Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-07-15

SklluAk~A -
D. n. RlCnAnDoON, 8e3los.A
TUESDAY MORNING ....... JULY Is. lss,
GnFEUEENG cONfRABANDs.
The tsale~iSe renarkS b, Thnrlo'
Weed, are esps,bls and night 70 tn
poiot:
z. ~ S1isess @fAS Om~~sis1 A1ssrsts~: !.
want 70 ssss,ke while the iron j
hot" and - your anvil 10 nearer thai
nv Own, viii you allow me the use Q
itf The public mind 10 now ticking tn
right direetios With regard to "cootrs-
banda" Dor army needs the "sid and
comfort" which can be obtained FROM
s'cootrsbsnds," and in accepting 1t w
deprive the enemy Of On element o.
strength.
Iwas with Gen. Butler at Annapolis
when bb ipaugusated . policy in refer.
enoe r., escaped slaves; felt then, -
do now. that he ''hit the nail on the
heae.." I went directly to Washington
Aoe. urged the government to ins:ruc,
81. the officers Of the army to receive
. cd not repel fugitives, proclaimioe
, 'mulataneousIy that the slaves of loyaI
e~ners should Be paid for, and thoss Of
= aitors conRs0ated and that oil should
pc employed ~ unarmed auxiliaries Il
We army. At least two-thirds Of tie
ofhcers Of the army, from education and
habit, left TO themselves, turned the fu'
eitives back, thus making their condi.
eioo worse than it Vas, and disbearteo.
log others who were eager to escape.
kiad Gen. Butler policy been adopted
.. year ago, at least half million Of
slaves who have been at wo,k in the
rebel armies would have been relieving
our own worn out troops from exhaust
ing drudgery-,hus sosaking the enemy,
and strengthening ourselves in . CORES
Ponding degree.
And chi. lioe Of policy would have
raised no embarrassing issues. It was
simple, aud 90 just to both loyal men ami
traitors, that all would have scquiesced.
While it projected loyal citizens, it gave
W. the advantage We arc entitled to in
war over our enemy.
But for reasons which were deemed
sufficient, the question OF "contrabands'
has been left 70 drift along until public
sentiment demands q policy. In that
demand ! perceive the dawoiog Of q
brighter day. Proclaim, at once, com.
pensation to loyal men, 10 the order
which directs commanding officers t.
receive and employ "contrs0aods," and
the war viii: assume a new and more en-.
couraging aspect. Without the service
If slaves, in relieving their troops from
manual and mental labor, tho rebellion
would collapse in . month.
Respectfully yours. T. ".
If the time has never come before j,
las now arrived when our military an
thorities should manage affairs so as t
make the burden Of the campaign
which arc At the best very heavy, res
rs lightly upon tho Federal soldiers .
possible. One way to accomplish ,hi
Is to- put the lazy, struggling contraband
TO work az set forth in the above com
p1unication. There is and probabl,
will be q large amount of mental servic
TO be performed in the lines of H.
army, in the Southern latitudes-such a
digging trenches, throwing up breast
works aud doing other labor outside Q
oct ual military service which these con
trabands should be made to do. Their
are plenty OF them that have been LET
by their mas; ers or who have taker
their light towards the Federal lines
ard who expect to be maintained in idle
nsss by the Government, tor all euct
purposes. Let them be put to work
and under the supervision of our sol
diers be kept at work, while our men
sro preparing themselves for the more
active and serious duties of the field oil
battle. 1t is true our men can dig
trenches even under the burning sun oil
the South but when there is plenty o,
material better suited to that business
it is best to use it, and give the soldiers
oil the respite they can have.
There is no use Of persisting in politi.
cal higot'y and ianat'cism in this re.
gard. Let our military strength be
nursed in every way practicable, and
common sense decide as to whether it is
better to make use Of all the enemy's
strength that we can. On the rebel side
negroes are worked in the trenches con
Why not do 80 on the FEEDER.
81 side? 1t has been shown that slaves
will run away from their masters. Let
them be put to work, and make them
earn their living. We do not believe
in the doctrine Of sending them back
where they can be used to advantage,
unless it can be shown that they are the
property Of loyal masters, and even in
That case, if they are actually needed in
the 'ines--let them be kept at work as
long a. needed, their services paid for,
And themselves returned when the wo,k
. dor.e. This is nothing new under the
Bun. In the dsys Of the Revolution and
during the war OF 1912 negroes we're
worked In tue trenches, and there IL no