East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-08-05
"The Want of the Hour"

This is a caption of an article in the
Springfield Republican, demonstrating
Chat the want of the hour is men-whlte
men. After abiding to the great, stub
born facts that we, white men of the
Union-have nationally, political free
dom, personal and national honor, and
the interests of republican institutions
at stake, facts which the people are
strangely slow to comprehend, the Re-
publican says
Yet there are white men amongst us
who fold their hands aud whine, and
talk about our natural allies" and
complain that they are not permitted
to fire into the enemy's magazine
men who seem to think that, somehow
emancipation and the negro will do their
work for them, when they have got to
do bigger fighting than they have done
yet to secure emancipation at all. 1t is
all nonsense to lie back and say that a
different policy is wanted, and that we
shall have no success until different
policy shall be inaugurated. The poll
cy that gives us white men enough to
whip the enemy is the policy that will
ensure success in the task We have I'M
dertakcn. The policy that took New
Orleans was ships, guns, white men and
pluck The policy that cleaned out
Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri was
plenty of white men and gunpowder to
match. Tho negroes at the South
sour natural allies"--are unorganlzed,
unarmed, ignorant, and inaccessible
We cannot reach a tenth part of them
by a proclamation. What is the use,
then, in talking about utterly impracti-
cable schemes when the thing to be done
is as plain as a pike-staff?
The want of the hour, we repeat, is
800 200 white men. We have not the
slightest objection to black men, if we
can get them. We have not the sight
est objection to the organization aud
the arming of the slaves of rebels every.
where, provided that they can be got
hold Of Indeed it would be exceed
ingly pleasant to have all the fighting
done 10y those persons. Fighting 10
not tho most delightful business in the
world. andauy amount oft which cou Id
be conveniently turned off upon the ne
groes would DO relief Unluckily
however, very little of 1t can be assum
ed bv them. We should be oblig.
ed to employ an army to free them
while holding their masters at different
points with another.
We are among those who, from the
first, have believed and prophesied that
the war has sealed the fate of slavery
but we never believed that the slaves
would help us in any fight with the
rebels. They have not even shown
pluck enough to get up an Instruction
We have lived among them in towns
and on plantations, and know them"llke
book" Those who live in towns and
cities are bright and shrewd; but at
least FIVE sixths of all the southern ne.
groes live on plantations, and while
there are among them few who know
something, and would act Extensively
against their masters if they hao a
chance, the great mass arc ignorant,
good .natured, indolent aud stupid, anil
would Just as soon think of cutting their
own throats az those q! their masters
Plantations of from 100 to 500 negroes
are managed by two or three white
men, who find no difficulty in keeping
them in subjugaton. They are brought
up to fear gunpowder, and can be driv.
en- by hundreds before single musket
What education and drill would do for
these men we cannot tell. They would
do much. without doubt; but we can
not wait for this. We are called upon
tn act in al emergency. The hour
this hour--has its pressing wants, and
this wait is men, and the only available
men we have are white men. 1t is our
business To save ourselves a country,
and to save it 10y fighting with our own
hands. IL we fail, it will not be because
the negroes did not help US, but be.
cause We were too mean and cowardly
to help ourselves.