Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-05-05

secrecy under which they were temporarily laid
until the proper time came for the President to
break with "the Greeley faction
A single other question remains to be exa min
cd. Is it exact and just to say, as the President
does, that the Border States "declined" his pro-
position Ct emancipation with compensation
That proposition, as originally conceived by the
President, pledged the United States to cooperate
with any State in the work of emancipation by
apProprlating money to aid in the purchase or ran
som OF slaves. In his annual message of Decem-
Der, 1ooz, the President gave formal exposition
to his plan under this head, and most earnestly
enforced it on the attention of Congress for the
purpose OF securing peace" and at the same
time saving the Union" This plan proposed,
as an addition to the fundamental law of the land
certain provisions guarantying compensation in
United States bonds to such States as should elect
to abolish slavery at any time prior to the first Of
January, in the year 1900. The President, how
ever, while giving great elaboration to his general
scheme under this head. " earnestly renewed" in
this same message, "the recommendation that Con-
gress provide by law for compromising any State
which may adopt emancipation before this plan
shall have been acted upon"
Now, it is known that the last Congress- COM
prising in both Houses large majority of men,
bers protesting to be the political friends of the
President, adjourned without consummating any
Legislation Of this kind, either by way Of adopting
the plan" urged SO forcibly by Mr. Lincoln, or
by providing for the compensation of any single
State, which, it may be, would have been induced
to proceed in the work of emancipation after such
an invitation from Congress, offering valuable
consideration.
And under such circumstances we hold that it
is not just to say that " the Border States de-
cl'med" the Presidents proposition. The Presi-
dent is aware that in the interview which he had
with the Representatives from the Border States it
was suggested to him that if this proposition was
adopted at all, the initiative ought to come from
the non-Slaveholdiug States. We extract from
the report of that interview as follows:
"Mr HALL of Missouri thought that if this proposition
was adopted at ALL it should be by the Of the Free
States, and come proposition from them to the Slave
states Herring them an nducement to put aside this sub
dscord that 1T ought not to be expected that men,
bes representing saveholdng constituencies should de-
clare at once and IN Advance Of any propositions TO them
LOT Tue emancipation OF ssvery.
he PRESIDENT said he sap and fell t, fire, of This
objection it fearful responsibility and every gem
tem must do he thought best; that did net know
now nis scheme was received by the members from the
Free States some OF them had spoken to him and we'd
kindly but for the most part they were a. reserved and
chay as we had and he could tell how they would
VOTE
The treatment which the Presidents proposition
received at the hands of his own political friends
In the last Congress is sufficiently read in the fact
as already stated that Congress adjourned without
adopting any measure to efectuate the policy in
question. That policy was never "declined" by
the Border States, for they never had any thing
under it to "decline"
The bill for the abolition of slavery in this Dis
trlot, the act providing for confscation and the
emancipation of slaves, and other similar measures
Of ant-slavey legislation were able to enlist in
their behalf generality and an earnestn IS of Re-
publican support which beat down all parlamen
tary opposition If this same zeal was not seen in
the matter of the bill providing for the gradual
emancipation of slaves in Maryland and Missouri,
and If no notise whatever was taken Of the Presi-
dents more elaborate plan of constitutional amend
ments with view to this same benefcent end,
it was simply because his proposition failed to
enlist the jealous support of his own political ad-
herents. We speak advisedy and we speak feel
ingly on this point, for readers ere aware that
from its first enuncaton, we gave to the policy of
the President on this question our constant sup
port.
And in the face of the apathy with which this
policy manifestly received by the last Congress
when it adjourned without giving the Border
States any practical measure to decline" we arc
as much surprised to see the responsibility of its
failure laid at the doors of the latter as we are to learn
that the President the time making this PROPOSE
ton, foresaw that the indispensable necessity Of
military emancipation would result from its failure
and yet was so unfortunate in making his opinions
known that he left the Representatives of the Border
States under the impression that they had received
frank and confidential assurance that he had no de-
sgrs in the matter of slavery and its relations to the
war, beyond those contained in bis plan of emanci
patton with compensation to loyal owners. If what
we noW know to have been his secret thought at
the date of his interview with the Representatives
of the Border States had been understood by them
how different might have been the political and
military situation from that which we are called to
contemplate this day