The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-12-16
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It is submitted entire.y to your wisdom q r.
what can be done aoc... Augmented ipters1t
is given to tbs subject by the actual COM
1nence1nent of work upon the Pacific Hailroad
under auspices so favorable to its progress and
completion, that enlarged navigation becomes
positive need to this great road =; oq.iS,flFs-
= I transmit the. Second = pnuaLr Report @
Comnissioners Of the Department Of AgFlcnE
turc, asking your attention to the deyelppmenA
in that vital interest Of the nation. ,.s1p :,
-. :. 80 THE REBELLIoNst s .s5ssiiiei1fsre
., When Congress assenbled q syear agos,the
Rar.had lasted Inearlyst twenty monfhss and fhorb
had BEEN many conflicts, both on1land end
sea, with varying results. Thed RebelliOn had
been pressed back into reduced limits- Yetsthe
tone of public feeling and opinion; at hoE9
and ..abroad, was not satisfactory. With ether
signs, the popular elections then just past In
dicated uneasiness iamong ourselves; while
amid much that was cold and menacing, ths
kindcst words coming from England were ut.
tered in accents of pity that we were too bilAa
to surrender. Our commerce was suffering
from attacks by fey armed vessels bnilty upon
and furnished nFforean shorts i and Eera
wers threatened with such additions from the
same quarter as would sweep our trade. fron,
the sea, and raise our blockade sse5;s fsf.i
We have failed to elicit from European
ject The Emancipation proclamation which
was issued in September, was running its !, as
signed period to the beginning OF the New
Year. A month later :the final prociamatio5
came, including The announcement that COLI
ored men of suitable condition would DC re-
ceived into the war service. The policy of
Emancipation and of the employment of black
soldiers gave to the future a new ispect, about
which hope and fear and. doubt contended IN
uncertain conflict. According to our political
system, as matter of civil administration, che
general Government hadsno lawful power to
effect emancipa ton in any State; aud for 9
long time it had been hoped that the rebellion
could be suppressed without resorting to it as
military measure. Il was all tho while
deemed possible that the necessity might conesS
and that if it should, the crisis OF the contest
would then be presented. It came; and, ag
Intended, it was followed by dnik and doubt!
full days. Eleven monLhs having since been
passed, we are permitted to tske another re-
view. The rebel borders are pressed still fur
ther back and, by the complete opsding of
the Mississippi river, tho country domiuatsd
over bythesrebelliols us divided into distshe
parts, : -. ssS ,1osE aa aga snata 5sse4 1Ss<,
The practicalcsnmuaieati between, fhSmt
and Tennessee and Afkansas. has been . sif1
stantially cut off from the -ihsneass = 49,
and Innuences, and the citizens in eschy and
the owners of slaves and the advocates of ala
very at the besiuningiof the war, nov declar4
openly for emancipation. in their respeetiEel
States. - ,.f. ,.-,,s.
OF those States not iuclqdod in the Emau.i
icpation Proclamation, Maryland. and Missouri,
neither ct which for years would tolerate any
restraint upon the extension of slavory into
their territories, only disputenoW as to the best
mede of removing it from within their own
limits. p - :. y. .si.,5 sf.--sfs
OF those who were slaves at the beguuidR
of the war, fully 100000 are now.in the oni3
ted States military service; about one half Of
which actually bear arms in the ranks; thus
giving the double advantage. of taking much
labor from the insurgent states and Supplying
3heir places which otherwise must be filed
with so many white men. L So far as tested, it
is difficult to say. No servile insurrection, or
tendency to violence, has marked the measures,
of femancpating and arming the blacks. These
measures have been much discussed In foreign
countries: and contemporary with such diseussl
sions, the tone Of public sentiment there, is
much improved. Where the same measures
have been fully discussed, supported,l criticiz-.
ed and denounced, the annual elections follow
ing are highly encouraging to those whose
special duty it is to bear the country, through,
this great trial. Thus we have the reckoning.f
The crisis which threatened to divide 1.-The
friends Of the Union. past. aaii' - haals,.l
MEASURES. FOR THE. FUTURE. 's's ''l''1
Looking now to the present and future, and
in reference to resuniptiot of the national
authority within the States wherein that aue
thority has been suspended, 1 have thought ct.
to issue proclamation, copy Of which is
herewith transmitted. On examination of this
proclamation, it win appear, cs il is believed,
amply justified by the Constitution, True,
tho form Of an oath is given, but no man is
cocerced to take it, man is only promised .
pardon in case he rolumdrily takes the oath.
The Constitution authorizes the Executive to
grant it on terms, as is fully established by ju-
dicial and other authorities. 1t is also proffer-
cd that if aHy of the States named institute a
State Government, it shall be.in ibis sHhoa6,
Such government shall be re-.
cosnized and guaranteed by the United
States, and that under it the States shall, oni
subscribing to the constitutional conditions,
be protect I'd against invasion and domestic vi
olenee, The constitutional Obligation CT the
United States to guarantee to every State ii
the Union republican form of government,
and to protect the State in the case as stated,
is explicit and full. But why tender the benz
eits of this provision only to! q State govern
ment set up in this particular way This
section of the Constitution contemplates cases
wherein tie element in a State favorable to q
republican government in. the Union may be
too feeble for an opposite and hostile element
external to and eren within the State And
such are precisely the cases with which we are.
nov dealing. An attempt to guarannteo and
protect o feaised state of government construc-,
ted in whole or in preponderating part from
the very element against whose hostility and
violence it is to be protected, is simply absurd.
There mpst be test BY which to separate OBJ
posing elements, go as built only from the
ground element; and that tost is sufficient :
and liberal one which accepts as sound whoevs
er will make sworn recantation of his former,
But, fit be proper to require
q test of admission to the political body, an
oath of allegiance to tho Constitution of the;
United States and to the Union Under it, why