Weekly national intelligencer., 1863-03-12

healing measure" had but few "zealous friends
In any party. How this language Justly subjects
us to the charge of being an advocate Of the fac
tious opposition" of one party we are unable to
see. The lukewarm support which the measure
received from the Republican party (we speak of
the party as a party, and not Of the sincere
friends" of the measure) made all "factious op-
position" comparatively unnecessary, for there was
but slight degree of persistence in pressing the
measure to a successful issue Does any body be-
lieve that if there had been the same earnestness
In promoting the views of the President under this
head as was manifested in behalf of some bills he
never recommended, that the act providing for the
emancipation of slaves in Missouri with compensa-
ton to loyal owners would have been left to fail Of
final passage?
Our readers are aware that, from its first enun-
citation, have given to the policy of the Presi-
dent on this question our constant support. And
In signalling on what we believed good evidence
that this policy had not received the support to
which it was entitled at the hands Of the Presi-
dents friends, we supposed ourselves to be very
far removed from giving any countenance to the
/" factious opposition" it received from others.
The grounds on which we sustained the policy
were found by US in what we deemed its intrinsic
merits, and 10 the explanations with which the
President accompanied its original recommends
tion to Congress, and which explanations were
communicated at the time to the members Of
Congress from the Border Slaveholding States,
in ON interview Of which the certified record
is this day published beneath the Letter Of
Mr.. White. This record has been previously pub
lished in form containing some errors and defects
in the signatures attached to it. We print it
to-day from the original manuscript, authenticated
by the names Of its signers, as given under their
own hands-the paper having been left with US by
the Hon. Mr.. Crisfeld for republication in its pro-
per shape and contents. We stated to our readers
on former occasion that this memorandum, at the
time of its composition, was confdentialy commu-
nicated to us for our perusa, that we might have
the advantage of possessing an authoritative and
authentic exposition of the Presidents emancipa-
tion message of March last, and of the motives un-
views of policy by which the President proposed
in the future to guide his steps under the difficult
ties and embarrassments to which he was subjected
in the matter of slavery and its relations.
We need not say that this exposition of the Pre-
sdent's views and Of his contingent purposes, as
announced by him at that date, confirmed us in the
Impressions we had derived from the special mes
sage itself, without this Presidential commentary.
And, after perusal of the paper in question,
every reader will readily understand that our sur
prise at the "new policy" inaugurated under the
Presidents emancipation proclamation of last Sep
tember I'D was not diminished by our knowledge
of the views and considerations which he had SO
frankly announced on the occasion of the CONVEX
sation recited in the memorandum now correctly
and authoritatively published.
Before discussing the subject we may add that,
in the interview of which this paper gives an ac-
count, the President was informed by one of the
gentlemen present that the policy, considered as
a practical measure, had but few real and earnest
friends among the Presidents own supporters in
Congress, and it was then predicted that no SUBJ
stantial proposition would ever grow out of the
sentiment pressed in the resolution he had re-
commended in his special message.
The President, who, in the course Of this same
had before remarked that his po-
ltcal friends in Congress, directly after the FIRST
PRONUNCIATION of his policy, had been :" as reserved
and chary" on the subject as the members from
the Border States had been, exclaimed in reply to
the expression of thi, opinion, well, if that be
so, the bottom is out Of my tub" What was
then the conviction of more than one member from
the Border slaveholding States, both among those
who favored and opposed the scheme, is, we know,
still more their opinion to-day for the fact that the
late Congress, comprising such large and active
majority of the Presidents political friends, has
adjourned without leaving any practical enactment
on the subject, is held by them not only, but by
intelligent Republican journals like the Boston
Daily Advertiser, to afford conclusive evidence that
the majority Of Congress was not very ardently in
favor Of the Presidents policy Of emancipation with
compensation to loyal owners.