Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-06-05

CLEARflEl.D, PA.
Wednesday Morning Juue 5, 1861
u (,reely Going into the Slave Trade'

Wednesday mOInluS suuo ~ AVA
IsGreely Going into the Slave Trade :
This political prostitute and disturbe
of tue peace of our country, has labore'
ior years 10 prove that slaves were no
property in the eye Of the government o
The United States, Speaking of the slsve
captured by the federal forces in Virginia
IN a late issue of his T'iJmc, says they mus
"be destroyed as property" and that "sscl
unaaimity of opinion on this vexed NtHes-
ton is gratifying" That ''slaves must b
treated by the officers Of oar army as co"
-oJand goods !" tha. is, that slaves are pro
p-ty, and not men, as heretofore advocated
BY NJ. Greedy and his followers.
The only reason we can assign for this
late and abrupt change Of opinion, is, that
if slaves are men they must be taken and
held as prisoners Of war. and if the present
war shall continue it may not be long un,
Ill our army, by holding them as such, will
have mole prisoners than soldiers. This
would 40, only be inconvenient, but vast,
ly expensive. But if they are property, as
is certainly the fact under an honest in
depreciation Of the constitution, the, can
be spiked and destroyed, just like guns, YES
sel., &C., that cannot be carried off OF,
what would he still better as business,
and to which we think oar government
should keep an eye, ip view Of the fact
,ha, it is row spending the peoples mo-
pey at the rate of about miilon of dol
lars every four days, these negroes could
be cold TO knowa Union slave-traders, un-
der bonds not 10 10 re,sold TO rebels. 1t
is true, this would be . novel enterprise
for our government to embark in, But
what Of thstS Circumstances alter cases /;
and il q state os war car. warrant the Pres
idept 70 ausiort@ the suspension of the
writ of habcas corpus, as in the case of Mer-
riman at Baltimore, there should be no
scruples at our government going into the
Slave trade. Nothing could be more prof
table. BY the time we have subjugated
virginia--if the thing is well managed, and
the stealing kept within reasonable lin
its--the government might thus indemni"
fy itself to the amount of perhaps seven-
ty-6ve or an hundred millions of dollars,
and so on ip proportion until the whole
South is subjugated. Perhaps there are
few Abolis'opists who might object to this.
But not many Of them, There would be
money ip the speculation, and if the Chew.
alier Forney, or any fnancier of his style
is giiep in charge Of its management, but
few compiaipts will DO heard even from
that quarter. We are quite sure that Mr.,
Greedy, in his present strait, would soon
be able to convince all abolitiondom that
II was In strict accordance with their pros
Crane, But let Greedy speak for himself
"If they should become troublesome to
the camp. or cumbersome becaus col their
numbers, the commanding officer could
furnish them with rations, pass, guide,
or, not having one to spare, could poin.
them to the north star, and tel them TO
march
"Thep, TOO, IL the sxisencies Of the cam.
paign required so summary . pr 'ceeding,
these contraband hipeds might be desz
troyed--as property, For exaniple, when
cannoa are about to DO sbaudoned to the |
enemy, prudent general causes them to
he spiked and so thoroughly spiked as
70, be forever worthless, as cannon, to the
zoe. So, as to negroes who had served in
the Union canp--if our army we're com.
PEELED to let sbem fall into the enemy's
hands, they must first make them, as
property, so that they would Re good for
nothing to the foe and, TO make thorough
work Of it, the negroes must be instruct
cd to tell the rebels, who might try TO |
use them, that they were spiked.
"Of course, in seizing contraband goods, ,
We take them subject to all inherent RISKS
and resulting CONTINGENCIES. For exam
rle in seiainga pie of loaded muskets,
W. contrabaud of war some of them, un.
less carefully handled, might 90 OF. Pre-
Visely 50 with eoptraband negroes.
when the war is over, these contra
band negroes will have TO be treated like
other arLieiss coptvabapd of war, taken
from the enemy. Fhey can never be Civ
en- up to their former owners, nor ever
paid for under any settlement ; because
contraband of war, taken du-
ting the contest, is absolutely and hope.
esslg forfeited. ...
lSyA raudoso shot, which we Se4t con-
Attained to discharge at the Wide Awakes,
in our issue of the 22d ult, intea ded sole,
y for home consumption, it seems actual
y hit, and almost kin, the editor of tie
Jefferson STAR and thus threatening the