Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-07

" iuOcc WnO udu lD0iT ccINlSce3 anu VIC
must decide whether that element should
be with us or against us"
| That was humilating confession for the
President of a great republic to make. but
was the verdict ofhistory before Mr.. Weles
recorded it. Having thus satisfied bis con-
science, hat wrong by the "Rebels" JUST.
fed him in violating his oath, he called a
meeting of his Cabinet to carry the project
into effect. Mr.. Welles gives the following
account of the proceedings:
s'Early in August--it has been said on
Saturday, ana If so, it was, think, the 81
| Ct that month-the President called
| special meeting of the Cabinet. The meet
ing was in the library of the Executive
Mansion, and not Ia the Council Chamber,
where the regular sessions were usually
convened. All were present except Mr..
Blair, who had gone to his country resi-
dence in Montgomery country. If 1 am,
not mistaken, Mr.. Chase was also, from
some cause, absent from the first meet
ing. The President stated that tie
| object for which be had called us
| together was to submit the rough
| draft of proclamation to emancipate, afz
1
| which should then be in rebellion There
we're, be remarked, differences in the Cabi-
net on the slavery question, and on eman-
| cipation, but he Invited "a free discussion on
| the important step he was about to take;
and to relieve each one from embarrsss-
ment, he wished it dersLood that the
question was settled in his own mind; that
| he had deereed emancipAt alton in a Certain
contingency, and the responsibility of the
measure was hi; but he desired to hear
the views Of his associates and receive any
suggestions, pro or con, which they might
make. He had, be said, dwelt much and
| long on the subject, and formed his own
conclusions, nd had mentioned the
matter in confidence to one or two If
he members. Little was said by any one
! but tee President. NJ. Bates expressed 8
very decided approval, but wished deporta-
| ton to be coupled Wi b emancipation. He
was, it vas vii known, opposed to slav ~.
Though born in slave Safe and always
residing in slave State and among slaves, =.
| he neSerthe less wished them free, an that
the cOl0red racs should leave the country.
IL was impossible, be said, for the two races
| 10 assimilate but by amalgamatiOn, aud
| they could not amalgamate without Geyr2-
| dation and demCrlZ2tion TO the viii race.
! The whites might be brought down, but the
negroes could not be lifted To a much higher
| place than they low occupied. He had been
a'clOse observer of the influence of slavery
| on the ENTERPRISE and wefare of the cGu4-
| try through loDglife, had deplOred is eff
! fees, and himself had given freedom to bis
| own slaves, and wished them and Their fell rvs
| in Africa or elsewhere than in the Uhited
| States. BE was fully convinced that the
| two races could not 1--we and thrive in social \
! proximity. The result of any attempt TO
! place them on terms of equality would be
| strife, contention and,a V Gus popui alton,
| as in Mexico. The whites might be debas-
| ed, but the blacks could not be elevated,
even By The disgusting process Of mixed
breeds, which was TepugDant to nature and
to our moral and better instincts. He there
fore wished a system of deportation to &C.
company any scheme of emancip patton.
These were also the Presidents views.
CDR Seward, without expressing an
opinion on the merits of the question, |
thought it would be well 10 postpone the |
whole subject TO more suspicious period. |
Ii the proclamation were Issued now, il |
would be Tecei7ed and considered as a de- |
spairing cry-a shrek from and for the Az |
miaistration, rather than Tor freedom. The I
President Instantly felt and appreciated the /
force and pr0pEiety Of The suggestion. We |
had. experienced serious disasters. In /
portsnt results were ia the immediate fu-
ture; high hopes were en.eTt iinsd from |
army operations under Hailscz ald Pope, |
who had just taken The direction Of military !
5iialrs. The President at once closed his |
portfolio aud suspended his proclamation /
and ali further proceedings on the subject |
of emancipation. l DO not recOlect that it |
was again alluded to in Cabinet until after |
the battle Of Antietam, which took place |
Oh the 75h OF Sep-ember-six weeks later" |
In the meantime great pressure was |
brought to bear upon Mr.. Lincoln TO urge /
him to the adoption of .'more active and |
decided measures in the csuss of freedom" |
A special Cabinet meeting was convened |
on Saturday, Sept. 20, 1862, "when the
preliminary proclamation for emancipation
was again submitted" MOI the least sin
guar aud curious part Of Mr.. WsIls3' artl-
Gle is the &C cunt which he gives of
"voB" which Mr.. Lincoln made before the
battle of Antietam, and which was brought
out at this meeting Sf the Cabinet. Mr.
Wellus says:
"BzfoTe reading tie proclamation the
President again said be felt the great re-
sponsibility Of the step he was taking,
both to himself aud the ciuntry. 1t had
oppressed him, and nos until all other meas
ures nd eXpuCie MS failed had be come 20
the conclusion that this cement, which
was arbitrarily us,d against US, must be
brought into the Union cause. Having
reached that conclusion, his decision was
fixed and unaltel able. The act and all It's
RESPONSIBILITIES were bis alone. He had
prepared the paper which ne was again
shout 70 read, without aivice or assis auce
bad pOndered over il for weeks, aud
been more confirmed ia the rectitude of the
measure as time passed on. There had
0een moments when be felt awed and over
whelmed by the gravity and IN aauitude of
the subject and Of what might FLOW, but
bis way was now Cl6dr-he knew ne Was
right. Among other things, ne said in a
su ydueu tone, he bad looked 10 a Higher
Power for aid aud direC ion. he bad made
a VOW that if God gave us the victory IL
the impending battle he won d receive it as
an indication Of the Divine Viii that it was
bis Gu'y 10 90 forward IN the work of
emaDcipa' iCr. In q manner halt apologize,
he said tbs N sht seem strange, but there
we're occasions when, uncertain now to pre-
ceed-N hen il vas not clear to his Ia nd
what be should d0-he had in this way sub
mitled the disposal of a su, jet TO a Higher
Power, and aoided by what seemel the
Supreme VIII. Events at Sharpsburg had
confirmed and strengthened bis original pui-
pose in regard to emancipation, AID be had
10 hesitation in issuing this preliminary Or
der; he States inte rested would decide for I
themselves as 10 its c0nsUmmation.'
The preliminary proclamation was issued
forthwith, and Mr.. Weles adds:
following the preliminary proclamation,
snd, as part Of the plan, was the question
of depoTting and Coloniziug the COl)red
race. This was a part of the Presidents
scheme, and had occupied his mind some
time before the project Of emanc patton
was adopted, although The historians, bio
grsphers and commentators have made
slight, if any, aliusion to it. The President,
however. and a portion of his Cabine. con-
siderei them inseparable, and that deporta.
tion should accompany ana be part Of the
emancipation movement
Mr.. Liucola never did abandon his