Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-06-24
THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMA
TION.

Interview with Lincoln the Eve Of the
Act.
From Proceedings of Old Aboutonists-Rev. WlIl.
(4oodells Address.
Nv last interview with the President
was on the
EVENING BEFORE THE PROCLAMATION
of freedom, in company with three 9TH
ers, So a subcommittee appointed for the
purpose. Several committees from cltl-
zens of New York City and elsewhere
had visited the President III the autumn
Of 1862, in special reference to his pro-
posed proclamation Of emancipation on
the 1st of January, 1868, unless the re-
bellion should be previously terminated
by the submission of the rebels; or Gas
was UNDERSTOOD by some mutual set
Element Of existing difficulties, several
projects of pacification having been pro-
posed in various quarters, yet without
success.
As the time drew near, the agitation,
the anxiety, and the suspense was in
tensifed, especially as it was known
that every possible influence was inces-
sanity at work to draw OF drive the
President from his purpose, OF to delay
or essentially to modify his proposed
action. The claims of the SO called loyal
states to exemption were confidently
pressed, on the score of their loyalty.
and vet it was discovered that they were
Earnestly intent on securing the same
immunity for the rebel states, we'll
knowing thatif their slaves We're setfree,
their own slaves could not be retained in
bondage.
OF these anti-slavery committees from
New York city (and indeed from the
whole country the last to obtain a
hearing was one appointed by q public
meeting of ministers and christians, es-
pecially charged with the mission of
pressing upon the President the COM
mands of Gods word, and to "let the
oppressed go free; to proclaim liberty
through all the land, to all the inhabi
tants thereof" without exception or
discrimination.
BY the committee there appointed, a
subcommittee of three, namely, DR..
George B. Cheever, DR.. Nathan Brown,
editor of the American Baptist, and my
self. were deputed to visit the President
in person. We arrived, as intended, in
season to have
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PRE- SIDENT
on the evening Of the 31st ofDecember,
1862, Just previous to the morning Of
January 1st 1868, which was towitness,
v@as we believed, either the deliverance
of the slave or the ruin of the nation.
But we were not the only committee in
prompt attendance The Pro-slavery
Committee had entered the White
House before us, and after long inter
view they went out, doubtless with the
comfortable impression that they had
the last words with the President. But
as they passed out we passed IN, after
nine o'clock, and remained till late
hour. Our address written and read by
DIR. Cheever. was listened to by the Presl-
dent with fixed and solemn attention.
4 deep sigh now and then attested his
emotion, and once or twice an audible
groan escaped him. A long, free and
serious conversation followed, in which
the various topics brought to our
attention by the President left us in
no doubt as to the line of argument to
which he had Just been listening from
the shareholders. A more characters
tic and exhaustive plea on that side of
the question could not easily be I'M
agined While the fulscrum of the
argument rested on the claims of the
loyal" slave states, the lever was made
to bear against emancipation in any of
the states. This gave us a good oppor-
tunity, In answer, to reverse the pro-
cess, making a fulscrum of the obvious
necessity, of the Presidents promise to
emancipate the slaves in the slave
states, and thence urging the necessity
of emancipating all the slaves every
where. The most influential of their
arguments however, was that not even
the people of the North would sustain
a proclamation of emancipation. The
burden of our argument was
THE EXPLICIT COMMANDS OF GOD,
in His word, an argument for which
the President found no answer.
Having delivered the message, we
rose to take our leave. The President
politely rose also. We had put on our
cloaks when the President surprised us
by suddenly renewing the conversation
in the most familiar style lie had
seemingly rallied todefend his position,
and briskly piled us with ingenious