Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-12-20

twas sent in this shape to the publishers of
leading papers North and West on Friday be-
fore the meeting of Congress. 1t was after
wards modified, it is stated, at the demand of
the President, against the warm remonstrances
Of the Secretary of War. The original copy
OF the report has been published by some of
the papers to which it was sent: aud as great
deal has been said about General Cameron's
position on the question of slavery, as affeo-
ted BY the rebellion, we think it right that his
views should be made known to our readers.
1t Is not necessary for us to say that the
views of Gen. Cameron are those cf the edis
tor of this paper, and we believe of vast
majority of the people of the loyal States
sit has became grave question for deter
mutation, what shall be done with the slaves
abandoned by their owners on the advance Of
our troops into Southern territory, as in the
Beaufort distries of South Carolina. The
whole white population therein is six thousand,
while the number of negroes exceeds thirty
two thousand. The panic which drove their
masters In wild confusion from their homes,
leaves them in undisputed possession of the
soil. Shall they, armed by their masters, be
placed 10 the field to fight against US, or shall
their labor be continually employed in repro
dueing the means for supporting she armies of
rebelhonf
''Ihe war into which this government has
bsen forced by rebellioLs traitors, is carried on
for the purpose Of repossessing the property
violently and treacherously seized upon by the
enemies of the government, and to re-estab-
llsh the authority aud laws of the United
Statas in the places where it is opposed or over
thrown by armed insurrsetion and rebellion
Its purpose is to recover and defend what is
justly its own.
''War, even between independent nations, is
made to subdue the enemy, and all that belongs
to that enemy, by occupying the hostile counv
try, aud exercising dominion over all the men
and things within its territory. This being
true in respect to independent nations at war
with each other, it follows that rebels who are
laboring by force of arms to overthrow goys
ernment. justly bring upon themselves all the
consequences of war, and provoke the destruc-
ti6n merited by the worst of crimes. That
government would be false to nutioal trust,
and would justly excite the ridicue of the civil
lied world, that would abstain from the use of
any cfhelent means to preserve Its own exis.
tenee, or to overcome rebellious and traitors
ous enemy, by sparIng or protecting theaprop"
erty of those who are waging war against it.
ssThe principal wealth and power of the
rebel States is peculiar species of property,
consisting Of the service or labor of African
slaves, or the defendants of Africans. This
has been variously estimated at the
value of from 500, 100000 to S1,000,005,-
900.
"Why should this property be exemp! from
the hazards and consequences of rebelll0as
war?
ssLt is the boast of the leader of this rebel
lion, while be yet had scat in the Senate Of
the United States, that the Southern States
would be comparatively safe and free from the
burdens Of var, if it should be brought on by
the contemplated rebellion, and that boast was
accompanied by the savage threat that 'sNorth-
ern towns aud cities would become victims Of
rapine and military spoil," and that Northern
men should smell Southern guDpowder and feel
Southern steel"
ssNo one doubts the disposition of the rebels
to carry that threat into execution. The |
wealth of Northern towns and cities, the pro-
duce of northern farms, northern workshops
and manufactures, would certainly be seized, |
or appropriated as military spoil
No property in the North would be spared
from the hands of the rebels, and their rapiEe
would be defended under the laws of war
While the loyal States thus have all their
and possessions at stake, are the in
surgeRt rebels to carry on warfare against the
kI...
s'Reason and justice and seIf.preservation
forbid that such should be the policy of this
but demand, on the,contrary, that,
being. forced by traitors and rebels to the ex-
tremity of war, all the rights and powers of
war should be exercised to bring 1t to speedy
end.
..Those who make war against the governs
ment justly forfeit all rights of property. priv
ilege, or security, derived from the constitution
aud laws, against which they are In armed re-
bellion: and as the labor and service of their
slaves constitute the chief property of the reb
els, such property should share the common
fate of war to which they have devoted the
property Of loyal citizens.
ssWhile it is plain that the slave property
Of the South is justly subjected to all the con-
sequences of this rebellious war, aud that the
government would be untrue to its trust in not
employing all the rights and powers of war to
bring il to a speedy close, the details of the
plan for doing so, ike all other military meas
ares, must, IN great degree, be left to be de-
by particular exigencies. The dispo- i
,ition of other property belonging to the rcb-
,ls that becomes subject to our arms is gov
armed by the circumstances of the case, The
goverumout has no power to hold slaves, none
10 restrain slave Of his service. 1t las
right, however, to use the voluntary service of
slaves liberated by war from their rebel mas
ters. like any other property of the rebels, in |
whatever mode nay be the most efficient tor