, 1862-04-07
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Hilita,p Facts ,rA;eh do not giec Information to
the jEaemrIHe Non-P Publication Of tie Neo
.Astiele Of War-The Di:5raneA;sing BM-
Abolition Of S1aoap in the District-- - The |
,Sezgns Batle7y = 1As heavy Mdvs Belts in |
the SoutacIncsr Political Sign;tieance-l2etire-
naeat Of NT. Dana from The Mem FORK Tribune |
From our own Correspondent
WASHINGTON. April 1st, 1862.
April Fools Day has arrived, and Gen. Nc
C1el1an has made speech to Pennsylvania
regiment commanded by Col. Gosling. There
are no other army movements worth noticing
in this military department, and the enforced
Eccresy is the merest pantomime In the world
for there is nothing to tell which the enemy
do not already know, and nothing, the knowl-
edge Of which need give them any uneasiness.
Washington, however, is not SO safe as 1t was.
One day last week small party Of curiosity
hunters went orer to Manassas and were
robbed By the rebel cavalry. Mrs. Tennant
and her daughter we're snatched off In sini-
lar way from their home near Chain Bridge on
Saturday. The Star Of this evening contains
semi=oficial warning in the following words:
" Some Of the numerous visitors -members Of
" Congress. Senators and others-looking at
" the sights around Manassas and Bull Run,
twill perhaps find themselves captured and
"earried off BY the guerilla bands Of Confed-
"erates scouting around, waiting to pounce
"down upon all stragglers.' AS they have
carried off nearly all the movable property be-
tween here and Manassas, It would not be sur
7,ryu e3rr1a T,oo o1- Jc&a
real estate next.
Daily reports of slave catching By army Off
GERS for rebel masters, (the most atrocious be-
ng in Gen. Halleck's Department and pcrpe-
trated By his own orders), have drawn attcn-
ton to the fact that Adjutant General Thomas
has not yet published to the army the new ar
ticle Of war on that subject. The failure to do
SO, unless justified by something which does
not appear on the surface, Is an act of mutiny
So long as the article Is not given out in
official form it is no article at all. The proper
course, believe, in such cases, is for the Sec
Tetary Of War transmit the paper to the Adlu-
tant General ana for the latter to publish it,
Sufficient time has elapsed, sufficient barbar-
| tty has been practiced, sufficient grief and
shame have been put upon the countrY-whY
| has not the action Of Congress and the Prcsi-
| dent been carried into effect?
| One Of the most important measures intro
duced at this session Of Congress is the dis
| franchisiDg bill proposed BY Mr.. Wilson Of
Iowa, which provides that no person shall
hereafter be eligibible to Office who has taken
| up arms against the United States after Aavi.7
taken an oath to support the Constitution. The
bill is intended to apply to all former Senators,
Representatives, Federal and State officers,
who have joined in the rebellion. The Con.
stitution Of the United States, and the Const1.
tntions Of all the States, prescribe an oath oi
| fidelity to the former Instrument and hence
every rebel who has held an Office is pe1jured
before God and man. The oath Of such ! per.
son on assuming another Office under the Uni
| ted States Constitution would be /: mockcry
| and blasphemy. Yet venture to say that
the Democrats TEin oppose the bill with Us
much trmncss as though it were proposition
shoulders Of loyal citizens and put it on the
traitors. Col. Voorhees,. Wood, and most ot
the Democratic leaders here, long for the day
when they can grasp the hands Of Davis, Sli.
dell and Nlgfall in the Senate chamber, and
bold sweet communion with Pryor, Keitt
Barksdale and Hindnan in the House. Nj
WILSON'S bill cuts Oft all these Injuries, and
hence they will be sure to oppose it.
