Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-06-28
a Way Out of a Difficulty

which, probably, is somewhat trouble
some to the Administration itself. Th'
right. ef the .'chivalry' to rob trunlle
beds of niger babies, and, by virtue o
that Divine warrant, buy and sell then
as goods and chattels, has been SO Ions
acknowlcdeed. that people who woulc
hardly steal sheep themselves have, by
a kind a. habit. come to assent TO ths
validitS of the clainl And ii now hap
pens thai many of these stolen children
having grown up to be men and women
and learning from the talk of the 'chiv-
airy that LINCOLN intended to set them
free. are focking to the camps Of our ar.
mics, to claim the protection Of oul
troops from the power Of their masters
Now, as their masters are in open rebel
lion against the Government, and these
'schattels" are its friends, some unso-
phisticatea people don't see why We
should aid the rebels, who are using ev-
ery effort to oyertl row the Government
ny forcing back into their power these
escaped slaves; aud especially when it is
known that they would die in defense Of
the Union rather than allasain into the
hands Of its and their enemies. But
those who think so are only fanatics, ,
and so stupid as not to know that God
and Religion have sanctioned the right
to make slaves Of these people, and that
ii is the chief end Of ordinary mortals
to catch them when they escape, and re-
turn them 10 their masters.
OF course it would not DO to have
fanatics iu places of power, and there
fore our Generals, and rulers in general
not being fanatics" must acknowledge
the Divine right of the masters to all the
slaves they can get. But the masters
are our enemies in war; and by the laws
of war, whatever aids and assists the
enemy to carry on the war, is contraband
and may, and should be seized and con
tiscated. Hence bacon, and flour, and
salt, aud everything else which enables
the enemy to live and continue the war,
is legitimately the subject Of seizure and
confiscation But it has worke its way
Into the brains of those who are not s'fa
uatics," that if corn and provisions
which support the enemy, are contra
band, the slaves who raise the corn and
provisions are contraband too 1t there
fore follows that slaves, by their labor
are aiding and sustaining the, enemy
They are, therefore, either persons, and
consequently, traitors to their country
or they are property, and therefore con
traband Of war. If traitors, they ought
to be hung along with their rebel mas
ters; and if contra band, they ought tc
be seized and con6scated, so as to weaken
the enemy. But they are not traitors
for they are compelled, against THEN
will, to aid the enemy, aud are not
therefore, guilty. They are, therefore
contrab band of war And the great aad
embarrassing question when they arc
seized as such is, 'swhat is to be done
with them?" We cannot hold them as
slaves, for that would be to adopt the
crime of their original kidnappers.-
We dare not hang them as traitors, foi
we know they are not such. 4 decent
respect for the opinions of the world will
not permit Us to murder them in cold
blood. Our self-preservation forbids
their return to their masters. And they
are ;'niegers.; and we don't want them
free among US. Aud hence the dilem
ma.
And, right here, as if by special Prov
idence. way is opened out of this seem
ing labyrinth: The Island of Hayti, in
the West Indies, is one of the finest coun-
tries i'll the world. 1t is inhabited by
negroes. Soon after we achieved our
own independence; the slaves of that
Island achieved theirs. They passed
through such struggle as no other peo-
pie on earth ever endured, for their free
dom and independence. They achieved
it, and have maintained it until now
And while we are in civil war, and our
future all in obscurity, the Republic OF
Hayti is rising into power and position
among the nations. With a wise states
man for President, and liberal Con
gress, the Government of the Island is
calling to the men of their race in other
lands, and particularly in this country
to make that beautiful Island their home
and help, by their labor, to make it a
home of prosperity and peace.
Authorized agents Of the Government
of Haytl are now in this country, and
offer to accept from the hands of the
United States all the slaves so freed, and
to take them to their profered new
homes, free of cost, and give to each one
free homo on his arrival.
If men are not hopelcssly blinded by
bigotrJ and prejudice, they must see
the hand of Providence in all this
Here is a negro Republic quietly grow
ing into power and stability, right upor
our borders. We are in deadly confic
with the rebels to our Government, and
which rebellion grew out of slavery, anc