Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-08-06
THE coNTRABAND QUESTION

lust written letter To the secretary of war that
deserves attention. The removal of several
of the regiments of his command TO Washing
ton has compelled him to Withdraw those sta
toned at Hampton. As soon as the troops
were withdrawn, large number OF negroes
fed for protection from Hampton to fort Mon
roe. He is anxioua to know what the govern
ment wishes him to do with these black peo'
pie. He says -
have therefore now within the pennsulary
this side of Hampton Creek, 900 negroes, 3OO
are able bodied men, 80 of whom are men sub
stantally past hard labor, 175 women, 20
children under the age of 10 years, and lfO
between 10 and Is years, and many more COM
inc in. The questions which this state OF facts
present are very embarrassing.
"First-Wllat shall be done with them and
Second, What is their state and condition
ITpon these questions / desire the instructions
OF the department.
"rhe first question, however, may perhaps |
be answered by considering the last. Are
these men, women and children slaves Are
they free Is their condition that OF men,
women and children, or OF property, or is II
mixed relation? What their status was under
the constitution and laws, we all know. what
has been the effect OF the rebellion and state
OF war upon that status? When adopted the
theory OF treating the able bodied negro tit to
work in the trenches, as property liable 10 be
used in aid OF rebellion and SO contraband OF
war, that condition OF things was in SO far met
as then and still believe, On legal and CON
stitutional basis. But now new series OF
questions arise. Passing by women, the chill
dren certainly cannot be treated on that basis;
if property, they must be considered tue IN
cumbrance, rather than the auxiliary OF an ar
my, and OF course, il no possible legal relation
could be treated SIS conIraband. Are they
property Ii they were so, they have
been left by their masters and owners, desert
ed, thrown away, abandoned, like the wreck
ed vessel upon the ocean. Their former pos
SCISSORS and owners have causelessly, traitor
ousy, rebeliously, and 10 carry out the figure
practically abandoned them To be swallowed
up by the winter storm of Starvation II
property do they not become the property OF
tue salvors but we, their salvors, do not
need and will not hold such property and will
assume no such ownership; has not therefore
all proprietary relation ceased? Have they
not become thereupon men, women and chill
dren? No longer under ownership oil any
kind, the fearful reflects OF fugitive masters,
have they not by their masters acts, ana the
state OF war, assumed the condition, which we
hold to be the normal one, Of those made IN
Gods image. Is not every constitutional
legal, and moral requirement, as well 10 the
runaway master rs their rellnquisled slaves,
thus answered | confess my own mind II
compelled by this reasoning to look upon then
as men and women. Ii not free born, ye
free. manumitted, sent from the hand tina
held them never 10 be reclaimed.
OF course it this reasoning thus lmpertecilJ
set forth is correct, my duty as a humane MAJ
is very plain. l should take the same care o
these men, women, and children, houseless
homeless, and unprovided for, as would Of
the same number OF men, women, ana chi
dren, who for their attachment TO the Union
had been driven or allowed to flee from The
confederate states. l should have no doubt on
this question, had | not seen it stated, that an
or being harbored there Is that order to b,
enforced in all military departments II So
who are to be considered fugitive slaves |.
slave to be considered fugitive, whose mas
ter runs away and leaves him! Is it forbid
den 10 the troops to aid or harbor within theu
lines the negro children who are fOuY;fi There
in, or is the soldier, when his march has de.
stroyed their means otsUbsistence, to allow
tnen 10 starVe 6ecaHse he has driven off the
IcpeI master NSw shall the commander Of
regiment or oaitaSfon sit in judgment upon the
question, whether any given black man has
eu iioIi US master, or his master fled from
nun Indeed, how are the free born TO be
distinguished Is one any more or less fu-
gltlye slave because he has abOred upon the
rebel entertainments If he has so labored, if
understand it, he is to be harbored. By the
reception oil which the rebels most to be
distressed, by taking those who have wrought
all their rebel masters desired, masked their
battery, or those who have refused to labor,
and LETT Their battery unmasked
K have very decided opinions upon the
subject of this order. 1t does not become me
to criticise it, and write in no spirit of crit.
clsm, but simply to explain the full difficulties
that surround the enforcing it, If the enforce
ment of that order becomes the policy of the
government, l, as a soldier, shall be bound to
enforce it steadfastly, if not cheerfully. But
1t left TO my own discretion, as you may have
gathered from my reasoning, | should take
widely different course from that which it in
dicates
In loyal state / would put down servie
insurrecton. In state OF rebellion would
contiscate that which was used to oppose my
arms, and take all that property which consti-
tuted the wealth of that state and furnished
the means by which the war is prosecuted, be-
SIDES being the cause OF the war and if, in SO
doing, 1t should be objected that human beings
were brought TO the free enjoyment OF lie,
liberty and the pursuit Of happiness, such OBJ
lection might not require much considera.
tion."
Those who reject his view of the matter
will find it difficult to overthrow his reason.
ing,-we mean that part OF his reasoning
which sustains his view of the "contraband"
question, and shows why the blacks in his
possession should not be restored to their mas.
tiers as Fugitive slaves" In our view it is
not the business of the army now in the field
to huntdown and restore fugitive slaves, under
any circumstances. Nor have our volunteers
been called out to suppress any instruction
of slaves, and when Gen. Butler volunteered
to do such work in Maryland, he went quite
beyond his authority. Before. any troops in
the service of the federal government can con-
stitutionally Interfere to suppress such an in.
surrection, the state authorities must ask help
from the president, and he must order the
troops on that special service. No command
ing officer has any authority whatever to rush
into the business ahead of such an order.
We have undertaken this war to put down
treason, TO save the union and the constitution,
and to maintain free institutions. The slave
power is in arms to destroy the republic, and
it is not likely that the movements of govern
ment and our armies will be regulated through.
out this war by an elaborate tenderness TO.
wards Inc institution of slavery. The more
earnest we become, the more deeplv and mi.
versally shall we feel that whatever binders
our armies OF helps the side of treason mns,
be annihilated. Slavery has caused onr nr.s
ent trouble, and in one way or another tbo
aeonrsad instifutian will lnsa ;nA,o,