NO surer guarantee of the passage Of tht
hill aho1ishiug slavery in the District Of Co
1umbIa is needed, than the rapid exodus Q
this class OF property $50 cal1cd) to Maryland
No less than fifteen hundred, or onc-half o
the whole number, have been removed b.
| their masters since the subject was first moot
cd in Congress. They are not sold In Mary
land, for nobody there wants to buy just a
this time. They arc hired out By the year il
the lower counties, and they will probably ru1
away before their first quarter expires, auf
come back here. They will then be free with
out the ransom which Congress proposes tt
tender thcis owners, for they cannot be arrest
cd and sent back under the fugitive slave Law
While their rebel owners reside here. Their
is a hateful little pro-slayery paper here ca1let
the Star, which abounds in advertisement
like the following:
Dan AWAY-on the 9Th inst, my NEGRO VIC
II MAN. calling herself Ellen Nora BeH) witt
she left Light coored dress With black and bro VI
stripes. Is about feet high and slow ofspeeeh
or employing aaid wouan, as Re 99sc so;H1senfdn
MRS sARAHJ. o'BR1Ex.
mhsS-N-* cor. Of 18th and Pa. az. east.
: @s0 REWARD-Runaway from the residence
ecgV the Undersigned, on Monday mornint
18th inst, about 10 o'clock, NEGRO WOMAN
ssas saia 1ess aaS h nss @ 9s s1 p he s0 10
:s-darker color: The woman is very pleasing looI
ing, when spoken to; about five feet high ; an
A2A vi U4uc uIE4S Hu0 0QIa1u 84aH4t AQQ Id
, husband belonging 70 Ron. Gas B. Cazrsrt.
J viii give s50reward if delivered to me- o. secure
nsS4 t. e: heE H eaiasE T. eRS%T9hn A. s4a
: The Star is scni-sccession sheet, yer
much Ike the Chicago Times. It is amazin
? how the ownership Of negro can aliena1
ones loyalty, and lead him Tor her) to ours
:, and defy the Constitution and take up arm
L women here, who hare each an interest, nea
!, or remote, in slaves Sometimes 1t is +
/, yersionary title to young naulatto two feet
. length sometimes it is the fec simple to
d dec1epit and tooth1ess washerwoman. blac
d as the ten-spot Of SPADES. 1t makes no diffe
c may be few exceptions, as there are fe
e white black-birds, but an old resident
g Washington, who might be called on to nam
: the allies Of JEFF Davis here, wonld begin b
= counting all the slareoWners. These peop
d do not seem to be generally Modified By tt
o proposed compensation Of the Goyernmen
l. Slaycholdipg IS matter Of principle as we
Q as profit With them, and they say they vi
lr not sell "thcir principles"
ba a9ssfey1ng S1d no h
It tea1ly Killed by its reference to the secreta1
e Of the Navy The only plausible argnmet
It in its favor was..that the Army OF the Pot
= mac was costing the country thr,e quarte
= three quarters Of million for Mr. Stevens
10 brother. This was actually advanced in ii
le Senate by two or three advocates Of the O
& Si1urian contrivance, which draws so mut
% water that 1t can never be used to defend Ne
f. York harbor, and it fitted with casemates
e. protect its guns, IS Mr. stesens's brother pr
l. poses, can 'se.er get out Of Msar York H4rbor-
.r 4 map has been prepared here sho wing tt
It extensive slave districts of the South som
Il what upon the plan of that prepared last fa
E showing the percentage Of slaves to whites
all the counties Of rebeldon. The new m:
Of to which I refer, traces the belts of count,
L. within which there arr S, 900 or more slaves
q each county presenting Of course the CHI
lie seats Of treason at q glance This heayy sll
IS AREA embraces the whole Of Eastern Virgiai
re eastern North Carolina, all OF South C.roliu
y except the northwest corner, broad belt ru
D. ming east and west across the centre of Gee
lc gia, q small block Of West Florida near p
is sacola, disgonal belt running through Al
l.: bama, north and south bell crossing t
: centre Of Tennessee, i1crud;ng N4shville. a.
I'd tllen i heavy one lloyiug the Mississip
rs river from point near Memphis to It's mont
it covering portions of Tennessee, 4
IS, kansas, Mississippi and Lauis;.aa. The
&c arc a few spots in Texas, and
e1 ffw in fhn EfatcS Al Ar