Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-12-05
Tbs Secretary Of War Upon the slave
Question,

Tbs Secretary Of War Upon the slave
Question:
From the report Of Secretary Cameron, we
extract the following upon the cOntraband
question;
It has become grave question for deter
mination, what shall be done with the slaves
abandoned by their owners on the advance OF
our troops into Southern territory, as In the
Beaufort district Of South Carolina. The
whole white population Is SIX thousand,
while the number Of negroes exceeds thirty
two thousand. The panic which drove their
masters in wild confusion from their homes,
leaves them in undisputsd possession of the
soil. Shall they, armed by their masters, he
placed in the field to fght against Us, or shall
their labor be continually employed in repro
ducing the means for supporting the armies
Of rebellion2
The war into which this government has
been forced by rebellioIs traitors, is carried
on for the purpose OF repossessing the prop
erty violently and treacherously seized upon
by the enemies Of the Government and TO
re-establish the authority and laws Of the |
United States in the places where II is op-
posed or overthrown by armed insurrection |
and rebellion. Its purpose is TO recover and |
defend what is justly its own.
War, even between independent nations, |
| is made 10 subdue the enemy, by occupying |
| the hostile country, and exercising dominion
over all the men and things within its terri
tory. This being trne in respect,to independ-
emit nations at war with each other, it follows
that rebels who are laboring by force Of arms
to- overthrow a government justly bring
upon themselves all the consequences Of war,
and provoke the destruction merited by the
worst of crimes. That government would be
false to national trust, and would justly ex-
cite the ridicule OF the civilized world, that
would abstain from the use of any efficient
means to preserve its own existence, or to
overcome rebellious and traitOrous enemy,
by sparing or protecting the property of those
who are waging war against it.
The principal wealth and power of the
rebel States is a peculiar species Of property,
consisting of the service or labor OF African
slaves, or the descendants Of Africans. This
property has been variously estimated at the
value Of from 500, 600, 900 to $1,000, ,00o,-
600.
+ Why should this property be exempt from
the hazards sld consequences Of rebellious
War2
1t was the boast OF the leader Of the re-
bellion, while he yet had a seat in the Senate
of the United States, that the Southern States
would be comparatively safe and free from the
burdens OF war, If it should be brought on
by the contemplated rebellion, and that
boast was accompanied by the savage threat
that "Northern towns and cities would be-
come the victims of rapine and military
SPOIL" and that "Northern mea should
smell Southern gunpoWder and feel Southern
steel"
No one doubts the disposition of the rebels
to carry that threat into execution. The
wealth of Northern towns and cities, the pro-
duce of Northern farms, Northern workshops
and manufactures, would certainly be seized,
destroyed, or appropriated as military spoil.
No property in the North would be spared
from the hands of the rebels, and the rapine
would be defended upon the laws of war
While the loyal States thus have all their
property and possessions at stake, are the in
surgent rebels TO carry on warfare against
the government in peace and security to their
own property
Reason and justice aud self preservation
forbid that such should be the policy OF this
Government, but demand, on the contrary,
that, being forced by traitors and rebels to
the extremity of war, all the rights and pow
q ers OF war should be exercised to bring it to
a speedy close.
Those who make war against the Govern
ment justly forfeit all rights of property,
privilege, or security, derived from the Con-
stitution and laws, against which they are
: in armed rebellion; and as the labor and
service of their slaves constitute the chief
property of the rebels, such property should
, share the common fate of war to which
! they have devoted the property Of loyal citi.
zens.
While it is plain that the slave property of
: the South is Justly subjected to all the con-
: sequences of this rebellious war, and that the
1 Government would be untrue to its trust in
, not employing all the rights and powers of
war to bring it to a speedy close, the details
9 Of the plan for doing so, like all other mill
tary measures, must in a great degree, be
left to be determined by particular exigen-
cies The disposition of other property
X belonging to the rebels that become subject
q to our arms is governed by the circumstances
' of the case. The Government has no power
: to hold slaves, none to restrain slave of his
liberty or exact his service.
1t has a right, however, to use the volun-
Y tary service of slaves liberated by war from
o rebel masters, like any other property of the
, rebels, in whatever mode may be most eff
cient for the defence of the Government, the
prosecution Of the war, and the suppression
% of the rebellion. 1t is as clearly right Of
the Government to arm slaves, when il may
become necessary, as it Is to use gunpoWder
taken from the enemy. Whether it Is expe-
dent to do SO is purely a military question.
, The right is unquestionable by the laws of
/ H. -, sIoko I
by circumstances, keeping in view the great
object of overcoming the rebels, re-establish-
ing the laws, and restoring peace to the IA.
I ton.
= Ii is vain and idle for the Government to
s carry on this war; or bope to maintain its
!, existence against rebellious force, without
s employing all the rights and powers of war.
4 As has been said, the right to deprive the
9 rebels Of their property in slaves and slave
i labor, is as clear and absolute, as the right to
9 take forage from the field, or cotton from the
. warehouse, or powder and arms from the
p magazine. To leave the enemy in the pos
i session Of such property as forage and cotton
y and military stores, and the means of con-
o stantly reproducing them, would be Madness
(: It is, therefore, equal madness to leave them
Q in peaceful and secure possession of slave
2 . property, more valuable and efficient to them
D for war, than forage, cotton and military
9 stores. Such policy would be national
: suicide. What to DO with that species
of property is a question that time and
circumstances will solve, and need not be
ANTICIPATED further than to repeat that they
cannot be held by the Government as slaves.
It would be useless to keep them as prison.
ers Of war; and self-pfeservstion, the highest
duty OF "a government or of individuals, de-
nands that they should be disposed Of or
!; employed in the most effective manner that