Yet the
new "moral purpose" of Lincoln did not immediately appeal even to his
friends. The _Spectator_ deplored the lack of a clean-cut declaration in
favour of the principle of human freedom: "The principle asserted is
not that a human being cannot justly own another, but that he cannot own
him unless he is loyal to the United States." ... "There is no morality
whatever in such a decree, and if approved at all it must be upon its
merits as a political measure[936]." Two weeks later, reporting a public
speech at Liverpool by ex-governor Morehead of Kentucky, in which
Lincoln was accused of treachery to the border states, the _Spectator_,
while taking issue with the speaker's statements, commented that it was
not to be understood as fully defending a system of government which
chose its executive "from the ranks of half-educated mechanics[937]."
Similarly in America the emancipation proclamation, though loudly
applauded by the abolitionists, was received with misgivings. Lincoln
was disappointed at the public reaction and became very despondent,
though this was due, in part, to the failure of McClellan to follow up
the victory of Antietam. The elections of October and November went
heavily against the administration and largely on the alleged ground of
the President's surrender to the radicals[938].
Pages:
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635