The Washington times., 1937-02-12
LINCOLN PLEA
ON SLAVERY
EXHIBITED
BY EARL GOODWIN

A Lincoln document, almost for
gotten by the casual student of the
emancipator, is on display today
in the hall of the National Ar.
Chives Building, Ninth and Penn
sylvania Avenue. 1t is a single
proclamation among many Of the
Lincoln papers transferred from
the State Department to the Ar
Chives Building and was singled
out for exhibition by ArChiviSt
Connor because of the rare choice
of language used by President Lin
coin at a time of great stress in
the midst of the war.
The proclamation is dated May
10, 1862, declaring null and void
the martial law declaration by Ma
jor General David Hunter in which
the officer had set free the slaves
in Georgia, Florida and South Car
olina. Lincoln called attention to
the Act of Congress, passed few
weeks previously, providing for the
reimbursement of slave owners by
grants to slave States If they
would adopt measures for the
gradual abolishment ri slavery.
Impressed BY Language
In the proclamation on view
today, and which will remain eX-
hibited for some time to come,
President Lincoln, appealed to the
States concerned for the accept
ance of this proposal. Officials
of the National Archives are i'm.
pressed with the deeply SYM
pathetic and religious tone of the
wording:
"To the people of those States
now earnestly appeal. do
not argue. / beSeech you to
make the arguments for your
selves. You cannot, if you
would, be blind to the signs of
the times. l beg of you, a calm
and enlarged consideration of
them, ranging if it may be, far
above personal and partisan poll
tics. This proposal makes COM
mon cause for common object,
casting no reprOaches upon any.
It acts not the Pharisee. The
change it cOntemplateS would
come gently as the dewS of
heaven, not rending or wreck
ing anything. Will you not en-
brace it? So much good has not
been done, by one effort, in all
~ thu VNPnuSHnnQn
of God, it is now your high priv
iIege to do. May the vast future
not have to lament that you
have neglected it."
This document is one Of the
whole collection of State Depart
ment Lincolniana. all bound in one
large volume. which contains the
great emancipation proclamation
with which so many are familiar.
Going through the book the stu
dent recalls that by proclamation
September %. 1862 Lincoln de-
clared war would be prosecuted to
restore the constitutional relation
between the United States and
each of the States and the people
thereof. He warned he would pro
claim. on January l, 1868, all slaves
free in States then in rebellion.
This is known as the preliminary
emancipation proclamation and is
in the State Department collection
now in the National Archives. One
hundred days later. January /,
1863 he issued the emancipation
proclamation.
Other proclamations bound in
the same volume include the call
for $4,000 militia April Is. 1861;
three weeks later he called for
42,034 volunteers and ordered the
enlistment of $4,000 regulars and
the increase of the Navy by $4,000
.. The "on to Richmond" cam
paign was of longer duration than
the Government anticipated; and
the President called for 100000
militia from Maryland, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and West Virginia
Other proclamations were issued
October II, 1868 for 100000 men;
this time to serve for three years
or the duration of the war. Then,
on July 18, 1864 the first proclama-
tion on record in the National
Archives ordering compulsory Serv-
ice. 1t called for half million men
and ordered a draft if the quota
was not filled.