The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-09-19

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consider the death. blow which The rebel
lion must necessarily inAict upon the in
stitution, and actuated by a desire to
avoid all collisions with thier loyal hreth-
rem upon any subject that may weaken
the effect of their united efforts in behalf
of the Union, are day by day yielding
their first impressions upon the subject
and acquicscing in the policy Of State
emancipation by he earliest Practicable
means ; and nothing but the most neon
siderate aud violent measures upon the
part Of those who may be called ultra in
thcU emancipation views can prevent,
ere long, an almost unanimous senti-
mcnt among the loyal men of the State
in favor of gradual emancipation.
That such is at Ibis moment the prev
alent sentiment Of our loyal men | can
not doubt, and it is daily extending and
becoming more and more decided, and
the only thing that can possibly arrest
isthe inordInatc and violent policy which
few seem disposed to adopt and which
bears the appearance, whether SO design
ed or not, of constraining by military
force the public sentiment Of the Safe
into some shortcut contrary to the cur
rent into which it is so satisfact oTiJy
gliding.
When I express the opinion that the
public sentiment Of the 5 ate, If left
alone, is daily becoming more united in
favor of gradual emancipation, and by
the earliest means, | trust that no one
will doubt the honesty Of that purpose,
or misapprchend the means to which l
refer.
| am satisfied that the conviction has
been slowly, but surely, maturing i'll The
minds of our people for years past that
the future growth and prosperity of our
State demand change in our system of
labor, and the events Of the last two
years have only served to show the ncceS-
sity for providing for that change with
the least possible delay. When we
speak of graduM emancipation it must
not be supposed that the phrase is en-
ployed by way Of postponemont OF the
operation, but it honestly expresses only
what it truly means that such enamel
patton shall only be so gradual as to
guard it against the evil consequences
that must necessarily result to slave as
well as master from too sudden a change
in any system Of labor that Is Of indl-
gcnious growth. Nor will any Que l
trust, imagine that in speaking Of eman-
cipation by legal or PractIcaJIa means,
we mean to embarrass or delay the pro-
ject by the usc Of any equivocal terms
calcula ed to leave any doubt Of the
good faith of those who avow that pol
icy. But the people OF tie Stac-hon-
estly aud earnestly as they may look to
the policy of emancipation as calculated
to secure future prospcri;y-will, how
ever, never consent that such a policy
shall be consummatcd by any action but
their own, or by any means but those
which their Cons tuition allows.
That Constitution expressly prohibits
the Legislature from abolishIng the re-
lation Of master and slave as at present
subSisting in the State, and it can hardly
be supposed thai, however inclined we
may be to abolish that relation, We can
consent to do so in the face Of this posi-
tive prohibition.
The first step to be taken, therefore,
is to provide for taking the sense Of the
people upon the subject Of Convention
to revise the Constitution Of the State.
TO advocate the call of such a Con-
ventlon, and to urge upon the next Leg
iSturc the necessity Of submitting that
question to the people at the earliest
practical day, is the only Legitimate mode
by which the most earnest advocate Of
emancipa ion can maugurato that policy.
have never hcsitatcd TO ayow the opin-
ion that the next Legislature should by
all means make such provision. The
people of the State have the consitu-
tional right to express their views upon
the subject of revision Of their organic
law every ten years and, whether or not
the same constitutional duty of provi-
ding for this ri sht rests upon the next
Legislature, as it did upon the last, no
one will question their right to'do So,
and few that will not urge the propriety
of their so doing, unless in the meantime
a complete revulsion is produced in pub
lie sentiment by the most unwise course
of dealing with the subject.
Nor will disposition of the question
by this, the only means Of meeting if,
involve the delay which some seem to
suppose The Convention which assem-
bled in 1851, and framed our present
CONSTITUTIONS was authorized by an
act which was passed by the Legislature
Immediately preceding it. The same act
provided for submitting the question of
a Convention to the vote of the people,
and for the assembling of that Conven-
ton, if authorized by such vote The
same proceeding may be adopted now,
and shall not hesitate to recommend it
to the next General Assembly.
Thus may not only the question Of a
Convention be. submitted, but the Con-
vention itself assembled by the Summer
Of 1864, and the whole question disposed
of before that Summer is ended. With
such prospect of the complete settle
ment of this veXed question, 50 far as
Maryland is concerned, before the close
Of another year, and what reason is
there for wrangling among the loyal
voters Of the State over this collateral
issue aud what justification for any
such premature and violent proceedings
with slave property as are calculated
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