belief of an intention on the part of General Hunter to issue such a
proclamation; nor has it yet any authentic information that the document
is genuine. And further, that neither General Hunter nor any other
commander or person has been authorized by the Government of the United
States to make a proclamation declaring the slaves of any State free; and
that the supposed proclamation now in question, whether genuine or false,
is altogether void so far as respects such a declaration.

I further make known that whether it be competent for me, as
commander-in-chief of the army and navy, to declare the slaves of any
State or States free, and whether, at any time, in any case, it shall have
become a necessity indispensable to the maintenance of the government to
exercise such supposed power, are questions which under my responsibility
I reserve to myself, and which I cannot feel justified in leaving to the
decision of commanders in the field.

These are totally different questions from those of police regulations in
armies and camps.

On the sixth day of March last, by special message, I recommended to
Congress the adoption of a joint resolution, to be substantially as
follows:

Resolved, That the United States ought to co-operate with any State which
may adopt gradual abolishment of slavery, giving to such State pecuniary
aid, to be used by such State, in its discretion, to compensate for the
inconvenience, public and private, produced by such change of system.

The resolution in the language above quoted was adopted by large
majorities in both branches of Congress, and now stands an authentic,
definite, and solemn proposal of the nation to the States and people
most immediately interested in the subject-matter. To the people of those
States I now earnestly appeal. I do not argue--I beseech you to make
arguments for yourselves. You cannot, if you would, be blind to the signs
of the times. I beg of you a calm and enlarged consideration of them,
ranging, if it may be, far above personal and partisan politics. This
proposal makes common cause for a common object, casting no reproaches
upon any. It acts not the Pharisee. The change it contemplates would come
gently as the dews of heaven, not rending or wrecking anything. Will you
not embrace it? So much good has not been done, by one effort, in all past
time, as in the providence of God it is now your high privilege to do. May
the vast future not have to lament that you hav