Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-12-21

DelOW We give uu SAtIuCb uOm buo Nv
port Of the Secretary Of War, on the i'm
portant question of the treatment of the
slaves of rebel owners, and the attitude in
which the rebellion places the institution of
slavery. These views will generally be re-
ceived with favor by loyal citizens. The
Report says
II has become grave question for de-
termination, what shall be done with the
Slaves abandoned by their owners on the
advance Of our troops into Southern terri
tory, as in the B, aufort 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 undisputed
possession of the soil. Shall they, armed
by their masters be placed in the field to
fight against us, or shall their labor be con.
tinually employed in reproducing the means
for supporting the armies of the rebellion ?
The war in.o which this Government has
been forced by rebellious trait ors, is car.
ried on for the purpose of re possessing the
property violently and treacherouSly seized
upon by the enemies of the Government,
and to re.establiSh the authority aud laws
of the United States in the places where it
is opposed or overthrown by armed insur-
reciion and rebellion. Its purpose is to
recover aud defend what is justly its own.
War, even between independent nations,
is made to subdue the enemy, and all that
belongs to that enemy, by occupying the
hostile country, and exercising dominion
over all the men aud things within its terri
tory. This being true in respect TO inde-
pendent nations at war with each other, it
follows that rebels who are laboring by
force of arms to overthrow Government,
justly bring upon themselves all the conse-
quences OF war; and provoke the destrnc-
tion merited by the worst Of crimes. That
Government would be false to national
trust, and would justly excite the ridicule
of the civilized world, that would abstain
from the use of any efficient means to pre-
serve its own existence, or to overcome a
rebellious and traitorous enemy, by sparing
or protecting the property of those who are
wagiug war against it.
The principal wealth and power of the
rebel States is peculiar species of proper
ty, consisting of the service or labor of AT
rican slaves, or the descendants of Africans,
This property has been variously estimated
at the value OF from $700, 100000 to ST.
600, 900, 900.
Why should this property be exempt
from the hazards and consequences of a
rebellous war?
1t was the boast of the leader Of the re-
bellioD, while be yet had a seat in the Sen
ate of the United States, that the Southern
States could 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 become the victims of rapine
and military spoil and that Northern men
should smell Southern gun powder aud feel
Southern STEEL
No one doabts the disposition of the reb-
els to carry that threat into execution -
The wealth of Northern towns aud cities,
the produce of Northern farms, Northern
workshops and manufactures, would GER
tainly be seized, destroyed, or appropriated
as military spoil. No property in the
North would be spared from the hands Of
the rebels, and their rspine would be de-
Tended upon the laws of war. While the
loyal States thus have all their property
and possessions at stake, are the insurgenI
rebels tc carry on warfare against the Gov.
ernment in peace and security TO their own
prOpertyP
Reason and Justice and self preservation
forbid that such should be the policy Of this
Government, but demand, on the contrary
that, being forced by traitors and rebels &c
t the extremity Of war, all the rights and
: powers of war should be exercised to bring
il to speedy end
Those who make war against the Gov
r ernment justly forfeit all rights of property
privilege, or security, derived from the Con
stitutioD and laws against which they ar
o 10 armed rebellion and as the labor anC
4 service of their slaves constituted the chic
property of the rebels, such property shoulC
share the common fate Of war TO which
= they have devoted the property OF loya
citizens
While it is plain that the slave propert,
q Of the South is justly subjected to all th,
4 consequences of this rebelliOus war, anC
Ia that the Government would be untrue t,
sr its trust in not employing all the rights an,
y powers of war TO bring it to a speedy close
ar the details OF the plan for doing so, like al
"a other military measures, must in grea
. degree be left to be determined by particu
y lar exigencies The disposition OF othe
:, property belonging to the rebels, that bC
"a comes subject TO our arms is governed b
!, the circumstances Of the case. The Coy
= ernmenI has no power to hold slaves, non
he to restrain a slave Of bis liberty, or 10 e.
% act his service. saa
'n Ii has right, however, to use the voluI
tsry service Of slaves liberated by war froI