MASSACHUSETTS. 



565 



Resolved, That we deeply regret that the President 

 of the United States, at this time forgetful of his obli- 

 gations to the whole country, as the constitutional 

 head of the Government, and yielding to unwise coun- 

 shpuld have declared in proclamation of Sept. 22, 

 . Us determination to adopt hereafter, in the pros- 

 ecution of our deplorable civil war, the policy of a 

 party which the House of Representatives, t>y the res- 

 olution of Feb. 11, IstJl, unanimously declared to be 

 too " insignificant in numbers and influence to excite 

 the serious attention or alarm of any portion of the 

 people of the republic." 



Resolved, That in the name of civilized humanity, 

 we respectfully but earnestly protest against the eman- 

 cipation proclamation of the President of the United 

 States, both on the ground of its unconstitutionality 

 and inexpediency, and unjustifiable on the ground of 

 military necessity, as it is prospective, not immediate, 

 in its action, and we accept as conclusive reasons 

 against it the unanswerable arguments of the President 

 himself to the self-constituted Chicago delegation : that 

 it deprives the noble Union men in the rebellious 

 States, alike with the most guilty, of their property ; 

 that if inoperative it will bring down upon us the scorn 

 of the world, and if capable of practical execution it 

 must produce a war of races, in which all alike, the 

 innocence of woman and the helplessness of childhood, 

 must suffer with the guilty, and which must sooner or 

 later end in the extinction of the negro race in the 

 Southern States. 



Resolved, That in order to prevent such deplorable 

 results we feel it incumbent upon us to use all honorable 

 efforts to surround the President with sound, safe, and 

 wise counsellors, and send 16 Congress from this 

 Commonwealth statesmen, whose standard of loyaltv 

 is neither above the Constitution, nor in conflictVith 

 it. 



_ Resohed, That the right of trial by jury, and the an- 

 cient and constitutional right of this people to canvass 

 public measures, should be at all times, and in all 

 places, as well in time of war as in time of peace, jeal- 

 ously guarded ; 



That the right of the writ of Jiabeas corpus is older 

 than the Government itself; it is one of the main pil- 

 lars of the common law, and the great bulwark of civil 

 liberty, with the wisdom of centuries pleading for its 

 sanctity, and under the Constitution there is no power 

 that can suspend it except the Congress of the United 

 States, and, as the people of the loyal States have 

 voluntarily given millions of their treasure, and thou- 

 sands of their sons to sustain the Government, no exi- 

 gency requires its suspension, and we therefore call on 

 the President to recognize the loyalty of the people, by 

 restoring to them the right of trial" by jury and free- 

 dom of speech, and of the press. 



Resolved, That meetings of the governors of States, 

 with the view to cofftrol or shape the policy of the 

 General Government, or to dictate terms to the Presi- 

 dent, is not only not warranted by the Constitution, 

 but is revolutionary in its tendency, and deserving 

 severe reprobation. 



Resolved, That the services of Maj.-Gen. George B. 

 HcClellan entitle him to the grateful acknowledg- 

 ments of the people, and that any attempt to deprive 

 him of the command he now holds, or to embarrass his 

 plans or impair the confidence with which the soldiers 

 and people regard him, whether made by conventions 

 of Governors, by Senators, or Congressmen, or any 

 other politicians, is fraught with great danger to our 

 cause and deserves the severest censure. 



The election took place on the first Tuesday 

 of Xovember, and the votes of the electors 

 were given as follows : 



1862. 1861. 



Republican 80, 65,261 



People 52,537 Democrat 31,266 



The votes for members of Congress were 

 given as follow- : 



The members of the Legislature were elected 

 as follows : 



House. 

 198 

 41 



Senate. 



Republican 35 



Democratic 5 



A proposition was made to Gov. Andrew, 

 on the 30th of September, from Gen. Dix, com- 

 mander at Fortress Monroe, with the appro- 

 bation of the War Department, to receive into 

 Massachusetts a certain number of the slaves, 

 or " loyal blacks," collected there, whose re- 

 moval was desirable "for reasons both military 

 and humane." 



The correspondence was conducted through 

 Major Bolles, of Gen. Dix's staff, and the gov- 

 ernor. It was contemplated to relieve the 

 Government, by the removal of a large number 

 to Massachusetts and other Eastern States. 

 The governor, although earnestly invoked on 

 the subject in the name of humanity to the 

 'loyal blacks," declined to receive them, on 

 the ground that their stout arms could be of 

 service in fighting for liberty. He further 

 said: 



Contemplating, however, the possibility of their re- 

 moval, permit me to say that the Northern States are, 

 of all places, the worst possible to select for an asylum. 

 These poor people, afloat upon the world, are inhabit- 

 ants of a southern climate, and have habits, and are 

 subject to needs and to peculiarities of physical con- 

 stitution accordingly. Where, then, is the prudence 

 or the humanity of subjecting them at once to the rigors 

 of our northern sky, in the winter season, with the 

 moral certainty of inflicting extreme suffering, result- 

 ing probably in disease and death? If their removal 

 is definitely determined upon, I would take the liberty 

 of suggesting for the asylum some Union foothold in 

 the South as Hilton Head where they could retain 

 their health, be trained as soldiers, and" their labor be 

 rendered economically available. For them to come 

 here for encampment or asylum would be to come as 

 paupers and sufferers into a strange land and a climate 

 trying even to its habitues, as a swarm of homeless 

 wanderers, migrating without purpose, and not to the 

 wilderness where the strong arm would suffice for 

 maintenance, but to a busy community where they 

 would be incapable of self-he'lp a course" certain to de- 

 moralize themselves and endanger others. Such an 

 event would be a handle to all traitors and to all per- 

 sons evilly disposed. We should be told that the ex- 

 periment had been tried and had failed ; that the ne- 

 groes were proved worthless and incapable of taking 

 care of themselves, when the truth would be that we 

 had pursued the plan most eminently calculated to dis- 

 able and corrupt them. I meet with pleasure the mo- 

 tives of humanity which have dictated your proposed 

 plan ; but from the very same feelings I "must consider 

 the plan mistaken. It is precisely because I do not 

 wish the negroes to suffer; precisely because I would 

 save their wives and children fromp'erishing; precise- 

 ly because I do not wish their new freedom to become 

 license, corruption, and infamy, that I respectfully de- 

 cline to aid or countenance your plan for their trans- 

 portation to the North. 



