2

The President's Proclamation.

The President's proclamation disavowing the recent martial order of Gen. Hunter, declaring free all the slaves in his department, meets the case exactly. No State paper has ever received a more candid approval than it has in this community. The secession Democracy were in hopes that the President would adopt the absurd conclusions of Gen. Hunter, and some even ventured to assume that Hunter's order was made at Mr. Lincoln's suggestion. His proclamation covers the whole case and strengthens the confidence which all loyal men have placed in his wisdom and discretion. He unequivocally declares that Gen. Hunter's proclamation, "whether genuine or false, is altogether void," and under his responsibility, as Commander-in-Chief, he reserves to himself the questions of freeing slaves and deciding when that necessity indispensable to the maintainance of the Government shall arise for any such action. At the same time he directs the attention of slaveholders to the co-operative emancipation resolution adopted by Congress, and begs them not to be blind to the signs of the times, but give them a calm and enlarged consideration. Mr. Lincoln's proclamation, in its whole scope and extent, accords with the views of all conservative and patriotic people.