The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-04-20
THE GREAT EMANCIPATION
The following communication, whirn
insists upon curiouslY erroneous view,
is given place;
Caldcr.s statIon. AprIl "a

is given place;
CaIder's Station. April le
Editor Tribune.-in The Semi Weekly
ISSUE OF April ~ appcars the following
editorial:
III Was bv preliminary proclamation
dated September ". 1859. that President
Lincoln announced that on January l,
1858. all persons held in slavery bN mon
in arms against tiis Umled states would
final proclamation took effect. IL freed
over 1000. 600 negroes al a stroke.
Permit me to SAY that no greater his
patton proclamation freed the negroes.
That roclamation-per se-had no effect
whatever on the condition Of the slaves
covered by the Confederate armies; II
did not take the shackles Off OF single
slave. The writer OF this lived in yir,
| Einia during the entire war. tho last
| two years OF II I'm Richmond. and knows
whereof he speaks, lie was In north
ern Virginia In 1862 and in tho Shenan-
doah valley in 1864 tboth sections COW
cred ny tho Southern armcsI and slav-
cry existed there then lust tho same as
vas slave then as he had always becn
there Neither his legal social status
vas affected In the least by the prOcla-
nation. Tho writer of this was also in
| previous to its evacuation by Lees army
and knows that slavery existed there
! the morning OF April 8. 1865. when the
| Federal army entered the city. To call
| Lincoln an emancipator is a msDomer
| Had the war have ended differently the
| proclamation would not have been worth
! the paper IL was written on. The vic
| tories OF the Union armies In the field
not the pen OF Lincoln-frced the negroes
| OF the South. Respectfully,
ARTHUR BROWN.
1t is quite true, as claimed bv our
correspondent, that tho proclamation
freeing the slaves in the territory in
rebellion against the United States did
not take practical effect in that terri
tory until the opposition to the Ma
tional Government had been overcome.
This is true also Of all other govern
mental functions. AS long as the Re-
bellion was able TO maintain itself, il
resisted the authority Of the United
States in this as in other respects. But
upon the suppression of the opposition
to National authority, the National de.
crees, including this Emancipation
Proclamation, went into effect. One
might just AS well claim that the law
against any crime is not effective
whenever crime is committed: but as
soon as the resistance to the law Is
overcome, the law is once more su.
preme, 1T was precisely so in this case.
As long as those who resisted the law
were able to make their resistance ef.
fectual, the law was paralyzed. But
IN the end the law and the National au-
thority were vindicated, and the eman.
cipation took effect.
1t was the purpose OF the Union
forces to establish the authority of
the National Government. in spite of
all resistance. That resistance was not
alone to the Emancipation Proclama
ton, but TO the laws of the Govern.
ment generally. aud TO the Constitution
of the United States And vet no one
will contend that the Constitution and
federal laws were, in fact, abrogated
and or no effect by reason of the Re.
belllon, AS quickly as it was possible
to do, the governmental authority was
reasserted In spite Of resistance, and
upon that reassertlon the Federal au-
tnorltY was supreme as before. This
Federal authority carried the enamel.
patton of the negroes. by virtue of that
Proclamation, and this emancipatiou
was effected as rapidly as the National
authority could be reasserted. To saw
that because the proclamation could
not be given effect Immediately, there.
lore 1t did not free the slaves, ia 10
lose sight of the fact that IL was nv
| reason of that proclamation that the
slaves were freed. Without il. the
states In rebellion would have claimed
with good reason, that they were en-
Titled to return TO the Union with
slavery. But with the proclamation
issued and ratified by the assertion Of
National authority, this was impossibIe
and 1t is because il was impossible,
and because the oclamation did. IN
TACT, free the slaves, that the state
ment is made and Justly made. that
1t was in truth an emancipation proc
lamation, and that it did free fbe
slaves, This assertion is strictly ar
cord'ng TO fact and to legal effect and
ctlectual purpose. The fact that
number Of the States were able Ia ro.
sist that proclamation for time
merely means that the National au.
tnonty was for that period success
fully defied, and that during the con.
tinuance Of that defiance. the procIa.
nation could not go into effect But
~ went into effect at once upon the
re-establishment of the National au
thority, aud that is all that can ever
be said of any Law, proclamation. ordi
nance. or constitutional amendment.
Though any Of these NAV be defied for
2 time, yet when they come into effect
'ueY dchlcFc thc result aimed at. and
tnls Is the real test. II must not be
forgotten that 1T took the Revolution |
airy patriots seven years to give full |
effect TO their Declaration Of Inde. |
pendence; hut il holds date as of itz |
IsSuc. and rightly so.