, 1861-08-20

= = = @7 f1sea the \. Z. Post, 14th iastl
In gpea1anH lately at Nf. Camaeon'E 0[con-
ee3t1< letter oA the subject Of retafatng fhxi.
se1aEfoes Nc ~ th@e Has uN4& Il tito
eta md m0t&to Condemn. The zt444
r.1ealI Atal fsu1tnf 1t Is s,Itset it dossnof 10.
q 3 % o. politice, IL - e Fsd.sa e doass
hna Knows nothing Of alhves, - alavas, tast
II knoWs man only as mxz, and tAxt no ons
acting aader it has right to assume for one
moment the existence Of any c3aas OF 1nen mp
on thh sentiment but freeaen. We xt&,
word ser7ita1e rom the original draft Of Tho
Constitution, that this document should ba !
the great charter IT human liberty, 80 tt1at
our posterity ahal not even know that such
crias q alkzefy existed among u. In the
skosid % aiWsys se ooadnesed I'd
| But apart rsm this genera defoe+, there Ars
one or Two special daws in Mt. CAmeroQI
communication. You Win not, . be says to
amy officers, except In cases where the
Eablic good nay seem 70 require I. Prevent
service from which he may have esapeln
But the public good requires, in nil casas. ths*
these fug gftfTes ahould not be allowed ia return.
They are not mere dumb unreasoHing aaimals;
mary Of them are pefEQns of great 2cutenesx
u RQ8E&F8&lUUY L4E3 42Ft NOkA SyN6 &2Q
can zee what Is going On about them, sad des.
cFibe faithfully what they see; and no better
spies neel be desired by the rebels than such
men would make. W2sat e to hinder the Con-
feaeTate leaders tstan sending their trastnorsy
ard intelligent sas*s asato our camps, tseTe theg
will Be received ard la6or for uhak a. tngitiys,
unt2, having kaswed ali taas ia sseedfat cf tas
sssan6<r aad dsspoatioa Of our jorres, uaey ,,say
desire to Yskur:s honae? "You must not pre-
vent them" ssys Mr. Cameron to his officers.
He ought to have said, you mpss prevent
them, by al means but with singular incon-
ought to forbid he procIaims to the rebels
that If, in lack Of other sources Of infor1aa-
| ton, they will send their Slaves into our
camps, on any plausible pretext, they will be
well taken care Of, supplied with ali due in
formation, and when the proper time comes,
be allowed to go home witt their noodles full
| Of news. With ali becoming respect to the
| Government, We must say, that this is Rross
stupidity. No white man a2sured1y would be
| received ard returned under the aama condi-
| tions.
Again, Mr.. Cameron assures "Ioyal mas
! fers by which he means masters, vino, in
the presence Of our army, profess an attach.
/ ment 10 the Unlon-that, after the War IL over,
s4they shall receive just compensation for
the services Of their fugitive aavs.. The COM
pensation, it seems to Is, ought to be assured
to the man Wha does the work, and not to an
| other who pretends to he his owner. In tax
ing such 8 position, the government acknoWl-
| edges the right Of property in man, which
it has been the policy, not only of the Republi-
can party, but Of sn parties up to recent De
Rod, to avoid. IT does more: it converts it.
self into hdueiazy sla7eholder and factor. It
| takes charge Of the property Of "loyR1 mas.
| teFS" foF them during the war. It SAYS to this
ela2s: sassud your slaves to US, if you cannot
| support them; we will care for them and after
Warda pay yon for their use" What have these
'sloyal nssteis' done that they should BECOME
the pets Of the Government? Why are their
people entitled to support at the expense OF
the public, more than any other people?
What Ii still worse in Mr. Cameron's in
strIetions is that they depart fundamentally
from the inVariable preeedents established by
all previous administrations. In every war
that we have yet waged. slayes coming into
| our camps, either as captures, OF voluntary
| fugityes, were treated strictly according
to the laws Of var. General Jackssa in 1Sl4
service; many Of them were killed; many
! kept at work till the end Of the war; several
OF the most faithful we're set At liberty. Bus
he steadily refused to psy their maatets fol
their loss or their services. 1t was enough
that. he and they together defended thoae
approved By President Madison and b.
the subsequent Congress. In 1886, il
Florida, Gen. Jesup used slaves for his
guides and spies, and when they had served
him veil he set them free. Their LOYAL mas
terB claimed compensation of Van Buren frat
and then Of Tyler, but got nothing from
| either. In the same campaiga slave was
I captured as spy and sent West. His loyal
master tried to get his moneys Worth, but
Con gress laughed at his claim. In 1888
again, General Gaines decided in the cases Of
fugltives who had been seized ana set free
that the military officer can enter into nc
aiudicial examination Of the claim Of ont
man to the bone and muscle Of another a
property. Nor could be, as military Off
| Ger, know what the laws Of Florida vert
while engaged in maintaining the Fedora
" Government BY force Of arms. In suc1
of war; and whatever may be the laws q
"any State, they must yield to the safety .
the Federal Government"
| Ali these cases prove that the Government
can make no distinction between elaves art
other persons: that If they are engaged II
var against US, they are our eaamies, and art
to be treated rs enemies; and that if they ar.
friendly they are to be set to work to assist u
receiving for their services what they ar
werth. Il, at the end Of the war, they wan
to 60 home or elsewhere, it is not the busi
ness Of the Government to interfere viii
their purposes. Above al, it Ii not to trans
form itseH into the grand catchpole OF sIay
cry, but leave the debate between masters an,
Servants to the judiciary Of the nation, whlc]
is amply empowered end quite competent t
make righteous decision. If mastars, afte
peace returns, desire to recover their lost SCI
wants, they must do 80 according to ita legs
, forms. While we are ut war We cannot sto
to rdjudfcate their Claims or to make specii
regulations and exertions In their behalf