The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-03-30
An Abolition War and the Proclamati on
of Freed )m'
of Frged0

North and border States, it has been the bug-bear
OF their own creation, " an abolition war" In
speeches and ia the press, this has been the one
ever present apprehension, the gloomy fancy that
has continually appalled, their imaginatons, the
terrible anticipation that has caused them more
hours and days and weeks of uneasiness than the
treason of jeff Davis and the murder of innocent
loyal men all over the nsurgent States. These
pro-slavery men, have, as they dropped off into
the land OF dreams at night, with sleepy rhetoric,
protested against " an abolition war" In mid
night slnmbers,-which would otherwise have
been sweet and quiet,-the grim foreboding has
pursued them, and they have wildly talked in
their sleep against " an abolition war;" With
the first conscou sness in the morning the tor
menting vision has returned to them, and in their
matutnal drinks they have been startled into
eloquent protests by the overcoming picture of
an abolition war" The ghost of Banquo was
nothing in comparison with this their distemper-
ed fancy, and their case had seemed to be really
past cure, and hopeless.
But, at last, we are glad to notice a symptom
OF returning sense, an occasional glimmer of
reason and intermittent utteranceS of truth from
these gentlemen. There are moments when these
crazy people confess that they do not see this
abolition war" Just now, indeed, they are
quite busy in arguing that there is and can be no
such thing. And they seem to be chuckling over
this discovery, as though it were really as novel
and interesting fact to every one, as it is to them
F.r instance, they have discovered that the is
carried on, in its general scope, since the Emanci-
patton Proc lamation, precisely as it was before
Armies are still relied upon to fight treason
Sh,t and shell are still fred from cannon. The.
ussges OF civilized warfare are still adhered to
Material forces are still employed to combat re-
bellion. The aspect of the contest is mainly un-
changed And from these observations the old
friends of slavery are drawing the comforting
conclusion that the Proclamation is dead letter,
from which their old oily allies need have no APP
prehension, and which will accomplish absolutely
nothing. 3.
w lille we do not agree with them in their in
fersnce, we congratulate the men who have
been 80 frightened at the shadow Of an abolition
war, upon their better perception of facts They
now seem to be firm in the faith that the Procla-
rna,isn is entirely harmless, and to be consistent
they ought to stop bowling tit. 1t is mere words,
they say, empty sound, vor ct preaterea nihI, and
has not at all weakened the rebels, while it has
gwen the pro-slavery party at the North great po
li,ca victories; and if this be true they ought to
acknowledge their Indebtedness to it, and to the
men or the Influences which inaugurated it. We
are sorry to notice. however, that while proclaim
ing its utter failure they abste not one ot Of their
assaults upon it or upon the men who sustain it,
and this leads US somewhat to doubt the sincerity
Of their belief in its entire usfficency.
The truth is, so far US their arguments are con
cerned, these Northern friends Of slavery have
all along proceeded upon the assumption that
when the Government made an attack upon
slavery it was made as an end and not means,
and an immense amount of clamor and consider
able political capital have been made out of this
same false and deceptive style OF augmentation.
They have denounced Republicans as in favor of
war for the abolition Of slavery, when the most that
any of these Republicans have asked for was, that
slavery should be made to work as n instrument
tally in crushing treason. By skilfully ringing
the changes upon an " abolition war" and reiter-
sting their assumption that the purpose of the war
had been changed from an attack on treason to
m attack on slavery, they caused great many
honest, timid, and simple souls, who admired the