The army as a whole was
not favourably stirred by the proclamation; it was considered at best as
but a useless bit of "waste paper[939]." In England, John Bright, the
most ardent public advocate of the Northern cause, was slow to applaud
heartily; not until December did he give distinct approval, and even
then in but half-hearted fashion, though he thought public interest was
much aroused and that attention was now fixed on January 1, the date set
by Lincoln for actual enforcement of emancipation[940]. In a speech at
Birmingham, December 18, Bright had little to say of emancipation;
rather he continued to use previous arguments against the South for
admitting, as Vice-President Stephens had declared, that slavery was the
very "corner-stone" of Southern institutions and society[941]. A few
public meetings at points where favour to the North had been shown were
tried in October and November with some success but with no great show
of enthusiasm. It was not until late December that the wind of public
opinion, finding that no faintest slave-rising had been created by the
proclamation began to veer in favour of the emancipation edict[942]. By
the end of the year it appeared that the Press, in holding up horrified
hands and prophesying a servile war had "overshot the mark[943]."
Soon the changing wind became a gale of public favour for the cause of
emancipation, nor was this lessened--rather increased--by Jefferson
Davis' proclamation of December 23, 1862, in which he declared that
Lincoln had approved "of the effort to excite a servile insurrection,"
and that therefore it was now ordered "all negro slaves captured in arms
be at once delivered over to the executive authorities of the respective
States to which they belong, to be dealt with according to the laws of
said State.
Pages:
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636