The national Republican., 1861-11-08
JOHN cOCHRANE UPON THE NEGRO
QUEsTION.

JoHN COCHNANH IHH
QUESTION.
The principal SPEAKER at the reception Of
General Cameron in New York last Monday,
was John Cochrane, late member Of Congress
from that city, and thoroughly identified with
its proslavery politics Of the last dozen years.
What such man chooses to say to New
York city audience, may be taken as evidence
not merely of bis own opinions but of the cup
posed present opinions Of those whom he ad-
dresses.
In the brief sketch of the New York Herald,
Mr.. Cochrane is reported as follows:
"As for the emancipation of the slaves. he
such apoliSSg ARpsnsea Away
ate dssension among the people at the North,
hut at the same time the young cheftain Of the
Union armies, in his victorious march south:
ward, would commit an imprudence II he failed
to avail himself of whatever allies might come
TO him, whether white or black. Such a course
would be self defen 20, and 1t would be folly not
to thus put arms in the hands Of 1000 900 of
allies and friends. tApplause.T
In the more extended account Of the New
York Tribune, Mr.. Cochrane is reported as fol
lows:
at was war, civil war; and they who raised
the hand, and they who fred the gun, were
they who were the rebels, and 1t is they who
must be crushed, or we must perish. Zap
plause.l Tell me not Of slavery and Of slaves,
and the peculiar institution of the South. We
all here at the North have been the apologsts,.
,he supporters, nay, the champions Of the in.
stitutiOn, and we have remained firm and true
to our faith, so long as the Constitution under
which we acted was respected and obeyed by
all. But a hostile hand was raised against that
Constitution itself, antthe question was raised
for our discussion and consideration, whether
Al. Ia
organized should longer exist for the protec.
ton OF our rights and our liberties. That is
the question which was propounded; that is
the question, discussion upon which has been
| terminated, and that is the question which our
armies are to settle. 1t ia nothing more nor
less than the simple question. whether we as n
| Government and people-whether this ma.
| ton, as the representative OF the Republican
| cations of the ear h, shall any longer be per-
uitted to continue and TO exist, and II that be
| MT a question of selfpreservation, know not
| what question of more individual significance
that can be invented or propounded. II is
| indeed, thus that you, my fellow.citizens,
| are engaged, every man of you, for his altar,
| tor his home, for the liberties secured to you
| by the Government. tApplause.l Then let us
| throw 10 the winds this mere fgment of the
| imagination, this trife by which children are
said TO be hurrfed, that 1t is war for the eman-
e patton of slaves, or that II is a war upon the
institutions of the South. Nay, it is a war OF
The institutions ~ the South upon the freemen
OF the North. tCheers.1 And 1t is In this war
that we all are engaged; war for the discon-
'nuance or the DESCRIPTION of no institution,
Tor the suspension Of NJ individual or national
| r..htS, but for the conservation Of all indivd.
| ual~' rights, for the continuance of the Gov
| err mant of This land, and for the conservation
"f civil zation itself. Mr.. Cochrane continued
| ,n speak at length upon the significance of
| civilization at the present juncture of the
worlds history ard unless we succeeded in this
war, civilization would perish, and religion
would he destroyed. Though he was not in
favor of making this war of emancipation
| vet, if the exigencies of the service required
lhe putting of arms into the hands OF the
negroes to fight for the Union, he was heartily
III favor of availing ourselves of such chance
| Of war. This expedient would be no more than
our enemies would do toward us. He thought
this the general opinion Of those who had gone
to fight the battles OF the Union"
These quotations show that the instructions
| given by the Administration, to the military
commander of the expedition which sailed for
the Southern coast last week, to accept the
services of everybody coming within our lines,
white or black, bond or free, are fully sustain.
ed by the public sentiment of the commercial
emporium, where prejudices against the liber
zion Of slaves have been the most bitter and
deep seated.
We are not to look to q reception speech
such as this was of Mr.. Cochrane for very nice
di tinctioDs or careful reasoning. There is
however, marked difference between "endn
cipdtion,r which he condemns, and the accept
ance of the services of such slaves as may CONF
within our line, although nobody doubts tina
all slaves, so coming and so accepted, will bt
liberated when this war is over. To " enamel
plte' slaves by proclamation, or otherwise
leaving them subjected to no control, or turn
ing them loose" as it is frequently expressed
is believed, by many persons at the North t.
be hazardous experiment. To receive then
within our military lines, to be retained undel
military supervision while the war lasts, and
with the power in the Government to accom-
pany their liberation, at the end of the wal
with measures of migration, is different thing
Public sentiment is everywhere fully up t.
this policy of the Administration. Some o
our military officers do not execute 1t as the,
ought, bat this results from the peculiar NO
? tions of individuals. There has been o con
, slant Improvement, in that respect, since th
, war began, and we believe that the Admins
tration if their att .ntion ia properly called t
, cases OF the Unauthorized surrender OF slaves
e by the commanders of our armies, will tax
= suitable measures in the premises.
v All Honor 10 General Hefntzleman,