M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-08-15

war, luhJ COuulIlOu vi thlbSo ""S "
90 far met as | then and still believe,
on q legal and constitutional basis
But now q new series or questions
arise. Passing by women, the chill
dren certainly cannot bo treated on
that basis. Ii property, they must be
considered the incumbrance rather
than the auxillery of an army, and Of
course, IN no possible legal relation
could be treated as contraband. Are
they property2 II they were 80, they
have been left by their masters and
owners, deserted, thrown away, aban-
doned like the wret:hed vessel upon
/ the ocean. Their former posseSSors
and owners have causelessly, traitor
ously, rebelIiously, and 10 carry out
the figure, abandoned them to be swal-
lowed up by the winter storm OF star
walton. If property do they not be-
come the property Of the salvors 7 but
we, their salvOrs, donot need and will
not hold such property, and will as
sumo no such ownership has not,
therefore, all proprietary relations
ceased 2 Have they not become there
upon, men, women, and children p
! No longer under ownership OF any
kind, the fearful relicts Of fugitive
masters, have they not by their mas
ters' acts, and the state OF war, as
samed the condition, which we hold
to be the normal one, of those made
in Gods image. Is not every consti-
tutional, legal and moral requirement,
ds well to the runaway master as
their relinquisLed slaves, thus an.
swered2 confess that my own mind
is compelled by this reasoning to lvok
upon them as men and women. Il
not free born, yet free, manumitted,
sent forth from the hand that held
them never to be reclaimed.
OF course, If this reasoning thus
Iimperfectly set forth is correct, my
duty as q humane man is very plain
| should take the same care Of these
men, women and children, houSelesS
homeless and unproyideG for, as
would of the same number of men
women and children, who for thei
attachment to the Union had beel
driven or allowed to flee from the Con
federate States. l should have NJ
doubt on this question, had | not seel
it stated that an order had been is
sued by Gen. Mcdowell in his de
partmeIt, substantially forbldding al
fugitive slaves from coming within
his lines, or being harbored there: =,
Is that order to be enforced in all Mil
itary Departmental If 50, who ar
to be considered fugitive slaves 7
! a slave to be considered fugitive who's
, master runs away and leaves him J.
) Is it forbidden for the troops to aid q
] harbor within their lines the negr
children who are found therin, or
the soldier, when his march has dc
stroyed their means Of subsistence,
; allow them to starve because he ha
driven of the Rebel master ! Ho'
shall the commander of regiment
battalion sit in Judgment upon til
i, question, whether any given blac
!. man has fed from his master, or b
! master fed from him 2 Indeed, ho
! are the free born to be distinguished
> Is ore any more or less q fugitiV
> slave because he has labored upon tn
> Rebel intrenchments9 If he has
= labored, if understand it, he is to |
!, harbored. BY thereception Of whicl
are tie Rebels most to be distresse'
=, by taking those who have wrought a
! ' their Rebel masters desired, maske
= their batteries, or those who have n
J fused to labor, and left their batter
= unmaskedY -, ss..,
81 have very decided opinions u
= = on the subject of this order. 1t do
. not become me to criticisc it, and
. write in no spirit Of criticism, b
! simply to explain the full difficult
y that surround the enforcing it.
u u the enforcement OF that order becom
y tho policy of the Government, |, as
y y soldier, shall be bound to enforce
! steadfastly, if not cheeriully. But
M left to my OWE discretion, as you mi
u u have gathered from my reasoning
~ should take a widely different cour
from that which it indicates.
u, SIN n loyal State would put doV
~, u servile insurrection. In a State
10 rebellion, l would confscate I'll
., which was used to oppose my arm
~ and take all that property, which &C
stitnted the wealth of this State a
tn furnished the means by which the v
cir is prosecuted, beside boing the cal
of the war ; and if, in so doing
he should be objected that human beir
were brought to the enjoyment OF Ii
ay liberty, and the pursuit Of happinc
ng such objection might not require mt
nd consideration.
Is "Pardcn me Tor addressing the
en cretary of War directly upon t
, il onestion. as II involves some pollti