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The President's Proclamation.

Now that the president has issued his emancipation proclamation the Illinois Journal comes to his support. That paper unequivocally indorses the president's position. It is for taxing the people several thousand millions to pay for freeing the slaves of loyal owners in states not in rebellion, and for declaring free all slaves in states and parts of states where the government ahs not the ability to enforce its decrees. It is an admission that the government has ceased to rely upon the military force placed at its disposal, the hundreds of thousands of men and millions of money at its command, to put down the rebellion, but resorts to paper threats as an auxiliary.

The Journal says, for or against the position of the president's proclamation will now be the great issue with the people, contemptuously classing all who dissent from it as "traitors," and advising that they "be so treated." The Journal's argument, practically enforced, certainly would be conclusive. If every man who dissents form the president is to be treated as a traitor, hung or shot, the Journal's appeal to the voters who read its columns is unnecessary. But its advice to the government to adopt this rough sort of disputation, will, probably, not be adopted, and, whether or not, we take the liberty of recording our dissent, and accept the Journal's issue of approval or disapproval of the proclamation. We trust that the people of the state, in the coming election, will meet the issue proposed, and in casting their votes decide, in the choice of members of congress especially, whether they approve or not, the proposed plan of grinding taxation for all time to come, to pay for freed negroes, the setting aside of the national constitution, and, in all human probability, the permanent disruption of the republic, a permanent standing army, endless civil war, the Africanization of the southern states, anarchy in the north, to end in despotism.

This is the issue. The people of Illinois cannot fail to see it, however much designing demagogues and scheming traitors to the Union and the constitution may attempt to give it other hue. Let the people be forewarned. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." More than at any time in our country's history is that vigilance demanded. At the ballot box let their decision be recorded upon the issue made.