Historic Newspapers

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Emancipation

Summary

Article [from unidentified paper] attacking the Examiner for supporting Lincoln's proposal to reimburse Maryland slaveowners for their emancipated slaves, and warning legislators who support it of their likely defeat in the next election.

Transcript

Ever since President Lincoln has recommended to Congress his emancipation scheme, and the same has been endorsed by the present Congress, The Examiner, published at Frederick city, Maryland, has teamed with long leaders in favor of Emancipation in that State, upon the plan proposed by the President, of remuneration by the National Government to slaveholders. We in candor say to our friend of The Examiner that he is wasting his time and talents in urging Emancipation upon the ground of remuneration from the Federal Treasury. Although this appears to be a darling scheme of the President, and has been approved by a majority of the present Congress, a body elected when this subject was not agitated nor thought of, and therefore, the people have not passed their verdict upon it – when once they do so, as they most assuredly will in the election for members of the next Congress, the editor of The Examiner, President Lincoln, and the members of Congress who favor this plan, will become satisfied that they have reckoned without their host in this matter.
We have never as yet met with one of our fellow citizens who unequivocally favors this policy; but on the other hand, the masses of all parties, as far as our knowledge extends, are truly opposed to being taxed for any such purpose, and will vote for no man for Congress who favors it. There was a time, the rebels have forced a war upon the country, that day is gone by.
This question will enter largely into the coming fall election, and the tax-payers of our State will demand of those seeking their suffrage that they come up fairly and squarely to the issue, without any ifs about this question of emancipation. The man, who does not, must not expect us to support him. We shall continue to sustain President Lincoln in the suppression of the Rebellion, but his emancipation scheme by levying taxes upon non-slaveholding States to pay slaveholders for their worthless property, we and a large majority of the people of the free states will never favor, as time will fully demonstrate to those who, like the Examiner, seem so eager on this point.