The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-04-21
EMANCIPATION

to Mcclure, for April, for the facts we
will use in this connection.
AT the close of the first year Of his
administration he began to realize that
with his tone weapon" the army, he
could not subdue the South, and then
il was that it was whispered to him to
use the second the freeing Of the
slaves. Ii is said she did not want to
use it. Throughout bis political life
he had disclaimed any desire TO med
die with slavery in the States where
the constitution recognized il. He had
undertaken the war not to free men,
but to preserve the union"
"For many months, however, he had
been coming to the conclusion that he
must do something with his weapon,
and he had been examining it much
as a man in a desperate situation might
a dagger which he did not want TO I'M
sheath, but feared he might be forced
tor The effect upon the border States
Of any such step veXed his soul just
then, and to placate them he was ready
to ask Congress "tO set aside money
gradually to buy and free the negroes
in those States that could be persuaded
to give up the institution of slavery"
In the meantime Charles sumner chad
been speaking in Massachusetts, on
Emancipation as Our Best Weapon, ~
and Charles Schurz bad returned from
abroad with the report that France
and England would recognize the
Southern Confederacy "unless the as.
pect of the situation was speedily
changed, either by decisive military
success or by some evidence on the
part Of the administration that The war
was to end i'm the destruction of
slavery" On the 6lh OF March, 1862
Mr.. Lincoln sent "A message To- Con-
gress by which the administration was
committed to compensate emancipa-
ton" Emboldened by what had been
done, one General Hunter, 10y procla
nation undertook TO free the slaves Of
Georgia, Florida and South Carolina,
but this Mr. Lincoln promptly and
emphatically condemned. The pres
sure upon him, however, increased so
in force that ne Fairly staggered un-
der it," but would not as yet give up
his hope of a more peaceful and just
return Of emancipation" To those
who pressed close upon him with the
demand for immediate emancipation
he replied: Gentlemen, l can't do 1t.
] can't see it as you do You may be
right and may be wrong, but III tell
you what l can do; | can resign in IA
vor of MIR. Hamlin. Perhaps Mr..
Hamlin could do it," Just here he
appea ed earnestly to the border States
as he felt that if they freed the slaves
within their limits he "would live to
see the end of slavery"
Aud now, Horace Greeley, Ia the
n. Y. Tribune, and under the caption,
"The Prayer Of 10000, OOO," attacked
him bitterly, and strange to say the
president made reply through the col
umns Of Washington paper. Among
other things he said: only paramount
object in this struggle is to save the /
Union, and is not either to save or to /
destroy slavery. If could save the /
Union without freeing any slave, /
would do it; and if could save it by |
freeing all the slaves / would do it,; and /
if could do it by freeing some and /
leaving others alone, would also do
that"
Soon after this he said to a friend, !
regard. "vioent emancipation as the
act of a dictator"
"He feared il might be fruitless.
He dreaded the injury it might do the
loyal people Of the South" and added.
81 have prayed to the Almighty to
sage me from the necessity Of IT,, adopt
ing the very language Of Christ, IF it
be possible, let this cup pass from
me.'n
And yet, unjust as it was, the act Of
a dictator, the president being judge,
he at last signed document which
was intended to destroy property guar
anteed to the Southern people by that
which gives to US our Re
publican form Of Government.
This has not been written To revive
bitterness Of feeling, or in regret that
slavery no longer exists in the land,
but to remind the younger of our read
els that viewed from any standpoint,
the war waged by their fathers be-
tween 1861 and 1865 Was as just as ever
brave men suffered and died in.
The moral question involved in the
holding Of slaves we need not here dis
cuss, bat that they were constitution
ally the property Of the Southern peo-
pie, Abraham Lincoln, though dead,
still attests. We could not ask for
stronger testimony. The man who
calls US rebels does violence to the
memory Of the martyr president"
|
Rev. sam Jones is not only a man Of ,
faith hnt If tru-fo no coll H..