St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-08-01
Coutraband of War.

Certain newspapers, we perceive, object
to our view of the ''contraband' doctrine
on the ground that Buffers decision was
promulgated within the limits of slave
state, whose law must be paramount to
that of the United States. Now, the law
of Virginia may recognize slaves as prop
erty, but the Constitution Of the United
States nowhere recognizes man as prop
erty, Which, then, is to be the guide for
a United States officer? One writer says
'Gen. Butler. in Virginia, is subject to
the local law" If this be true, then
Gen. Prentiss, in III. is also subject to the
local law of that State, and as the laws of
Illinois and Virginia differ on this ques-
ton, we have the extraordinary spectacle
of United States officers, in different parts
Of the Union. acting each "upon his own
hook" according to the local statute of
the place in which he may happen to be.
Can any one seriously take this as proper
ground?
1t is asserted that slaves <'may, when be-
longing to enemies of the Uuited States,
be held as contraband Of war" Are we
then, to have one doctrine of contraband
and one method Of applying it on shore,
and different one at sea!
If we declare that slaves are contraband,
we must not be content with waiting for
them to come to us; we must search for
them vigorously, and take forcib(e posses
sion Of all that come within our reach
What would be thought of the navy officer
who should ride quietly at anchor until a
ship loaded with warlike articles should
choose to come and be captured as contra
band?
The government is bound to capture all
kinds Of property that is contrabana of war
It must blockade the transit routs lead
ing to the revolted districts, and permit
nothing of this kind to be taken into them.
Now, if slaves be contraband, we must do
land as they do at sea; we must not be
satisfied with thr few slaves that come to
US, bua seek for them.
1t is argued that "Gen. Butler, in Vir-
ginia, is subject to the local law" The
law of Virginia does undoubtedly rec
ognize slaves as property; but if our oppo-
nents be correct, all the Federal officers
are subject to the local law o. the State in
which they may happen to be, and there
fore, they are subordinate to the powers
tat administer the local law; hence, the
PRINCIPLE being worth nothing unless it
may be carried to its full extent, the COL
lector at Charleston, in obeying the order
from Gov. Pickens to pay over to South
Carolina all United States customs money,
acted with strict propriety!
The plain state of the case is this :
Parts of the United States are in rebellion
against the General government, and have
raised forces Of blacks and whites to ob-
struct the operation of the Federal author
ity; now, when the army marches into a
rebellious district, if it meet hostile in
surgent force, is it to stop and consider
which of the two races is the superior, and
against which its energies should be spe-
ci6cally directed? If our troops are in
pursuit of traitors, of what possible mo-
ment is it whether black men or white en-
deavor to stop their progress? What does
the army know about slavery? Nothing
whatever; the army is governed by Uni
ted States law, which claims the entire
population of whites and blacks as persons
It is true that some of the blacks are, by
the laac. Of come States, persons in pe-
culiar social position-but when those per-
sons are found in opposition to the Feder-
al laws, it is evident that they are to. be
dealt with, not by the laws Of their State;
but by the laws Of the United States. -
If however, in defiance Of the Consti-
tuition, the government shall assume the
powers Of the local law of Virginia, slaves
undoubtedly will be contraband Of war,
and, Of course, the conclusion viii be that
We must con6scate all we can-we must
take them from friend and foe alike, as we
do gunpovder and other contraband arti-
cles. HGen: NOD should: hear Of a
powder mill in his vicinity, would II not
be his duty to blow it UP, or take some