legislation, go farther than to liberate Slaves coming within the Union
Army lines.

After demonstrating that "any and all these laws and Proclamations,
giving to each the largest effect claimed by its friends, are
ineffectual to the destruction of Slavery," and protesting that some
more effectual method of getting rid of that Institution must be
adopted, he declared, as his judgment, that "the only effectual way of
ridding the Country of Slavery, so that it cannot be resuscitated, is by
an Amendment of the Constitution forever prohibiting it within the
jurisdiction of the United States."

He then canvassed the chances of adoption of such an Amendment by an
affirmative vote of two thirds in each House of Congress, and of its
subsequent ratification by three-fourths of the States of the Union, and
declared that "it is reasonable to suppose that if this proposed
Amendment passes Congress, it will, within a year, receive the
ratification of the requisite number of States to make it a part of the
Constitution." His prediction proved correct--but only after a
protracted struggle.

Henry Wilson also made a strong speech, but on different grounds. He
held that the Emancipation Proclamations formed, together, a "complete,
absolute, and final decree of Emancipation in Rebel States," and, being
"born of Military necessity" and "proclaimed by the Commander-in-Chief
of the Army and Navy, is the settled and irrepealable Law of the
Republic, to be observed, obeyed, and enforced, by Army and Navy, and is
the irreversible voice of the Nation."

He also reviewed what had been done since the outbreak of the Rebellion,