There is another popular idea of emancipation, which is unjust,
fallacious, and impossible of application. It is known by the specious
though plausible appellation of gradual or prospective emancipation;
by which it is proposed to destroy, by legislation, the productiveness
and the value of this species of property, after a limited period, by
declaring the _confiscation of its increase_. This has been tried by
mistaken philanthropy, or by organized duplicity, with no other effect
but to transfer the slaves from State to State, and from the North to
the South; but while this process has been going on, the number of
slaves in the United States has increased more than four-fold,--from
less than one to more than four millions. This is emancipation with a
vengeance. In this ratio, prospective or gradual _emancipation_ would
give us, in seventy years more, 16,000,000 slaves. It will be seen
that this process is not emancipation, but merely transposition, or
change of locality. The very name of emancipation, thus applied, is a
misnomer.