Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-10-15
COMPENSATION FOR EMANt
PATED SLAVES.

| Hon. r. M. T. Hunter gave an address at
which he brought up the subject of compen-
saton for emancipated slaves, and what Mr..
Lincoln thought about it. Mr.. Hunter said {:
we'll recollect that in the interview at Old
Point Comfort between Mr.. Lincoln and Mr..
Seward on the one hand, and Commissioners
of the Confederate States (of whom l was
one) on the the other, that this subject of
compensation for the emancipated slaves was
introduced by Mr.. Lincoln himself. He said
that prominent citizen of the North whose
name, if given, would probably surprise US,
had written to him to say that if the slaves
were emancipated, the sum of $500, 00O, 900
ought to be distributed among their former
owners by way Of compensation. The money,
as we'll as remember, was proposed to be
given to the States in proportion to the num-
Der of negroes freed within their borders, and
by them to be distributed among the individ-
ual owners. That this would have been a
very inadequate compensation for 1900 900
slaves is evident to all. But who can esti-
mate the relief which it would have afforded
to the despoiled and stricken South; if dis
tributed among them just after the war, it
would have been of inestimable value. Mr..
Lincoln said he had no authority to speak for
any one but himself, but he himself was in
favor Off. Upon this, Mr.. Seward expressed
some Impotence, saying that the government
paid enough in the expenses of the war,
which suppose he felt to have been waged
| for negro emancipation-a poor excuse to be
made in regard to the claims of any of the
States, but none, certainly, in the cases of
Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Della
ware, which never seeded, and were never
even called rebelious. To this Mr.. Lincoln
replied with equal earnestness 81 know you
all say that it was sinful to hold slaves, and,
as there was 10 right to do so, there is no
justice in the claim for compensation. Now"
said he, "if it was a sin in the South to hold
slaves, it was sin in the North to sell them,
which they did to a very great extent, as we
all know"
The orator then spoke at some length to
prove this last assertion of Mr.. Lincoln,
quoting in its support from Dr. Dabney's
defense of Virginia and of the South" and
said: "There was no point of view in which
we could be considered as deprived of the
claim to compensation. If W. were still citi-
zens, and States within the Union, the spoil
iation was unconstitutional, and we were GER
tainly entitled to some compensation for dam
age sustained. five were separate and in.
dependent bellgerents, such an act of plumber
was not justified by the laws of war, and we
we're entitled TO compensation upon the pre
| cedents of both wars with Great Britain. She
solcmnly bound herself by the treaty of 1888
to pay for all our slaves whom she carried
away, and she was found liable to do the
same thing for those she took away in the
last war by an award of the Emperor of Rus
STA, decision made upon the very terms of
the Treaty of Client" New England, he
continued, is mistaken, if she hopes to escape
all moral responsibility at the bar of public
opinion, for what she acknowledges to have
been great wrong, by throwing the whole
loss and punishment upon those whom she
accuses of being the recipients of the stolen
goods.
The United States may yet do something,
he thinks, for the relief Of the South and to
remove the stain which must otherwise rest
upon its reputation for justice and fair deal
ing. 1t can deposit the amount of 100000
600, mentioned by Mr.. Lincoln, on the prin-
ciple on which the surplus revenue was de-
posted with the States. If it should never
be returned no injustice would be done, for
those who would retain it were justly entitled
to it. This would bring great relief to the
people of the South and benefit the whole
country by increasing the tax-paying resour-
ces of the South and the trade of the whole
land