Voice from London, England., January 19, 1863
Voice from London, England.
At a special meeting of the committee of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, held on Monday, the 19th of January, 1863, the following minute was unanimously approved:
The committee, deeply impressed with the magnitude of the evils inseparable from slavery, and with the conviction that its speedy extension, wherever it exists, is devoutly to be desired, on the highest grounds of religion and humanity, would express satisfaction at the proclamation issued by the President of the United States on the first of the current month, declaring “thenceforth and forever free” the slaves in certain of the States of the American Union.
In view of the exceptional circumstances under which that proclamation has been issued, and of the importance of the present crisis, the committee feel themselves called upon formally to record, that deprecating war as opposed to the spirit and the precepts of the gospel, they regard with unmitigated sorrow the fratricidal conflict between the two sections of the American Union, and sincerely desire its speedy termination, while they protest against the assumption that approval of the President’s act implies on their part a sanction of the conflict, or is an encouragement to its continuance.
The committee hold it to have been demonstrated, without possibility of disproof, that the States in rebellion were the aggressors, and deliberately entered upon war for the avowed, sole object of extending and consolidating slavery as an institution by establishing an independent confederacy founded upon it. This wanton, wicked act renders them primarily responsible for the awful sacrifice of human life which has ensued, and for all the misery and suffering it has been the means of inflicting, not only upon the people of the United States, but upon our own countrymen at home, as well as upon considerable numbers of the inhabitants in some parts of the continent of Europe, while, so far from having any claim to the sympathy they seek to secure for their rebellion, it justly merits the severest reprobation of the civilized world.
On the other hand, the committee do not overlook the fact that the President distinctly avows in his declarations to Congress that the United States government resorted to arms to suppress rebellion and preserve the Union, not to abolish slavery. The proclamation of the 22d September last, and that of the 1st of January current, of which it is the complement, also set forth that the freeing of slaves in the States and parts of States held to be in rebellion is a measure of military expediency, and is decreed as such in virtue of the powers extraordinary which the Constitution confers upon the head of the State, as commander-in-chief of the national forces, to be exercised only “during a time of armed rebellion.” The committee, nevertheless, sincerely rejoice in the act itself, as bringing to an immediate termination, in favor of three-fourths of the slave population of the south, the there recognized legal condition of slavery.
The committee record an expression of unfeigned regret that any States or portions of States in which slavery exists should be exempted from the operation of the President’s proclamation; but although the act falls short of the requirements of justice to all the enslaved, and does not prohibit the reintroduction of slavery where it is now decreed to be abolished, it must in these respects be tested by the measure of the President’s ordinary powers under the Constitution, which leave him no option of interference with slavery in any of the States, and must also be considered in connexion with his proposition for compensated emancipation in the loyal States. The committee are thus brought to the conclusion that considering the constitutional obligations which limit the action of the President, he is justly entitled, in his extremely difficult position, to “the encouragement and to the considerate judgment of mankind,” which he solemnly invokes.
The committee protest against the idea which has been put forth that in decreeing emancipation the President contemplated inciting a servile insurrection. While the information in their possession does not warrant the apprehension of such an event, the committee regard the President’s exhortation to the freed slaves, “to abstain from all violence, except in necessary self-defence,” and “to labor faithfully for reasonable wages when allowed,” as conclusive evidence of his desire not only to effect a great work peaceably, but to establish an equitable system of labor. The gratifying results of the remarkable experiment at Port Royal, where some ten thousand so-called “contrabands” are employed most successfully, under exceeding disadvantages, as well as the satisfactory issue of arrangements made in other instances between slaves and their masters, on the one condition of wages for labor, confirm the committee in their belief that in the large majority of cases the emancipated slaves will be found to require no inducement to work for their former owners other than reasonable compensation.
The committee reiterate their appreciation of the various legislative measures in reference to the abolition of slavery adopted by the United States government, and consider that the general policy in this direction of the President and his advisers has been such as entitles them to the cordial thanks of the friends of negro emancipation in all lands.