Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
Abraham Lincoln has issued a Proclamation. He has emancipated all
the slaves of the rebel States with his pen, but that is all. To
set them really and thoroughly free, we will have to use some
other instrument than the pen. (Applause). The slave is not
emancipated; he is not free. A gentleman once found himself of a
sudden, without, so far as he knew, any cause, taken into prison.
He sent for his lawyer, and told him, "They have taken me to
prison." "What have you done?" said the lawyer. "I have done
nothing," he replied. "Then, my friend, they can not put you in
prison." "But I am in prison." "Well, that may be; but I tell
you, my dear friend, they can not put you in prison." "Well,"
said he, "I want you to come and take me out, for I tell you, in
spite of all your lawyer logic, I am in prison, and I shall be
until you take me out." (Great laughter). Now the poor slave has
to say, "Abraham Lincoln, you have pronounced me free; still I am
a slave, bought and sold as such, and I shall remain a slave till
I am taken out of this horrible condition." Then the question is,
_How?_ Have not already two long years passed over more than a
quarter of a million of the graves of the noblest and bravest of
the nation? Is that not enough? No; it has proved not to be
enough. Let us look back for a moment. Had the Proclamation of
John C. Fremont been allowed to have its effect; had the edict of
Hunter been allowed to have its effect, the war would have been
over. (Applause). Had the people and the Government, from the
very commencement of the struggle, said to the South, "You have
openly thrown down the gauntlet to fight for Slavery; we will
accept it, and fight for Freedom," the rebellion would long
before now have been crushed. (Applause). You may blame Europe as
much as you please, but the heart of Europe beats for freedom.
Had they seen us here accept the terrible alternative of war for
the sake of freedom, the whole heart of Europe would have been
with us. But such has not been the case. Hence the destruction of
over a quarter of a million of lives and ten millions of broken
hearts that have already paid the penalty; and we know not how
many more it needs to wipe out the stain of that recreancy that
did not at once proclaim this war a war for freedom and humanity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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