The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1863-05-15
Number 81.
A Marylander's Notions about
Emancipation.

Our saders know we'll tho namo and rep
utation Of Hon. Henry Winter Davis, one Of
tho most eloquent and gifted men of tho
country, born and reared on Southern soil,
devoted to the Union to his inmost hearts
core. Hc made speech recently at Hamil.
ton, Ohio. in which he took occasion to rc-
ply to some Of the loose talk that prevails
at tho North against freeing and arming tho
negroes. He said:
"Thcy were amused in Maryland at the
anxiety Of the Yankees about tho effect Of
emancipation. They don't know the no
gro. There is only one thing that will make
him run, and that is, the consciousness that
his master is behind him. Laughter.l In
Pennsylvania they had laws against the en-
igration Of the blacks, but when did tho good
people of that State hear Of free negro OF
Maryland going thithcr? It is only the slave
that flies from tho South. Do away with
slavery, and tho negro will keep on tho sun
ny side of tho Union; abolish slavery in tho
South, and you abolish tho possibility of the
negro coming North. By tho act Of the
South the fugitive slave law is dead letter.
Who will now dare to cross tho frontier to
catch fugitivc7 If slavery continues, you
can no more keep tho negroes out of tho FREQ
States than Pharoah could keep tho frogs
out Of tho kncadinS troughs Of Egypt
[Laughtcr.l They will lie on every street.
But protect them in tho South by o law OF
Congress, make what the President has pro.
claimed legal fact, that tho Government
must use them, and will usc them, and hav.
ing proclaimed pardon throughout the land,
will not allow it to be violated, and tho ter.
rors of your sensitive fellow citizens will melt
away. You will have recriminatiOns 50 long
rs tho institution exists. 1t might bo asked
why this had not been said ut tho South. 1t
had been said 40 years ago. Mr.. Clay was
borne down, as it were by the current Of tho
Mississippi. Northern mon wcrc sworn on
tho negro as on the Bible. There was CO.
alition between the shareholders of the Sotuh
and the polittions Of the North, But the
principles Of Mr.. Clay have not died out
1t is question of methods, and not whether
emancipation is right. 1t was question
whether slavery had MOTTO diseased tho body
politics as to cndangcr tho Goscrnmcnt in its
removal. But the rebellion has changed tho
relation of tho people to slavery, and VIC
ought to bc thankful that tho rebellion has
placed us in such position that VIC have
now tho opportunity Of placing the institu-
tions of this land upon tho basis of pcrma.
ncnt freedom. [Applausc. This is not the
crazy theory of abolltionists. To abolish slave.
ry now is the natural course Of tlipgs-thc
current is that way-it is harder not to abol-
ish slavery than to abolish it. The policy OF
the Presidents proclamation is not policy
to bo carpcd at and criticised, but to be exc.
cutcd. And the man who says hc is for tho
Union, but cannot support tho President be-
cause of the proclamation, is not fit to rep.
resent any district of tho United States in
Congress, [Applause.l Tho speakers quar-.
rel with tho President was this: Not that
he has dono too much, but that hc has done
too little. io ought now to have 100000
armed negro soldiers in tho middle Of South
Carolina, and that class of persons who rc-
fuse to fight by the sidc Of negroes, because
afraid Of being equal with them do not de-
serve the namo Of frecmcn, for they refuse to
fight by the side Of such men as Washington
led. At tho battle of Bradcnsburg, he was
assured by an eyewitness now living, that
half Of the troops that camc to tho relief of
our forces which had bccn disgraccfully re-
pulsed, were negroes, and they sallantly sus.
tanned themselves in tho thickcst Of tho
fiyht.o