The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-11-26
In This Country, As Many
Believe.
STATES RATIFIED AMENDMENT
Which Accomplished This
Purp0se-Some Pertinent
Facts OF History.
HE WAS GREAT AND GOOD MAN

1t Is believed by a great per cent
of our people, and is being taught,
no doubt, in some of our schools,
and perhaps in all the negro schools,
that Abraham Lincoln freed the
American negro.
Let's see If he did! In his inaug-
ural address on March 4, 1861, he
said in regard to slavery: 81 have
no purpose, directly or indirectly, to
interfere with the institution of
slavery in the States in which it ex-
lists. l believe I have no lawful
right to do so, and l have no incli-
nation to do so.'
When Congress met in extra ses-
sion after the battle of Manassas, in
July, 1861, the following resolution
was passed by unanimous vote of
both branches of Congress: RE
solved, That this war is not waged
on our part with any purpose of ov-
erthrowing or interfering with the
rights of established institutions of
these States, but to defend and
maintain the supremacy of the Con-
stitution and to preserve the
Union"
In August, 1861, General FIRE.
mont, Major General in the Union
Army, with headquarters at Hilton
Head, S. c., issued proclamation
declaring FREE the slaves of all
persons engaged in the rebellion.
AS soon as Mr.. Lincoln heard of
the proclamation he at once remov-
ed Fremont, and declared Free
mont's proclamation null and void.
Again, on May 8, 1862, Gen. Hun
ter. of the Federal Army, with head
quarters at Hilton Head, S. c., issu-
ed proclamation declaring FREE
all slaves of the States of North Car
DINA, South Carolina and Georgia.
AS soon as Mr. Lincoln heard of
the proclamation MAY the 19th) he
Mr.. Lincolh-issued his proclama-
ton declaring Hunters null and
void, and that no one had authority
under the Government of the Unit
ed States to declare any slaves free.
President Lincoln, in his message
to Congress, in December, 1862,
said the people of the South were
no more responsible for the intro
duction of slavery into the country
than the people of the North.
The people of the South did not
fight to maintain slavery. Colonel
Lee-afterward Gen. Il. E. Lee of
the Confederacy-on December 81,
1857, wrote to his son: 81 believe,
in this enlightened age, there are
but few men who do not believe that
the institution of slavery is a moral
and political evil"
In the midst of the war Gen. Lee
set his slaves free. Does that look
like he. the leader of the Confeder-
acy, was fighting for slavery?
Doesn't any intelligent man who
is an American know that not one
Confederate soldier i'm five owned
slaves? He knows that the COnfed-
crate soldier was of average intelli-
gence. and ought to know that he
would not endanger his life for an
institution in which he was in no
way interested.
Lincoln's famous proclamation
did not set the negro race free In
America. and not even in the Unit
ed States. That proclamation did
not affect Maryland, Kentucky. Ten
nessee. and certain parts of Virgin
la, and certain Parishes in Louis
lana.
The slaves in each State We're le-
gally set free when the State voted
to adopt the Thirteenth Amendment
to the Constitution. The people
voters-of Kentucky set the slaves
of Kentucky free when they voted
for the 18th Amendment. and no
negro in Kentucky was free man
legally until that vote was counted,
and the same thing was true of the
other States. except where the own
er set them free.
No man. no Legislature. no Gov
ernor. no Congress, no President.
and no combination OF these several
parts OF our Government, had any
right or authority to proclaim free
dom to the negro in the United