ress.
Its declarations, contained in the concluding clauses, though made
somewhat under the pressure of national adversity, were nevertheless
a fair reflection of the popular sentiment throughout the North.
The public mind had been absorbed with the one thought of restoring
the Union promptly and completely, and had not even contemplated
interference with slavery as an instrumentality to that end. Many
wise and far-seeing men were convinced from the first that the
Rebellion would result in the destruction of slavery, but for
various reasons deemed it inexpedient to make a premature declaration
of their belief. Indeed, the wisest of them saw that a premature
declaration would probably prove a hinderance and not a help to
the conclusion they most desired. In the Senate it was noted that
Mr. Sumner withheld his vote, as did Thaddeus Stevens and Owen
Lovejoy in the House. But almost the entire Republican vote,
including such men as Fessenden, Hale, Chandler, and Grimes,
sustained the resolution. It was the voice of the Republican party,
with no one openly opposing it in either branch of Congress.

ANTI-SLAVERY SENTIMENT DEVELOPED.

It was soon discovered, however, that if the National Government
did not interfere with slavery, slavery would seriously interfere
with the National Government. In other words, it was made apparent
that the slaves if undisturbed were to be a source of strength to
the Rebellion. Mr. Crittenden's resolution had hardly passed the
House when it was learned from the participants in the battle of
Bull Run that slaves by the thousand had been employed on the
Confederate side in the construction of earthworks, in driving
teams, in cooking, in the general work of the Quartermaster and
Commissary Departments, and in all forms of camp drudgery. To
permit this was simply adding four millions to the population from
which the Confederates could draw their quotas of men for military
service. It was no answer to say that they never intended to put
arms in the hands of negroes. Their use in the various forms of
work to which they were allotted, and for which they were admirably
qualified, released the same number of white men, who could at once
be mustered into the ranks. The slaves were therefore an effective
addition to the military strength of the Confederacy from the very
beginning of the war, and had seriously increased the available
force of fighting m