Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-06-21
The Emancipation Proclamation.

while he was painting the picture illustra.
tive Of it's consideration by the Oabiuet.-
In the course of this paper, Mr.. Carpenter
says:
I now take up the history of the procla.
nation itself, as Mr.. Lincoln gave it TO me,
on the occasion of our frat interview, as
written down by myself soon afterward:
VT had got to be-" said he, "mid sum.
mer, 1852. Things had gone on from bad
to worse, until l felt that we had reached
the END OF our rope on the plan of operations
we had been pursuing; that We had about
played our last card, and must change our
tactics or lose the game. 1 now deter
mined upon the adoption of the enamel.
patton policy; and without consultation
With, or the knowledge of the Cabinet, 1
prepared the original draft of the procla-
nation, and after much Rnxious thought,
called Cabinet meeting upon the subject.
rms was the last OF July, or the first part
OF the month of August, 1862" (The
exact date he did not remembsr.) mThis
cabinet meeting took place, think, upon
Saturday. ALI were present, excepting
Mr. Blair, tho Postmaster General, who
was absent at the opening of the discus.
sion, but come in subsequently. / said to
the Cabinet that had resolved upon this
step, and had not called them together to
ask their advice, but to lay the subject
matter OF proclamation before them.
suggestions as to which would be in order
after they had heard it read. Mr.. Love.
joy" asid he, twas in error when he
Informed you that it excited no comment
excepting on the ps<t of Secretary Sey~
ard. Various suggestions were offered
Mr. Chase wished the language stronger
in reference to the armiug of the blacks
Mr.. Blair, after he came in, deprecated
the policy, on the ground that il would
cost the. administration the fall elections,
Nothing, however, was offered that had
| not already folly anticipated and settled in
my own mind, until Secretary Seward
spoke. Said he: 'tMr. President, I0p.
prove of tie proclamation. but I question
the expectancy Of its issue at this juRe.urs
the depression of the public mind, couse-
quent upon our repeated reverses. ia 40
great that fear the effect of SO important
step. II may be viewed aH the last meas.
ure Of an exhausted governmeut-a cry
tor help; the government stretching forth
its hand to Ethiopia, instead of Ethiopia
stretching forth her hands to the govern.
ment. "His idea," said the President
twas that it would be considered our last
shTiek, on the retreat" This was his
precise expression.) 'NoW," continued Mr..
Seward, "while approve the measure, II
suggest, cir, that you postpone it's issue,
until you can give it TO the country sup.
ported by military success, instead of issu-
ing 1t, as it would be the case now. upop
the greatest disasters of the war;" Said
Mr.. Lincoln: "The wisdom of the visvv NJ
the Secretary Of State struck me with yerv
great force. 1t was an aspect of thu cnse
that, in all my thoughts upon the subject.
had entirely overlooked. The result was
that put the draft of the proclamation
aside, as you do your sketch for a picture.
waiting for victory. From time To time
l added or changed line, touching it up
here and there, waiting the progress Of
events. Well, the next news we had was
f6o RRSRss disaster at Bull Ran. Things
~ SNNSN u"theF IMAM ever. Finally, came
the week Of the battle of Antietam. de.
teFmlned to wait no longer. The news
came, / think on Wednesday, that the ed,
vantage was on our side, / vas then S,s1.
ing at the Soldiers Home (tbree miis.
from Washington.) Here iaished writ
log the second draft of the preliminary
proclamation; came up on SATURDAY.
called inc Cabinet together to hear It ami
1t was published the following Monday.
1T was somewhat remarkable faot -.
ne continued, THAT there was Just one hun.
dred days between the dates of the two
proclamations, issued upon the 22d OF San.
tcmoer and the 1st of January. had nor
made the calculation at the time"
Atth fnsl meeting on Saturday, another
interesting incident occurred in counection
With Secretary Seward. The President had
written the important part OF the prooIa-
nation in these words -
That on the fret day of January, in the
year of our Lord one thousand ei1bt bnnN
dred and sixty.thrce, all persons held a.
slaves within any State or designated nnrI
| OF State, the people whereof shall then
be In rebellion against the United States
shall be then, thenceforWArd and forever
and forever TRBE /; and the Executive gov.
eminent Of the United States, including tho
military aud naval authority thereof will
recognize the freedom of such persons, and
will do no act OF acts to repress such per.
sons, or any of them, in any efforts thew
may make for their actual freedom y.
when finished reading this paragraph u
resumed Mr.. Lincoln, "BF. Seward stopnef
me, and said: 81 think, Mr.. President that
you should insert after the word ,'reeog.
"'Es' IN that sentence, the words ,.aHI
maintain" l replied that had already
i9liy coneldered the import of that express.
sion IN this connection, but had mt in.
| In
promise what Was not entirely ,v,s ,bSt
could perform, and was not prepared to
say that thought we were exactly able ~
maintain this. Bot" said he, "Ir Ssw1
ard insisted that We ought to take hi.
ground, aud the words finally went in !"
10 February last, a few days after tho
passage of the Unconstitutional Amend
ment,'' was in Washington, aud was re-.
ceived by Mr.. Lincoln With the kindness
and familiarity which had Characterized
our previous intercourse. said to hin
one day that was very proud to have been
INC artist to have first conceived of the de-.
signs Of painting picture Commentaries
OF the act of emancipation-that subss.
quent occurrences had only confirmed nv
own hrst Judgment of that act as the most
sublime moral event in our history. ayes y
salo ne, and never do remember to have
noticed in him more earnestness Of err