SPEECH IN THE SENATE, ON THE BILL PROVIDING AID FOR EMANCIPATION IN MISSOURI, FEBRUARY 12, 1863.
The recommendation of President Lincoln to aid the States in Emancipation, though urged by him, never found great favor in Congress. Among the measures prompted by it was one introduced into the House of Representatives by Mr. Noell, of Missouri, entitled, “A Bill giving aid to the State of Missouri for the purpose of securing the abolishment of Slavery in said State.” This provided that the Government of the United States would, upon the passage of a good and valid Act of Emancipation of all the slaves therein, and to be irrepealable, unless by the consent of the United States, apply the sum of ten million dollars in United States bonds, redeemable in thirty years from date. It passed the House by 73 yeas against 46 nays.
In the Senate, this bill was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, which reported a substitute, when it was recommitted and another substitute reported, by which it was provided, that, on the adoption of a valid law by Missouri “for the _gradual_ or immediate emancipation of all the slaves therein, and the exclusion of Slavery forever thereafter from said State,” twenty million dollars in United States bonds should be applied “to compensate for the inconveniences produced by such change of system,” which was to take effect “on some day not later than the fourth day of July, 1876”; but the bonds were not to exceed ten million dollars, unless there was “full and perfect manumission” before the fourth day of July, 1865, nor in their aggregate were they to exceed “the sum of three hundred dollars for each slave emancipated.”
This recognition of the principle of _Gradual_ Emancipation, especially as a war measure, was very disagreeable to Mr. Sumner. February 7th, he moved to strike out “seventy-six” and insert “sixty-four,” so that the Act of Emancipation should go into operation on the 4th of July, 1864; and here he remarked:--
MR. PRESIDENT,--This bill, as I understand it, is a bill of peace; it is to bring back tranquillity in a disturbed State. If you ask for authority under the Constitution, I cannot doubt that it is in the War Power. It is in the power to suppress this insurrection, to put down this rebellion. But most strangely do you seek to put down this rebellion by the abolition of Slavery twenty years, or even ten years, from now. To my mind the proposition is simply ridiculous. I use strong language, because so it seems to me, and I cannot help saying it.