Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-01-21
RESOLUTIONS.

THAT this meeting, recognizing the
common brotherhood of mankind and the
sacred and inalienable right of every hu-
man being to personal freedom and equal
protection, records its detestation of negro
slavery in America, and of the attempt of
the rebelIious Southern shareholders to or.
ganize on the great American continent a
nation having slavery as its basis.
3-Thnt this meeting, composed of the
industrial classes of Manchester, desires to
record its profound sympathy with the eff
forts of President Lincoln and to his COL
leagues to maintain the American Union
and, also, its high sense of the justice of
his proclamation of emancipation, and 9TH
er measures tending to give freedom to the
slave, and restore peace to the American
nation.
TO HIS EXCRLLENCY ABRAHAM LINCOLN, pREsI.
DENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
! As citizens of Manchester, assembled at
the Frec Trade Hall, we beg to express our
fraternal sentiments towards you and your
country.
| We rejoice in your greatness, as an out.
growth of England, whose blood and Lam
guage you share, whose orderly aud legal
freedom you have applied to new circum-
stances, over region immeasurably great
er than our own. We honor your free
States, as singularly happy abode for the
working millions, where industry is honor
ed. One thing alone has, in the past, les
scned our sympathy with your country and
our confidence in tive mean tho ascen.
dency of politicians who, not merely main
tained negro slavery, but desire to extend
and root it more firmly. Since we have
discerned, however, that tho victory of the
| free North, in the war which has so sorely
| RI No nCTl; I'll
strike of the fctters of the slave, you have
attracted our warm aad earnest sympathy.
We joyfully honor you, as the President
and the Congress with you, for many de-
cisive steps towards practically exemplify-
ing your belief in the words of your great
founders, "All men are created free and
equal"
You have procured. the liberation of the
slaves in the district around Washington,
and thereby made the centre of your fed
Grafton visibly free. You have enforced
the laws against the slave trade, and kept
up your fleet against it, even while every
ship was wanted for service in your terrible
war. You have nobly decided to receive
ambassadors from the negro republics of
Hayti aud Liberia, thus forever renouucing
that unworthy prejudice which refuses the
rights of humanity to men and women, on
fectunlly to stop the slave trade, you have
made with our Queen a treaty, which your
Senate has ratified, for the right of mutual
search. Your Congress has decreed free
dom, us the law forever, in the vast unoc-
cupied or half, settled territories which are
directly subject to its legislative power
1t has offered pecuniary aid to all States
which will enact emancipation locally, and
has forbidden your generals to restore fugi.
tive slaves who seek their protection. You
have entrcated the slaVemasteIs to accept
these moderate offers; and after long and
patient waiting you las commander-iu- chief
of the army, have appointed tomorrow,
tho 1st day of January, 1868, as day of
unconditional freedom for the slaves of the
rebel States. Heartily do we congratulate
you and yonr country on this humane and
righteous course.
| We assume that you cannot now stop