The national Republican., 1861-09-24
Tuesday, September "a. 1861.
SLAVES.

SLAVES.
The New York Journal Of Commerce, Of the
l7th instant, persistent pro-slavery journal,
says:
"There is really no practical difficulty what
ever In the treatment Of slaves by the army,
according to the ordinary principles OF law OF
the common rules Of war. As to making our
soldiers slave.catchers, we apprehend that no
one expects It, North or South; and as to Of
fording shelter to fugitves, we are unable to
perceive on what principle they are to be
treated differently from poor persons Of any
other color or position In the places where
they may be found. An advancing army will
necessarily make what use 1t can Of all prop
erty Of rebels in arms, and In doing SO will,
without waiting the slow processes Of courts,
seize and consume provisions, transfer to their
own uses all arms and munitions Of war, horses.
wagons, and available goods, and will, Of
course, make the slaves Of a rebel useful II
they can, and II they cannot, will let them look
out for themselves. This would effect the vir
tual freedom Of many slaves, nor do we see
how q people in arms can expect any other
result than this In the immediate localities
where the war is carried on"
There certainly would be no "prdc!ical diff
c,tliy," II the officers Of the army would alwsys
apply to the case Of slaves in the revolted
States "hs ordinary principles Of lao, or the
common rules Of war." The difficulty" arises
from the fact that too many of them, with tol.
erably clear heads on other subjects, become
beloggsd as soon as the mysterious negro ap-
pears on the stage, aud straightway begin to
set aside, not merely the ordinary principles
of lao" and the common rules Of to1r," but
the plainest dictates of common sense
An invading army is not called upon, in an
enemy's country, to enforce any of the local
laws, and especially not such laws as FIX the
status and relations of persons. The enemy
must enforce bis own local laws, as he best can.
An invading general who should give up
prisoner Of eighteen or twenty years Of age,
upon the claim by father of the right by law
to his services, would be laughed at by every
body, although the paternal claim to the services
Of children, is at least as good as the claim Of
masters to the services Of slaves. An invad-
ing army has nothing to do with any Of the
relations of persons. Its rights and duties are,
to conquer everybody found in arms, and To
accept the aid Of anybody, white or black, ole
or young, Of whatever sex and condition, ant
without enquiring whether they are minors
sense of the case and never before in the his
tory of mankind, was a war carried on upor
different principles In this country, however il
has taken time TO root out the old infatustion
on the subject of negroes, and the work is moi
yet fully done.
At the commencement of this war. Lieut.
Slemmer, commanding at Fort Pickens, took
special pains to deliver up to the enemy three
fugitive slaves who had escaped from the
mainland to Santa Rosa island, he then being
in grevious need of the services Of those slaves
and the Government having been since obliged
to ship negroes from Key West to Fort Pick
ems. Col. Dimmick, commanding at Fortres
Monroe, did the same thing, and, that nothing
might escape him, he ordered all the kitchen
to be searched, and having found some slav
",Denches" at work there, he had them dul
seized and delivered up to their rebel owners
We denounced these several acts when the
were committed, but stood alone in 50 don
for some time.
At subsequent period we had the vel
known " "contrdband" doctrine set up by Ger
Butler, which was promptly sustained by tn
Administration here, and still later, decisiv
vote Of the House Of Representatives, declarin
it to be no part Of the duty Of the army of th
United States to capture and return fugitiv
slaves.
But even now, we hear occasionally Of sue
capture and return by army officers. So far
We have ever been able 10 learn, the famor
General Patterson, during his whole perform
snces in the Valley of Virginia. which cost th
country ten millions Of dollars, did nothin
but catch "aiggers," and give them up
owners. His entire energies seem to hav
been concentrated upon that one thing.