Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-03-14
THE CHRONICLE.
NEW ORLEANS CORRESPONDENCE.
The Devil, Slavery, cast out
Hts spirit has possessed the
DemOcracy-The Negroes Will
work
NEw ORLEANS, Feb. 26, 1866,

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 26, 1866.
Editor Chronicle The great fact tina
chsttel slavery has ceased to exis
throughout the United States has beer
officially announced, and the publ,
Judgment, both North and South, wheth
er willing or unwilling, whether approx
ing or disappearing, is compelled to re
cognize the abolition of slavery, as an ex
isting fact. No slave, as the property O
master, breathes American air, or treadi
American soil Who among the san
guine and most earnest Anti slavery mer
of the country, on the lst day of Janua
ry, 1861, would have ventured to pre-
dict that in five years from that date, the
joyful proclamation would be officially
made by the Secretary of State, at Wash
iDgton, that slavery was constitutionally
abolished in every State in the Unionl-
Tne action of a majority of our politi
clans and statesmen. seemed to be point.
ing to exactly the opposite result.
In the year 1861, both Houses of Con-
gress passed, by two-thirds vote, pro
position, with view to its being adopted
IS an amendment to the Constitution OF
the United States, In substance as fol
lows: That Congress should not have
power to abolish slavery in any State OF
the Union.
This was reported by the celebrated
Committee of thirty three, of which Mr..
Thomas CorWin, of Ohio, was chairman,
and Mr.. Chas. Francis Adams, of Mass,
was a member, both of whom ooncurred
in the report and voted for the PROPOSE
ton. The yeas were l33, nays IS. The
speakers announcement of the vote, rs
reported in the Congressional Globe
(part 2nd, 2nd session of Both Congress,
page 1885, twas received with loud and
prolonged applause, both on the Floor
and in the Galleries"
1t was my duty as well as privilege to
be present on this occasion, but did not
participate in or sympathise with the
jubilant manifestations which are cor
rectly reported ia the Official Record of
the House of Representatives l did not
then, and do not now, doubt the patriot
ism or question the motives of those good
men who voted for the proposition. 1t
was supposed to be in accordance with the
views of Mr.. Lincoln, the then President
elect, and of majority of the eminent
men who were to be his constitutional ad-
visers. 1t was hoped that this PROPOSE
ton would prevent or stop the war,
which had already been commenced
Fortunately it did no harm.
The abolition of slavery therefore,
may be set down as one of the benifcient
results of the war commenced by bad
men to give it power and perpetuity.-
Truly Gods ways are not mans WAYS
Slavery is dead, but its influence will ex-
tend beyond the life time of any per
son now living. The spell of its power,
in the body polite, is broken forever
but like a consuming fever, it has left
the system PROSTATE and feeble requiring
for long time, the stimulus of civilized,
moral, christian, and democratic inhu-
ences, to restore health and Vigor to the
society it has prostrsted. Its EVIL infu-
ence and aristocratic teachings, aTa not
confined to the States tolerating it, but
they have permeated the political, social,
religious and educational organism of the
whole Nation. The devil, slavery, has
been cast out, but its demoniacal spirit
has entered into and possessed herd
of politicians mot statesmen, who IN OPP
position to the Gospel Of Democracy as
taught in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, are loudly crying out, that 'this
is iOhits mans government" The sud-
den destruction of an ancient herd, sim
ilarly possessed-Which as we read-fran
violently down a steep place into the
sea and perished in the waters" pre-
sages the certain defeat of that class
of politicians in the last half of the 18th
century of the Christian Era.
1t is the evil influence of slavery, that
s,1p oh argos eVerv ouestioy non1aotad
with the welfare of the States lately un-
der its control. with doubt and Difficult.
ty. 1t is thfs influence that puzzles the
philanthropist and Vexes the statesman
in their efforts to restore the late rebel