Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-07-31
The Connection OF slavery with the War;
It's Doom.

Its Doom.
II has been said that the war has nothing
to do with slavery, but no one will pretend
that Slavery has nothing TO do with the war.
The war is not made upon Slavery. The
saves have not been proclaimed free, and
called into the service Of the GOvs rnment;
although any foreign nation at war with a
slaveholding country would avail Itself of
so conspicuous an element of Weakness
Slavery still exists with oil its constitutional
guarantees in the Border States, and the citi-
zens of these States who are not in open re-
bellion have repeatedly had their runaway
slaves returned to them. 1t is only in these
cases where slaves have run away from rebel
masters, who freely lend them TO the rebel
Government for the construction Of fOrtihca-
tions, or for soldiers in the field, that the
commanders of our armies have refused to
deliver them up. 1t is therefore literally
true that the war has nothing to do with
slavery, while slavery has everything TO do
with the war. But for slavery the Southern
States would be on as good terms with those
of the North as Illinois with Massachusetts,
and the idea of dissolving the Union, or of
war between the North and the South,
would be as preposterOus as that of war
between Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The most natural way 10 put an end to a
controversy is to remove the cause Of il, azd
since the war hiss resulted from the refusal of
the slavery propagandists to Eubmit to the
laws, the obvious and certain cure for the po-
litical malady is the abolition of slavery
The Government will be slow in adopting
this radical mode of treatment but the pub
Ii; mind is rapidly rip ming to the cOnclu-
sion that no other will prove ehectual. If
undertaken at all, it should be done with q
strong hand The utmost care should be
taken to prevent and punish violent out
breaks among the slaves, as well as every
tendency to rapacity, violence and lawless-
ness, whether the enemies or friends of the
Union be the victims. In the Border States,
where the body of the people are for the
Union, reasonable compensation should be
made to Shareholders, except where they
have taken an active part in behalf OF The
rebellion.
1t is not probable that this Thorough
treatment of the case will be adopted at
present if at all. To put it into successful
practice would require a vast deal of moral
courage and political sagacity; and regard
ing the matter from the stand point of con-
stitutional right, nothing short of great
public necessity could Justify it. That such
necessity would warrant Il no intelligent
thinker upon the affairs of mankind will
question, and thai such necessity seems TO
be rapidly pressing upon US, is an opinion
not confined TO the school of abolitionists.
It is to be remembered that the general
abolition of slavery in the Southern States
would not be attended with the much and
Justly dreaded evil of large free negro pop
ulation in juxtaposition with the whites, ex-
cept for very brief period. It would be
the natural order of things for the negroes
TO 60 to the extreme South to supply the de-
mand for labor, while their places in the
Border and Middle States would be taken by
white men from the North and from Europe.
The laws which govern the demand and sup
| ply of labor, taken in connection with the
climatic adaptations OF race, would be almost
sufficient of themselves 10 adjust the popula-
tions to their appropriate ATTITUDES but to
these Influences legal persuasives might be
added, and the result would be, in the course
Of few years, the concentration of the great
body of the negroes in the Gulf and South
Atlantic States, with a free outlet TO Mexico,
the West In lies, aud other tropical regions.
Slavery is doomed institution. It's up.
holders and prOpagandists have Waged unholy
wtr upon the General Government for no
other reason than that they have been turned
out of power by the result Of a fair election,
and now they must 'ake the consequences oi
their crimes. Providence seems to be using
their ungovernable ambition to bring about
the overthrow of the wicked and barbarous
system they would diffuss over the world
and now that their necks as well as their for
tunes, are staked upon the issue of the war
they have waged, it is not at all improbable
that their necessities will iorestsll the ac-
tion of the General Government BY com
pelling them to become its desroyers,-
Already we lear Of black regiments, before
the 6rst campaign is over, and when the IA
tigues Of campaigning, the chances of bat
tie, and the ravages of disease, shall have
destroyed the flower of their youth, we shall
hear Of whole armies Of blacks, who viii
receive liberty on the condition of defending
the lives of their masters.-M. 2. Tihes