REMARKS OF HON. JOHN SHERMAN, OF OHIO, in the Senate of the United States, April 2, 1862.
Washington DC: Scammell & Co., 1862. 1st Edition. Disbound. 15p. DISBOUND. Text of a speech taken from a larger volume, with fragments of binding thread still in the spine fold. Light, spotty stains on back cover, bleeding through to the last page of text. Otherwise unmarked and complete. Item #319731
Senator John Sherman of Ohio (1823-1900) played a key role in financing the Union war effort during the Civil War. Regarding slavery, he supported the policy of federal confiscation of all property, including slaves, used in support of the Confederacy. In this speech, Sherman argues in a favor of a resolution permitting the federal government to financially assist slaveholding states, such as Maryland, that wish to abolish slavery. He also favors the emancipation of slaves in the District of Columbia, while calling attention to practical considerations in the various bills proposed for such a measure (immediate versus gradual emancipation, the question of suffrage for former slaveholders, provisions for former slaves who wish to leave the country). Sherman would go on to vote in favor of the Confiscation Act of 1862 (passed 3 months after he made this speech) which allowed the U.S. government to emancipate slaves that came under their control as Union forces advanced southward. This Act is now seen as a precursor to the much more far-reaching Emancipation Proclamation.
Price: $75.00