Year: 1862

with her sisters Of the Union, and witt
which she can well dispense. Hence theil
decision.


To you it may appear an easy task for


sovereign State to free herself from pure


ly local institution, like Slavery. Thil


you may suppose Missouri can do, as othel


States have done, by a legislative act Of


emancipation, providing either for its i'm,


mediate or gradual abolition. If so, YOU


are not advised Of the obstacles to such


action contained in the organic law Of


this State. The constitution Of Missouri


contains the following provision:


The GeRerdL Assembly shall hare no


Po10eT 10 pass Iat0s for the emancipation Of


Slaves lvithout the consent Of their o1Dners, OF


scithOat paying them, before such erzGncipa-


ton, full eQttiOalsnt for such slaUss, 50 ezaaz-


eipated."


It will thus be seen that the power of
our Legislature to abolish Slavery is limit


ed TO the alternatives Of first procuring


the consent Of the owners of all the slaves,
or, second, Of paying them full eouiva-


lent for their slaves, before emancipation.
To procure the assent Of all the owners Of


slaves in the State to their liberation upon


any terms, much less without oompensa-


ton, may be set down as an impossible
| ty. The authority of the legislature is


therefore practically reduced TO the pass


age Of an act of liberation, which will be-
come effective only upon the means being


procured and applied to payment for the
slaves set free


Owing to the utter prostration of busi-
ness in Missouri, occasioned by the rebel
lion, and the heavy losses of property her
citizens have sustained from the same


cause, it is out of the question for her,


either at the present time, or in any com
paratiTely short period in the future, to
! make compensation for all her slaves out
of her own resources Left to herself,
therefore, with the public debt already
hanging over her, she is powerless to re-
lieye herself from the burden which is
weighing her down. Our people, never
theless, have not despaired Of accomplish
ing emancipation, and have, by their
votes, decided in favor of employing all
the instrumentalities within their reach
to that end. Their chief reliance has
been placed upon the promise Of assistance
from the General Government, contained
in the special message of the President to
the last Congress, and the favorable ac-
tion of that body upon its recommenda-
ton.


The question now is, whether the people
Of the Free States will, through their rep
resentatives in Congress, the President
concurring, render such national aid as
will enable us constitutionally to rid our
State Of the incumbrance Of Slavery now
and for all time. The opponents of eman-
cipation amongst ms deny that you will
As charity, we have no right to ask such
assistance, nor on that ground alone would
we. Have we no claim upon your liberal
ity2 Missouri has been the first state to
respond to the generous offer of the Presi-
dent and Of Congress. She has accepted
the proposition they have made, and is not,
therefore, without show Of claim on the
ground ofcontract Upon the score ofmu-
tuality Of interest however, is not her case
an exceedingly strong one?


Missouri although ct notime, probably,
having a population the majority of which
has not been loyal, has been cursed with
most persistently rebellious element tosub-
due which has cost the nation immense
amounts Of treasure, and to keep it in sub
lection is Likely to involve heavy contin-
usd expenditure, so long as the original
cause Of the rebellion exists in the State
That cause is Slavery. On the score of
economy, would it not be wise policy for
the Government to remove this source of
expenditure by the purchase and liberation
Of the slaves Of Missouri, rather than to
continue armies upon her soil, as she has
been doing? To assist in the solution of
this problem, we win state, that as q mat
ter Of fact, from the best evidence we can
gather, the number Of slaves yet remain
ing in Missouri does not exceed fifty thou
sand. Of this number, one-half can safely
be said to belong to disloyal owners, and
to be entitled to their freedom under the
act Of confscation. The slaves now re-
naming in the state are the least Valua-
bic Of their kind, as q general thing, such
only as were not considered sufficiently
valuable to take South, or who have not
possessed sufficient energy to escape North. j
The amount requisite, therefore, to make
purchase Of the entire lot at fair valua-
ton, cannot be so considerable.


The entire nation being interested in the
restoration Of q permanent peace in Mis-
souri,, is interested, as well as her own
people, in the question Of emancipation
upon her soil. Nor does mutuality Of in
teFest step here. The locality Of Missouri
is such that, as a slave State, she stands |
directly in the path Of Northern emigra-
ton, and the expansion of Northern free
institutions. How serious an obstacle
slave State, located as she is, did become,
was fairly demonstrated in the memorable |
contest between freedom and Slavery, when |
the soil Of Kansas was the debatable |
ground Every day renders her position |
as q slave State, more formidable obstruc- |
tion to the free North, as its free popula- |
ton spreads Westward; for over her soil |
must run the principal channel of commu- |
nieGtion between the East and the West. |
How essential, then, to the North, that the |
institutions Of Missouri should assimilate |
to her own.


But these arc, by no means, the only in
ducements Missouri offers to the North for
cooperation in her struggle for freedom.
As q free State, Missouri will furnish in
return to the North for the aid she may
now render, millions Of acres Of the rich
est soil upon which the sun looks down, for
homes for her children, from which they
are now excluded by the barrier of Slavery.
These alone are worth many times the en-
tire amount Of treasure necessary to sue
cess in the present issue in this State.


Missouri, therefore, asks Of the loyal
States Of the nation, in the present crisis
Of her affairs, nothing which she will not
largely repay. With you of the North
will rest the decision Of the question. In
view of the facts presented, and all other
involved, We appeal to you
for its full and fair consideration. To
Northern representatives in Congress, it
IS Immediately presented. OF the Northern
press we ask for It such discussion ss
It's Importance demands. To the people Of
he North, in whose hands, after it the
power is lodged, we can only recommend
he views We have urged, as being honest
md, in our Judgment, worthy Of adoption.