Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-10-14
From the London star.
Effect Of the Emancipation Proclamation.

As to the Proclamation of Freedom, the
President reafhrms that 1t Is constitutional,
and whether valid inv Aid, needs no re
traction. As to its effect, he is made 10 say,
. The war progresses as favorably since the
issue of the Proclamation as before This
it has been greatly observed, is but very faint
praise of a measure that was supposed to
deal fatal blow at the Confederacy But
1.-THE small criticism that INDUCES in such
observations is forgetful of the predicted fail
ure of the Proclamation. 1t will unite the
South and Oxide the North, was the confident
prophecy of its directors 1t has had just
the opposite effect. 1t has undoubtedly loos-
ened the armor of the Confederacy Like
the thud of heavy shot upon an ill-built
iron-clad, it has started all the riyets. This
is the very burden of the complaint which
MIR. John Adams, Jr., brings back from the
South. His friends groan under the influence
of the Proclamation upon their human pro-
perty. Even so far South as Alabama, where
the Proclamation has hardly begun to take
effect, there is fear and trembling as TO the
ultimate result. From Richmond to Mobile,
the Southern papers TEEN with complaints
and remOnstrances as to the selfish tmidity
Of the slaveowners. They withhold their
negroes from the labor of the camps and for
tifcations They drive them into the interior,
far out of sight OF the emancipating flag
They hoard them, as they do their cotton, in
the hope at least of getting compensation if
they must surrender them. The rumor of q
determination TO arm four or five hundred
thousand of them Is not confirmed. and is not
believed. 1t Is at best project under consid-
Grafton. There is felt TO be one great difficulty
III the way Of its adoption-namely, the
very natural reluctance Of the slaveowners
to part with their human property. They
think that it is they who should receive the
reward which IS promised to the negroes al the
end of the war, and they would prefer the
money down They have faith, too. that al
though President Lincoln reproaches the PEG
pie Of the Union with unwillingness to tax
themselves for the redemption of the negro,
there is much better chance for getting the
ransom from the Federal than the Confeder-
ate exchequer It's not likely that they who
mado the war viii make the peace. Selfish
ness may pirate about honor, but it will pre-
fer pelI. The humiliation of surrender
| would be soothed by the prospect of receiv-
| ing 800 a head for the liberated negroes
men, women and infants The Shareholders
reyolted that the might preserve and increase
| their property. The e ent has proved the
reverse of their expectations. They are quite
| capable now OF seeking the same object by
an opposite policy So far as they are con
| cened, we have no wish but that the war
| should continue till every rebel slaveowner
| is bankrupt and landless. But for the sake
| Of humanity we should rejoice of the war
could 30 stopped tomorrow by their submits
| sion-even ON terms that saved them from
| the humiliation and loss they much dread.
Justice does not require that the war should
! be waged for the punishment of class, how
| ever guilty-but, on the contrary, that il
should cease the moment its righteous objects
| have been attained. To that end we are con
fident that President Lincoln Will preserve.
| At that moment we are no less confident that
he viii stop. Honest, resolute, and merci al,
| in prosecuting war or in making peace he
will alike seek to merit the blessing of God
and the gratitude of mankind.