FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176  
177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   >>   >|  
nt of slavery, but in such way that no slave shall be twice accounted for. ART. --. Congress may appropriate money and otherwise provide for colonizing free colored persons with their own consent at any place or places without the United States. I beg indulgence to discuss these proposed articles at some length. Without slavery the rebellion could never have existed; without slavery it could not continue. Among the friends of the Union there is great diversity of sentiment and of policy in regard to slavery and the African race amongst us. Some would perpetuate slavery; some would abolish it suddenly and without compensation; some would abolish it gradually and with compensation; some would remove the freed people from us, and some would retain them with us; and there are yet other minor diversities. Because of these diversities we waste much strength in struggles among ourselves. By mutual concession we should harmonize and act together. This would be compromise, but it would be compromise among the friends and not with the enemies of the Union. These articles are intended to embody a plan of such mutual concessions. If the plan shall be adopted, it is assumed that emancipation will follow, at least in several of the States. As to the first article, the main points are, first, the emancipation; secondly, the length of time for consummating it (thirty-seven years); and, thirdly, the compensation. The emancipation will be unsatisfactory to the advocates of perpetual slavery, but the length of time should greatly mitigate their dissatisfaction. The time spares both races from the evils of sudden derangement-- in fact, from the necessity of any derangement--while most of those whose habitual course of thought will be disturbed by the measure will have passed away before its consummation. They will never see it. Another class will hail the prospect of emancipation, but will deprecate the length of time. They will feel that it gives too little to the now living slaves. But it really gives them much. It saves them from the vagrant destitution which must largely attend immediate emancipation in localities where their numbers are very great, and it gives the inspiring assurance that their posterity shall be free forever. The plan leaves to each State choosing to act under it to abolish slavery now or at the end of the century, or at any intermediate time, or by degrees extending over the whole or any part of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176  
177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

slavery

 
emancipation
 

length

 
abolish
 

compensation

 

friends

 

derangement

 

compromise

 

mutual

 

diversities


articles

 

States

 
consummation
 

measure

 

disturbed

 

passed

 
deprecate
 

advocates

 
unsatisfactory
 

prospect


Another
 

thought

 

habitual

 

sudden

 

spares

 

greatly

 

mitigate

 

dissatisfaction

 

perpetual

 

necessity


choosing

 

leaves

 

forever

 
inspiring
 
assurance
 

posterity

 

extending

 
degrees
 

century

 

intermediate


numbers

 

slaves

 

living

 

vagrant

 

destitution

 
localities
 

attend

 
largely
 

thirty

 

people