The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-01-25
Speech Of Senator Henderson, Of
Missouri, on Emancipation.


Missouri, on Emancipation.
Mr.. Henderson, of Michigan (UniOn,) |
called up the bill providing pecuniary
aid TO the State.of Missouri to emanci-
pate the slaves in said State.
MIR. Henderson said that he should en-
deavor 10 answer some of the objections
which might be urged against the meas
ure, and do all he could TO secure its sue
cess. IL was well that the details of |
emancipation were left to the Legisla-
ture Of Missouri for that Legislature is |
truly loyal, and IL was elected with a
view TO this special purpose. He refer
red to speech which he HENDERSON,
made last year, in which he urged |
that the Convention Of tlnt State should |
be recalled, and, instead Of putting Mis- |
souri, out of the Union, they should put |
slavery out of Missouri. Before the re-
bellion there were about 1877, 724 slaves |
in Missouri. Many have since been re-
moved by their owners, and many lave |
escaped--probably from ten TO twenty |
thousand--and it might be assumed that
ten or fifteen thousand were entitled to
free dom under the conIiscation act, leav-
ing, according to his estimate, 1924 TO
be paid for. His object was to get rid of
slavery in the State Of Missouri. There
were two ways to do it; one by force,
backed by military power; the other by
peaceful means of constitutional legisla-
ton. The first could not be done with
out ruin to the State, 80 that the latter
was the only practicable method. He
read letter from one Of the largest
shareholders in MISSOURI in favor of
emancipation, and expressing perfect
readiness TO sacrifice the institution for
the preservation of the Union. There
were three questions arising out of this
, question: First Il Slavery wrong?
Seconds it an obstacle to the preser-
! walton of the Union? Third-are the
people in the acknowledging States
any way responsible for the evils of
} Slavery? He would not argue the first
. question, butleave it to the conscience of
: every one. The second would be an
swered in the affirmative, by every one
3 who voted for and supported the Confis-
cation acts. If the third question could
q be answered in the affirmative, then the
e people of the slaveholding States
. ought cheerfully TO. bear their share of
8 the burden necessary TO get rid of the
It evil. He then referred at some length TO
}. the early introduction of Slavery into
4 the country, and quoted from the de-
r, bates on the subject in the Convention
d which formed the Constitution, claim
- ing that the Northern States were
g partially responsible for the evils
1t of Slavery to-day for by their votes
j. they had oprned land TO the Importation OF
y these wretched beings for twenty long
d years, and the North should not now re-
r fuse to make some sacrifice TO remove
i them. People of all classes Puritans
10 and Huguenots, had settled in the State
IS of Missouri, and they had made inn
} mense sacrifices for the Union. 1t was
Of perfectly plain TO him that slavery must
10 be abolished in this country. Should
y the rebellion succeed it might linger for
Q, a time but its doom was sealed. The
10 emancipation of slavery in Missouri
le would be the greatest economy TO the
ne Government, Notlong since Jeff. Davis
10 10 a speech, expressed hopes of freeing
10 Missouri, and also expressed his solicit
" tude and hope for Kentucky. Now why
D. not express his desire for Ohio or IllinOisl
at If the presence of slavery in the two
to former States makes the chief of the re-
it bellion presume that he has some claim
70 on them, then the peaceful removal Of
ne that institution would make him relin.
ne quish all such supposed claim. Slavery
er removed from Missouri, treason would
We give up all hopes Of that State anC
~ sulenly retire from her borders, leaving
ur her 10 achieve her high destiny in Tn,
ranks of the Free States. He argued a
IN length in favor of the constitutionality o
Du the measure, claiming there was powe
IS. under the Constitution TO pass this meas
ne ure almost the same as for removing th'
Ter Indians from the States. IL had seemed
es strange 10 him that the North would no
Is cease its denunciations of slavery for
ne time, that the South might reflect anC
I'd, with reflection pnt slavery away; but i
ne was granger still that the South, will
be her population cramped and her INDUSTRY
e. destroyed, should sill cling 10 the curse
al as the poor inebriate clings to his cups
az In all these troubles about slavery th
lot Border States had suffered the most =
o. The people from the free States woult
All not settle there because slavery wa
ior there, and the,people form the slave State
on would not come because they were
tie near the North. They had tried al
st- means 10 be at peace They had all ID
ny panaceas of the Democracy, all the com
ne promises Of the Wings, aud all the nos
ID Uums Of the Republicans, but all in vain
ge We are now ina war with this institu
% ton. the Border States want to be
ere peace, and wish TO adopt som