr tho 1ery earthquakes Of warwill soon be re!
'7s its parts hither and thither beyond au POI
NJ bility Of restoration.
IN Moreover, civilization is everywhere cast
,ra off slavery; and there Is reason to hope t
~ t cven the South will become 50 far civili
Wv BY this war as no longer to desire slavery.
,t', the civilizing agents. Nevertheless, SO it
w. that whilst the nations are On their pres
o,- low p1ane-A plane in the case Of some
them not above tho barbar1sm Of slaTehold
it is hardly extrayagant to say OF them Il
"without shedding Of blood there il no"
, :, | ilization. War Is cmphatical1y the wors1
80 all remedies. But the nations are still
otn, low and ba1barous to try only the be
wa, ones.
Yes, the slave is soon to 70 free. Heay,
ns,- | time for setting him free Is at hand;
I'd Earth and He'll cannot prevail against Hea'
1st He goes free by tho shedding Of blood. Bt
Is the blood Of bis common oppressors NJ
ron and South, instead Of his own. Wondi
% 1on- manifestations Of the Divine hand 4
con- "ioeo As'A4o"1'"t'" oA ""S 1
IT, A CONSTITUTIONAL WAR.
The present is no time to talk, and gel
|h;s- iseucs and multiply divisions, about the
c d. stitution, the Union, and the country.
onlc person may wish to have the Constitu
onic altered, and another may not. For one
a1ea; not, and never did. wish any alteration I
s,a7. ana No Democratic stickler for the Constitu
,iisr. or written rs much as have for the Cons
:hea; tlon as 1t Is. Two years ago the Democl
hard party, and no small portion of tho Repnbl
John pnrty, were ready for pro slavery change
:, the Constitution. 1oPposed them; but
a!ty, not ask for anti. slavery changes. Was ent
53lo' 33do' content with the Constitution just as
Nj. Fathers gave it to u.s. Again, whilst
). <. person may wish the Union modified, anc
Mo- like myeclf, may be satisfied with it5 Pre-
Ind, terms. And again, whilst one person
nois, wish to have the country no larger, anc
3neu- ~ AZ ~ ~ it ;aalnaa r"1,e mi s., War;c,
7itis ~ ~ .,...".t ~ ~ +;,aa - a,;tota ~