The National tribune., 1909-05-27
THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMA-
TION.

THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMA
TION.
An ex-Confederate, who gives US hi!
name, but does not wish us to publish
1t, writes us the following letter:
Editor National Tribune: Altho
was soldier on "the other side" dur.
ing the war between the States, I read
your paper with interest each week
because I wish to be Informed of the
present sentiment. among the survivors
of the Federal armies.
| In the article referred to, whose
| caption was "The Emancipation Proc
| lamation," it is said: "The Emancipa
| laws of the land. Its issuance was an
| act of supreme military necessity, as
well as of humanity and right"
What I want to know is: Why was
it an act of supreme military necessity
| 1t has always seemed to me that with
the overwhelming preponderance of
| men and resources possessed by the
the Northern States they could have
won without the aid of single negro
or single foreign soldier. In what
way did the Emancipation Proclama-
ton aid the Northern cause? 1t was a
brutum fulmen SO far as the negros
within the Confederate lines were con-
cerned, and outside of them it exerted
no appreciable influences; so how could
it have had the wonderful effect as
cribed to it? Had 1t been issued at the
outset of the war it would have exerted
wonderful influence upon its fortunes,
For
ern cause thousands of white men in
the border slave States who We're then
wavering or who afterwards enlisted In
the Union armies. But issued when ii
was, what good did it do2.
AS to the proclamation being an act
of humanity and right" / ask If you
think it was right for the Federal Gov
ernment to destroy millions of proper
ty, recognized as such by the Constitu-
ton, without compensation to the own
ers thereof? The precedent thus es-
tablished may be invoked some day to
confiscate the property of "bloated cor
porations" that incur the hostility of
'the masses" There would be as much
justice in that as there was in the con-
fiscation of slave property. Few, If
any, of the Southern white people re-
gret the extinction of slavery. but there
is an abiding sense of injustice among
them at the action of the Northern peO-
pie in taking away their property with
out payment therefor.
I write the above and ask the ques-
tions therein contained in no captious
or vindictive spirit, but merely for in
formation.-A Confederate Soldier of
Longstreets Corps, Army of Northern
Virginia.
The supreme military necessity Of the
proclamation rested upon moral, physi-
cal and diplomatic reasons. From the
very first, much as we tried to ignore
the negro and slavery. it was the great
est possible embarrassment in our MILL
tary operations. We entered the war
with firm assertion that we did not
intend to disturb slavery or interfere
with any of the institutions of the
South. For more than a year the dis
position Of the negrOs was an intense
embarrassment to all our commanders
in the field. Everywhere that our
armies went they encountered great
ly troubled as to their disposal. The
soldiers naturally revolted at peing
made slave catchers for men who were
in rebellion against US and doing all
they could to destroy the Union. This
feeling grew rapidly with the intensity
of the struggle, and there were thou
sands of instances where the discipline
VI tlic army Suittfcu severely from the
efforts Of the officers to carry out the |
early promise and NOT interfere with |
and the opposition of the men
to acting as slave catchers As the
had directly precipitated |
the war it did not seem at all in ac-
cordance with the feeling Of right and |
Justice in the people of the North, who |
had sent their sons to fight to save ths |
Union, that these sons should devote |
themselves to protecting the property |
Of the men who were attempting to kill |
them and destroy the Government They |
could not see why, IL the Union armies |
were weakening the South by taking |
away their farm products, horses and |
cattle, that the slaves should be spared |
from this confiscation, particularly as
the negros were employed in raising
supplies for the Confederate army and
offsetting the work done by the farmers
OF the North. who could not go into the
army because of need Of their services
at home. This feeling grew so strong
as to virtually compel Lincoln to issue
his Proclamation of Emancipation.
The diplomatic reason was quite as
strong. England and France only wait
I'd for pretext to recognize the South
ern Confederacy. but they did not dare
70 do this in face of the moral sense of
heir people. These regarded slavery
Is an intolerable wrong, and would not
permit their Governments to assist in
war which was waged on the part of
he South for the continuance of hu-
nan slavery. Undoubtedly the issuance
# the Proclamation of Emancipation
prevented England and France giving
he recognition Of the Southern Con-
ederacy, which they were more than
'eady to do after the failure of the
lrst campaign against Richmond
AS to the military preponderance Of ,
hn n fcto
gfnation of the later-day writer's than G
n fact. Mr.. Davis and his band of
onspirators firmly believed that the
outh was stronger for a defensive war
han the North was for an offensive
var There were at that time about
y, 900 people in the North to 1O.-
10000 in the South, with the latter
lavlng all the advantage of compact
err1tory and interior lines of defense.
history shows that compact people.
landing on their own ground. have
een generally successful in resisting
ar stronger odds than the North was
bic to oppose to the South.
Lastly, as to the "confiScation" ofj
laves: From the very beginning of the
'ar President Lincoln and the Repub-
can Party generally were quite willinp
pay the South for their slaves. and
as late as the famous
1eeting at Hampton Roads. in Feb
uary, 1865. Mr.. Lincoln was ready fol
i've the South 100000 for their
aves II they would quit fighting ard
ome back into the Union They re-
lsed this offer, and determined TO fightI
the end, with the result that six
eeks later the Southern ConfedeI acy II