The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-03-14
i)ublil affairs
The Emancipation Question.

Hon. Thomas Swami, Ex-Mayor of
of Baltimore, in an address delivered
last week, cfore tie Union League of
Phlade phla, on the issues of the
coun ~, spoke as follows on
EMANciPATIoN IN MARYLAND:
If | were to express, gentlemen, my
deliberate convic ion, | VIZ Id say that
it were be ter to ignore al side issues
until least he safety Of this Union is
es,atlished. have TN turn.ly oppusrd
the introduction OF slavery, in any form.
into the management Ut this war.
have never doubted the power of the
Governmen to put down the rebellion
and bring back the rcvulted Sta es, and
desire to see the war conduc ed upon
the original recommendation of DO b
houses of Compensation he restoration
of the Union, and no for the overthrow
of slavery. 1t the presence Of ituAensc
aru,es, ard the necessities Of war,
should lead to the destruction of slave
proper y in the South. ia result which IL
distinguished Democratic leader at the
North pronounces to tie inevi,able,) the
blame would rest upon hose who have
stood foremost in fouen iug i, and have
resolved 10 run the risk of breaking up
this Union in the effort 20 draw around
it additional safeguards. AT the same
time, gentlemen, coming as | do from
the State of Msryland-one Of the bor-
der slaveholding Sta'e-with CAPT al
of more than thirty millions of dollars in
slave property placed in jeopardy by
this war, cannot look with indifference
upon the plan of compensated cmauci-
PATTON" as urged by he President of
the Uni ed Sta cs in one of his first
messages to Congress.
The President says: "The United
States ought 10 cooperate with every
States which may adopt gradual abol-
ishmcnt of slavery, giving to each State
pecuniary aid, to be used by such Sta G
at its discretion, to compensate for the
Inconvenience, public aud private, pro-
duccd by such change of sys cnl.'
This do not treat as forced issue
upon any of the slaveholdng Safes. 1t
is an issue growing out of necessity
which has become too apparent to admit
of question. The plan of ''compensacd
emancipatien," Or friendly co-opera ion
on the part of the free Sta es enable
the Border slave Sta es to rid them
selves of an admitted evil, was not
original with President Lincoln. As
early as the meeting of. the Virgins,
Convention, in 1929 80, for the forma-
ton of new State Cons itu,ion-indced
before that pc riod-the insti ution Of
slavery had engaged the attention Of
in c'ligcnt and leading men in the Sta c
Of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson Ran
Loph, u near relative of Mr. Jefferson,
and no doubt guided by his advice, was
prominent among those who took early
ground IN reference to the removal OF
the negro race. The subject was freely
discussed in the public journals of that
day, and 1t has always been my sincere
belief hat but for tire Interference of a
party of extreme men at the Nor b, cu-
minating even ualy in the Southampton
massacre, Virginia would ere this have
been free State a,-g
Ex-Prcsident Monroe, in spe
before the Virginia Convention, o wy 4
l have referred, expressed himsel VI
decided terms IN favor of the very p'l 4
which has been urged by President
coin, and declared Ina , '.if emanG
tlon were possible, he Looked to&
Union to aia an etect,ng IT," "Whaf,
said MIR. Monroe, s'has been the leading
spirit of this S ate ever since our indie
pendence was obtained She has
always declared herself in favor of the
equal RICH of man. The Revolution
was conduc ed on hat principle. -
These sentimen were uttered by him
in the presence of such men as Chief
Justice Marshall and Presden;
Madison, both members of that Conyen-
ton, and, so far as we have right to
infer, with heir sanction and acquies-
ceuce. In fact, there was no evidence
Of disseut on the part Of that body, with