ce of three years, by the
operation of war, under the dread of national destruction, a great
change had been wrought in the opinions of the people of the Loyal
States. When the war began not one-tenth of the citizens of those
States were in favor of immediate and unconditional emancipation.
It is very doubtful whether in September, 1862, the proclamation
of the President would have been sustained by the majority of the
Northern people. In every instance the measures of Congress were
in advance of public opinion, but not so far in advance as to invite
a calamity through re-action. The President was throughout more
conservative than Congress. He had surprised every one with the
Emancipation Proclamation, but he was so anxious for some arrangement
to be made for compensating the Border States for their loss of
slaves, that he did not at once recommend the utter destruction of
the institution by an amendment to the Fundamental Law of the
Republic. He left Congress to take the lead.

Mr. James M. Ashley of Ohio is entitled to the credit of having
made the first proposition to Congress to amend the Constitution
so as to prohibit slavery throughout the United States. During
the entire contest Mr. Ashley devoted himself with unswerving
fidelity and untiring zeal to the accomplishment of this object.
He submitted his proposition on the fourteenth day of December.
Mr. Holman of Indiana objected to the second reading of the bill,
but the speaker overruled the objection and the bill was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary. Mr. Wilson of Iowa, chairman
of the Judiciary Committee, and Mr. Arnold of Illinois subsequently
introduced joint resolutions proposing a like amendment to the
Constitution. Mr. Holman moved to lay the resolution of Mr. Arnold
on the table. The motion failed by a vote of 79 nays to 58 ayes.
The vote thus disclosed was so far from the two-thirds necessary
to carry the constitutional amendment as to be discouraging to the
supporters of the measure.

AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION.

On the thirteenth day of January, 1864, Mr. Henderson of Missouri
introduced in the Senate a joint resolution proposing a complete
abolition of slavery by an amendment to the Constitution, and on
the tenth day of February Mr. Trumbull, chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, reported the proposition to the Senate in these words:
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except