Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-03-29

military pbrenzy now ruling the South, that
no attempt is made 20 arm the blacks and Or
ganize them into military eompaBiea They
may be trusted TO work, but not 20 hgbe.-
They may build forts, handle pick or spade,
but must not touch rife or musket. But il
has been 30 from the earliest periods Of histo-
r. In the revolutionary armies there were
many slaves attending on the officers, because
Slavery al that time existed in all the colo
mics; and there are numerous instances on
record Of heroie deeds performed by individ-
usl slaves, suddenly and on their OWN re
sponsibility. But in those days the institu-
fion was of more patriarchal character than
the cotton eupidity Of the present day per-
mits il to be. There was less education. less
restlessness. less prospect Of escape frola
bondage among them-emancipation was all
they could look 10, because bondage was uni=
yersaL Yet even then the South did not
trust them With arms. On the contrary,
South Caroline expressly pleaded to Congress
that all her white population were required at
home to keep the slaves 10 subsection and
prevent their deeertien to the British liberia
ting army She consequently furnished .
very small number o! troops. This helpless
ness was aggravated By her intense tOryism,
for she never At any time heartily supported
the Revelation. but throughout the war con
tanned more active, Pestilent tories, than
probably al the other colonies tOgether.-
Washington adopted the suggestion Of raising
three regiments of South Carolina negroes,
but the colOnists resisted, the blacks could
not be trusted with arms. though manumis-
sion was to be granted to all who did well,
and their value paid TO The owners and thus
Slavery continuedtO TO be weakness and an
alarm all over the South 30 long as the war
existed. os'
Yet in the face Of all this experience Of the
past, the agftators Of that section now tell Us
that 50 far from their slaves being an element
Of weakness, .thay are tower Of strength,
and that in case Of civil war they intend 90
arm them. But Sighting is harder work than
cotton planting, set we see no evidence, IN
spite OF these vaunis, that the negroes are to
be trusted to do any part Of the former. On
the contrary, Southern papers and letters con
tinne to speak Of constant watchfulness and
apprehension Of an outbreak from these trusiy
people; while some accounts assure US tlAt
pressing iEsubordinatiOn. the particulars OF
which are carefully kept back from public no
tiee Nov, we do not mean that the negroes
win net fight bravely when led on by gallant
offcers, for we know they will. But to do
this, they must be freemen. not Slaves and
they must be fighting for Freedom, not for
Slavery. No shettera soldiers went into bat
lie during the Revolution than the black regi-
ments of New England; but they were Free
men, The first victim Of the Boston massa-
ere was black man, and at Lexington the
British commander was killed By aBoIher.-
At Bunker Hill they fought as braxely as
the whites. When the IEessian Count DonOp
marrhed out Of Philadelphia to- stack Rel-
bank, the black regiment Of Rhode Island
formed part Of the garrison, and how mur-
derously they defeated the Hessians is known
to history, though the fact Of the blacks per
forming 80 gallant part in the defense is not
so web remembered as It ought to be. On
other battle fields this same regiment fought
with heroic bravery. The Connecticut regi-
ment OF black men was equally distinguished,
and we can remember no instance Of coward
ice OF tFeaehery among thenI. bat all these
men were free, and bore arms as o matter OI
right secured 10 them By law The black
regiments raised during the. war Of 1912 were
models Of discipline, but their opportunities
for distinguishing themselY-s inactiOn were
rare. 1guH 10 bHEmuoo ni s75tI l1gsiirl7
The evidence shows that our Southern
friends are sadly mistaken in their plans for
arming their slaves, and that while they have
herelofre refused d, do 50. free Northern col
ored men have been distinguished for fidelity
aid bravery. While we can rely implicitly
on the latter, having thoroughly proved them
the former cannot be trusted But if, when
Mr.. Jef. Davis begins to let Us ''smell South
ern powder and taste Southern steel, !" the ex-
pertinent Of arBing the slaves against The
North should be entered on, il would be very
certain to inaHgurate . war of races. The
North would arm her free blacks by theu
sands, and to such a standard they would raj
!, ly with enthusiasm. Il would liberty, 90 thi
whole race they were Sighting for; abOlitiOl
in its most practical form. Two such foreer
meeting face Ito face would be likely
10 fraternize vOh sight, Let the SoutherI
blacks be armed, and Northern antagOnisn
would speedily be developed in the way W
Indicate, so that the game IS one which tW'
lean play at.--N. Y. TrIbHnt. A ily-l ss4.t
~-. --srs.sz s7I 7-af