Year: 1863

"ARTIcLE---, Congress may appropriat,
money, and otherwise provide for colonizin.
free colored persons, with their own conseut
at any place or places without the Unite,
States"


In this recommendation he seeks to civ,
power to do what he claims he has power t,
do without it; and by this recommendation
he admits he has been exercising unauthorzeC
and illegal authority Is not this in itsel
an admission that the Constitution, unamen
ded, grants no power to Congress or the Ex
ecutlve to appropriate or use the money o
tie people for any purpose contemplated il
this amendment? lie calls upon US to com
promise. What compromise is tha,l Fol
whom does he propose COMPROMISED
What for! In order that You may have
more power to advance the negro. That is
all there is to it, and there is nothing less OF
it. lie tells us there are differences Of opin
ion among The friends of the Union "in RI
gard to savers and the African race among
u.s." He says to all Of those who differ with
him, surrender yonr conviction and come to
my pan-and he calls that compromised
Compromise, Yes, trust to God the dav
is not far distant when the people of this
country will compromise and save the Con.
s'ituton and the Union for the white people,
d not for the black people. Oar people
are tor no other compromise than that.


There are other portions of the message
upon which should like to bestow some at
tenton, but | will forbear to do so now, for
| desire to call the attention Of the commit
tee to another proposition Of the President
connected with this subject


The proclamation of the 22d of September
last, issued by the President, ok the coun,
try by surprise, and no one OF the citizens
more than myself. had fondly hoped and
been anxious that the presiden, Of the Uni
ted States should so conduct himself in his
high office as Chief Magistrate, that l could
lend him my support have been driven,
with thousands of others, into opposition to
the policy confined IN that proclamation,
for reasons which must commend themselves
to every rejecting man sincerely desirous
of terminating this war and slppressing the
rebellion.


Mr.. Lincoln, on the 4th of March, 1861.
on the the east portico of this Capitol, took
a vow, which he said was registered in heav
en-, to support the Constitution of the Uoi'cn
that occasion, he said he had no lawful author
ity or inclination to interfere with the instiu
ton Of slavery where it exists. In his proc
ama,ion of the 22d Of September last, he as
sumes that he has power to forever free "alI
persons held as slaves within any State, or
designated part of a State, the people thereof
shall he in rebellion against the United
States" thus violating the pledge SO solemnly
made in his inaugural address,


II the object Of the proclamation was not
to aid the rebellion, its effects was. 1t has
their army every person in the South that it
was possible to drive there. Was its intent
to affect those alone in rebellion? Clearly
not The slaves of every man in a rebel


ous State were to be free. The loyal man
owning twenty slaves, and man in the Ar
my owning like number, were, by that
proclamation, to he affected precisely the
same. The object of the proclamation was
to benefit The negro, not to restore the Cow
ernment or preserve the CONSTITUTIONS. 1t
was nothing more, nothing less. 1t goes a
bow.shot beyond anything done by this
House at the last session of Congress


But again. If the proclamation is to be
carried into effect, the war must continue
until every slave is free. If every rebel
should lay down his arms on the Cd day of
January next, or any subsequent day, and
submit hsmself to the laws and Consti ution
of the United States, the war would still have
to 90 on unless the slaves were all free for
the Proclamation declares that "tlIe executive
Government of the United States, including
the military and naval authorities thereof,
will recognize and maintain the freedom
of such persons" Il strengthens the arm of
the rebellion and postpones the time for re-
storing peace to this country, by the decIar
alton of the purpose for which the executive
power shall he used. In what respect has
our cause.-the cause of the Unon-been
advanced? Up to that time throughout the
great Northwest, you had but to call for
volunteers and they rushed to the army
Since then, you have ha no volunteering
Prior to that time it was not necessary, as
the Secretary of War-as | am told, for |
have not read his report-now declares it is
necessary to have Provost Marshals in every
county to arrest deserters from the army.


We are informed that but few days be,
fore tine issuing of this proclamation, the
President himself declared, in a conference
with some gentleman who were urging him
to this step that it would not 2nly be wholly
imperative in the object sought, but would
directly weaken us in the border States but
sign6c antly added that it might increase oul
strength in the North Ipause here to in
ouire where that additional strength in the
North was to be obtained; not certainly
from the Democratic element in the North
If additional vigor was Infused into the ser
vice, it must come from some other quarter
which until then had not heartily sustained
the policy Of the Administration. | neec
not particuarize what class OF individuals
were to be thus induced to lend their sup
port-the country well knows the baleiul IN
tluence of this class, and the ends they seel
to accomplish.


,L;, ;s ,ot oil Tho racOrA of th(