M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-05-30
NO.41.' q

vile population, when the question
may arise, as it has not arisen, as we'll
in a moral and Christian, as in q po-
litical and military point of view
What shal! | then doi Will your
ExcellencY bear with me 3 moment
while this question is discussed.
appreciate fully your Excellency's
suggestion as to the inherent weak.
ness Of the rebels, arising from the
preponderancs Of their servile popuia
tion. The question. then, is, in Wha.
manner shall we take advantage OF
that weaknessl BY allowing, aud, Of
course, arming that population, to rise
upon the defenseless women and chill.
dren of the country, carrying iapine,
arson and murder-all the horrors OF
San Domingo a million times magni,
fed, among those whom we hore
TO reunite with us as brethren, many
OF whom are already SO, and lIwho
are WORTH preserving WY be when this
horrible madness shall have passed
away or be threshed out of theml---
Would your Excellency advise the
troops under my command to make
war in person upon the defenseless
women and children of any part Of the
Union, accompanied with the brutal.
ties too horrible to be namedl You
will say "God forbid!" II we may
not do 50 in person, shall we. arm
others so to do, over whom we can
have no restraint, exercise no control,
and who, when once. they have tasted
blood, may turn The very arms we put
in their hands against ourselves, as q
part Of the depressing white racei-
The reading of history, so familiar to
your Excellensy, will tell yon the BIT
terest cause of complaint which our
fathers had against Great Britain in
the War Of the Revolution, was the
arming BY the British E,inistry of the
red man with the tomahawk and the
scalping,knife against the women and
children OF the colonies, so that the
phrase, "May we not use all the
means which God and nature have
put in our power to subjugate the
colonies!" has passed into q legend Of
inlamy against the leader Of that Min
istery who nsei it in Parliment. Shall
history teach us in vainl Could we
Justify ourselves to ourselvesi al.
though with arms IN our hands amid
the savage wildness Of camp and field,
we may have blunted many Of the
finer moral sensibilities in letting
loose four millions Of worse than saya-
ges upon the homes and hearths Of
the SOutLl Can we be justified to
the Christian community Of Massa.
chusetts9 Would such a course be
oonsonant with the teachings Of our
holy religionl have a very dicided
Opion upon the subject, and il any
one desires, as | know Your Excellency
does not, this unhappy contest TO be
in that manner, some in
other than myself must be
found to carry iton. | may not dis
cusS the political bearings Of this topic.
When | went from under the shadow
Of my roof, | left all politics behind
me to be resumed only when every
part Of tue Union is loyal to the flag,
and the potency Of the Government
through the ballotbOx is established.
Passing the moral and Christian
view, let us examine the subject as a
question. Is not that State
already subjugated which requires the
bayonets OF those armed in opposition
to its rulers, to preserve it from the
horrors OF a servile warl AS the least
experienced Of military men, | would
have no doubt OF the entire subjuga.
ton Of a State brought to that condi.
tion. When. therefore, unless am
better advised-any community nthe
United States who have met me in
honorable warfare, or even in the
prosecution of a rebellious war in an
honorable manner, shall call upon me
fUr protection against the nameless
horrors of seryile insurrection, they
shall have it, and, from the moment
that call is obeyed, ! have nc doubt
we shall be friends and not enemies.
The possibilities that disholorable
means Of the defense are to be taken
by the rebels against the government,
| do not now contemplate. II, as has
been done in single instance, my
men are to be attacked by poison as
in another, stricken down by the as
sassin's knife, and thus murdered, the
community using such weapons may
be required to be taught that it holds
within its own border a more potent
means for deadly purposes and ipdis-
criminate slaughter than any which it
can administer to us.
Trusting that these views may meet
your Exce!lency's approval, / have the
honor to be, very respectfully, your
obedient servant, =, ~