The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1872-12-06

ION. we must Tree INC siaEeo VI w
ourselves subdued."
Having thus satisfied his con-
science, that wrong by the rebels
justified him in violating his oath,
! he called meeting of his Cabinet.
Mr. Wclies gives the following ac-
count of the proceedings:
"Early in. August-it has been
said on Saturday, and if so, it was,
/ think, the I'd of that month-the
President called special meeting Of
the Cabinet. The meeting was in
the library of the Executive Man
sion, and not in the Council Cham
ber.. where the regular sessions were
usually convened All were pres
ent except Mr. Blair, who had gone
to his country residence in Mont
gemery county. If | am not mis-
taken, Mr.. Chase was also, from
some cause, absent from the first
meeting. The President stated that
the object for which be had called us
together was to submit the rough
draft of proclamation to emancl-
pate, after a certain day, all slaves
in the States which should then be
in rebellion. There were, he re-
marked, differences in the Cabinet
on the slavery question, and on
emancipation, but he invited free
discussion on the important step he
was about to take and to relieve
each one from embarrassment, he
wished it understood that the ques-
ton was settled in his own mind
that he had decreed emancipation in
a certain contingency, and the re-
sponsibility of the measure was his;
but he desired to hear the views OF
his associates and receive any sug-
gestions, pro or con, which they
might make. He had, he said,
dwelt much and long on the subject,
r and formed his own conclusions, and
had mentioned the matter in conf
dence to one or two of the members.
Little was said by any one but the
President. Mr.. Bates expressed his
very decided approval, but wished
deportation to be coupled with
emancipation He was, it was
;; well known, opposed to slavery
Though born in slave State, and
always residing in a slave State and
among slaves, he nevertheless wish
ed them free, and the colOred race
should leave the country. 1t was
impossible, he said, for the two
races to assimilate but by amalgama-
ton, and they could not amaIgamate
without degradation and demorali-
cation to the white race. The
whites might be brought down, but
the negroes could not be lifted to a
8 much higher plane than they now
occupied. He had been q close OBJ
server of the influence of slavery on
the enterprise and welfare of the
country through long life, had de-
pIored its effects, and himself had
given freedom to his own slaves,
and wished them and their fellows in
Africa, or elsewhere than in the
United States. He was fully con
vinced that the two races could not
live and thrive in social proximity.
The result of any attempt to place
them on terms of equality would be
strife, contention, and vicious
population as in Mexico. The
whites might be debased, but the
blacks could not be elevated, even
by the disgusting process of mixed
breeds, which was repugnant to ma
ture and to our moral and better in
stincts, He therefore wished sys-
TEN of deportation to accompany
any scheme of emanci patton: These
were also the Presidents views.
Mr.. Seward, without expressing
an opinion OH the merits of the ques
ton, thought it would be well to
postpone the whole subject to
more auspicious period. If the
proclamation were issued now, it
would be received and considered as
a despairing cry-a shrek from and
for the Administration, instantly felt
and appreciated the force and pro-
priety of the suggestion. We had
experienced serious disasters. I'm
portant results were in the immedi-
ate future; high hopes were enter
tanned from army operations under
Halleck and Pope, who had just
taken the direction of military af-
fairs. The President at once closed
his portfolio and suspended his proc
lamation and all further proceedings
on the subject of emancipation. |
do not recollect that it was again al
| luded to in Cabinet until after the
battle of Antietam, WHICH took place
on the 18th of September-six
weeks later.
As the disasters of the army I'M
der Mcclellan were not retrieved by !
Pope and Halleck, the subject was
not reconsidered until after the battle
of Sharpsburg, when the preIimina-
ny proclamation was issued. On |
that occasion "he expressed the
sense of the responsibility he was
taking, both to himself and the
country. 1t had oppressed him
and well i, might. 1t was the sub
version of the Constitution. Mr..
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