Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-10-24
q. O.. BENEDICT. Editor.


Compensation for the Slaves.
MIR NJ. T. Hunter of Virginia, whilom
one of jeff. Davis counsellors with the title
of" Secretary of State for Foreign Ahairs
of the Confederate States of America nH9
had a reputation as man OF unusnai JUG
ment and good sense, for Southern states
man, which he cannot keep ii he CONTINUES
70 advocate the absurd and impossible pro-
nosition recently advanced by him. Al the
fair of the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural
Society last week, Mr.. Hunter delivered an
address. a large part of which was devoted
70 an argument in favor Of compensation to
the amount Of S4OO, 100000 to be paid by
the limited States to the former owners OF
slaves set free by the emancipation procla-
nation of President Lincoln. While dis
coursing on this subject Mr.. Hunter made
the following statement
Iwell reeollect that, in the interview at
ola PAINT Comfort between Mr.. Lincoln
and MIR Seward on the one hand and com
missioners OF the Confederate States (ol
wbom was one) on the other, this subject
If comDensation for the emancipatet slaves
was introduced by Mr.. Lincoln himself lie
said that a prominent citizen OF the North,
whose name. if given, would probably sur
nrise us. had written to him TO say that Il
The slaves were emancipated, the sum OF
eiOo 600 600 ought to be distributed
among their former owners by way OF com
pensation. The money, AZ well a re-
member, was proposed to be gwen To- the
States in proportion to the number OF ne
rroes freed within their borders, ana oy
them to be distributed among the indlVld-
ual owners That this would nave Deeh
very inadequate compensation Tor 4,5oo,-
ooo slov.s i evident to all But who can
estimate the relief which 1t would have al
forded To the de>poilcd and stricken South
If distributed among them just after the
war. il would have been Of lnestlmable
value. Mr.. Lincoln said he had no author
itv u speak for any one but himself, but ne
himself was in favor of 1t. Upon this Mr..
Seward expressed some lmpatlence, saying
that the government paid enough in the ex-
penses of the war. which | suppose he ielt
To- have been wagcd for negro emancipation
"A Door excuse to be made in regard to tue
claims of any OF the States, but none, Ger
tainlv, in the cases Of Kentucky, Missouri,
MARYLAND and Delaware, which never
seeded, and were never even called rebei-
equal enrnestucsS 81 know You all say
that it was sinful TO hold slaves, and, as
there was no right to do SO, there Is no JUS
tice in the claims for compensation. Now,
said he. if it was sin in the South u
hold slaves. il wasa sin in the North % sell
them. which they did to very great extent
"a We all know
MIR. Hunter admitted that direct payment
f...... II .-fa-a-.tyuar- WAS not
likely to be obtained, bat he argued that
the United States Government could and
should deposit 800, 0OO, 900, the interest on
which should be divided among the Southern
States. on the principle on which the surplus
revenue was distributed among the States in
Van Buren's time. This, he thinks would
b.ing great relief to the people of the South
and no injustice would be done, for they
were justly entitled TO it..
Mr.. Hunter describes in the above extract
substantially the proposition made in
writing by Horace Greeley to Mr.. Lincoln,
at the time Of Mr.. Greeley's peace negotia-
tons with George Sanders * Co.. at
Niagara Falls in July, 1861, and We take
it that the prominent citizen ~ alluded
to by Mr. Lincoln, was Mr. Greeley.
That Mr. Lincoln ever favored 1t,
we doubt, in spite ofMr Hunter sassertion
from the fact that he refused to entertain
Mr. Greeley's proposition or make it to any
extent a basis ofnegotiation with the rebels;
because it was inconsistent with all his pub
lie acts and statements, and, especially, not
at all in keeping with his second inaugural,
delivered but month after this interview
with Mr. Hunter. which contained, As our
readers vii. remember, among many strik-
ing thoughts, the solemn suggestion, that
it might be Gods will that the war should
continue until all the wealth piled by the
bondman's two hundred and fifty years of
unrequitcd toll shall be sunk. and until
every drop Of blood drawn with the lash
shall be paid by another drawn with the
sword" The man who could declare that
this would be righteous judgment Of the
Lord, could hardly have been the one to
favor compensation to Southern slave
ONDeIS. " 10 uol uoubt ludl MI Hunter
has things somewhat mixed in his recollec-
tions, and that he is quite in error as to Mr..
Lincoin's iavoring any such measure. But
however that may be, and whatever any
man may have thought expedient, while the
war was still in progress, and its issue APP
parently doubtful, no man of any influence
at the North would dare to advocate such
an idea, now and no northern community
would tolerate it for a moment. And Mr..
Hunter is doing very poor service to his
Virginia friends, in encouraging any such
visionary expectations on their part.
Mrs. Picrce'S Lecture.