New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-19

new disaster, perhaps, may preclpltate upon uS
the question of emancipation for immediate So
luton; and The n. y. Herald may be COM
PEELED to change front upon it again as sud
denly as it has done within the last two months
The history of this war, on the part OF both Gov
eminent and people, is little more than record
Of tbe discovery of mistakes and the rectlfica-
tion of blupders. Nobody is to blame. The
press which supposed that the rebellion was a
mere continuation of the system of bullying by
which the South had always won its victories,
and the statesmen who fanced it could be
quelled by patiently waiting thirty, sixty or
ninety days, were equally honest, but have
been proved equally mistaken.
Among the most perniciOus blunders which
have embarrassed our warlike operations has
been the blunder of undertaking the strength
of the rebels. AS matter of course, we have
estimating the strength Of the Confederate
States, we have regarded slaves as an element
of weakness, assuming the truth of the old
adage, 80 many slaves, so many enemies
and forgetting that they can never be the enc.
mics of their masters until they are treated
as friends by u.s. that at best, in their present
position, they are but neutrals, and as such, an
element of neither weakness nor strength to the
enemy; and that, from the moment that our
refusal to recognize them as allies, or the des
perate necessities Of the rebellion compels, the
Confederate Government to appeal to them for
help. Slavery becomes an element Of positive
and terrible strength.
BY table prepared for the American Alma
nae of 1861, by Mr.. Kennedy, the Superintend-
ent of the Census it appears that the free
population of all the States, not including the
District of Columbia or the Territories, was, IN
1860, q, 2sO,0 OF this number, the Free
States had 1881 500; the Slave States,
s,44s,7 4I. The entire slave population was
8 800, 765. Counting the slaves as neutral, the
relative strength of the two sections, without
estimating the difference as to the means and
appliances Of war, is represented by their free
populations respectively, viz: as Ia $40 to-
3 4-l0. Adding the slaves to the free popula-
ton of the South, either as labOrers, support
iug the whites, or as combatants (and they
are already acting in the former capacity, and
sooner or later will be in bOth) and the rela-
tive proportions are as Is $40 to IL 4-lO.
Adding the slaves to the population OF the
North, and the Pre- portions are % $40 to 4-lO.
Mr. Hickmans proposition seemed simple and
feasible. Eighteen millions can oyerpower eight
millions. 1t was ba,ed on the suppostion OF
the neutrality Of the slaves. This is deluSion
now, and will prove a greater and more fear
ful deluson as the war proceeds. IL IS n0'o
practically eighteen millions to twelve millions.
But we may better Mr.. Hickman's formula,
and make it twenty-five millions to eight NIL
lions, or thereabout, if we please. To one
complexion or the other it must come at last.
However anxious our Government may be TO
protect the Union men of the Border States,
without requiring anything of them in return
except that they shall allow our troops to guard
their farms, hen-roosts, and slaye-pens, JEFF.
Davis will allow no neutrality in has dominions.
This war will up.turn the foundations Of
Southern Society, and every man, woman, and
child must take part, on one side or the other
The four millions of irrepres.be Africans must
work and fight on one side or the otheri and,
! if not allowed TO work and fight for US, they
will work and fight against u.s.
| Now let us look at some further deductions
| from Mr.. Keunedys tables. Slaves between
the ages of fifteen and sixty are regarded as
ablebodied, for working or fighting. There
were. in 1850, between these ages, sl5,A25
male slaves. In 1860, calculating the increase
in the same proportion as the increase OF the
whole slave population, there were ,Ol9,2ol.
Every one Of these men is now 8t work, sup
porting the families Of the rebel soldiers or
performing the exhausting labor of the trenches
and the drudgery Of the camp, which North
ern " mudsills," in our armies, have to do
for themselves. In Maryland, there are %, 600
of these able-bodied male slayes There were in
! Virginia in 1850, l2l, j6I able.bodied male
slaves: to-day there are 10000, and A. 600
able-bOdied free colored men-l4o, 900 men help.
ing support the Rebel armies, if not actually
helping TO constitute the Rebel armies. Sup
posing we permitted them to work for US
or surprising We should welcome them
within our lines, instead OF sending them
back to report of our flag that it is the en-
blem of oppression, and of our eagle that for
the poor slave his bones are brass aud his
feathers are ironl How long, in such case
would Beauregard Aaunt the rattlesnake flag
in sight of the White House There are
53, 322 of the Same class in Kentucky; 69,35S
in Tennessee; and in both States, 400 able