The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-08-01
REMARKS OF SENATORS
RICE AND WILKINSON
ON THE
BILL TO EMPLOY NEGROES TO LABOR. &c.
IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
During the Southern Rebellion.
WEDNESDAY, July 9, 1862.

WEDNESDAY, July 9, 1862.
The Senate having under consideration
the subject of employing negroes to labor,
&C., in the Army, the following remarks
we're made by
Mr.. RICE. I have only a few words
to say on this subject. l have not been
present in the Senate Chamber during the
whole debate, and of course cannot follow
it throughout, but wish in q few words to
express my own views. 1t has now become
certainty with all reasonable men, with
all who have thought upon this subject at
all, that not many days can pass before the
people of the United States north must decide
upon one of two questions: we have either
to acknowledge the Southern Confederacy
as free and independent nation, and that
speedily, or we have as speedily to resolve
to use all the means given US by the Al.
mighty to prosecute this war to successful
termination. The necessity for prompt
action has arisen. To hesitate is worse than
criminal. We are expending the money of
our citizens. are daily losing by sickness and
otherwise thousands OF live !, and at the rate
at which this has been going On, it will take
but few months more to reduce our Army
SO that it will be worthless, and to exhaust
the wealth of the country to such an extent
that our credit will be worthless also.
admit that at one time | was not in ia.
for Of employing the blacks. 1t did not be-
lieve 1t good policy; but had no consci>
entious scruples on the subject But, sir,
the example was set us long ago aud has
been continued for years by Great Britain
She has kept in the Canadas one Or more
regiments Of blacks for years, upon OR
frontier. in sight of the A american flag and
who, north or south. has ever raised guess
ton as to her right to do SO, or as to the
moral effect it had upon the community :?
We all acquiesced in it; no one said it was
wrong; and ii it was Tot wrong for Great
Britain to have regiments OF armed blacks
to protect her frontier against US, is it
wrong for US to employ the same means to
put down rebels? Especially when they
resort to Internal machines, to torpedoes, to
assassinations, to poison, shall we, from any
sckly motives of delicacy and mistaken ten
derness, hesitate? We have not men
enough on the Potomac to authorize an ad.
vance, and unless We get them soon We
must cease our eXertions to maintain the in.
tegrity of the Union. God knows we can
employ no means worse than the rebels have
employed; but | would not follow their bad
example; would, however, resort to all
the means that are known 10 civilized war;
fare to suppress this rebellion aud punish
the rebels. l would not hesitate for mo.
ment, but viii! vote for any measure to &C,
complsh that end.
n; Mr. DAVIS OF Kentucky, replying,
l have here, also, an extract from
Browns History of San Domingo and
ask the attention OF Senators, and especial.
ly the Senator from Minnesota, Mr.. Rice
to it. | am sorry that be has become a
convert to this atrocious idea. | lament it.
l nave profound personal respect for the
don. gentleman, and still entertain it but it
gives me great pain to End him adopt such
cruel and merciiess mode of warfare. I
should not be SURPRISE at all at some GEN.
tlemen. who for long years have Injured
themselves IN their imagination and fancy TO
such q war, ard the horrors it might bring,
adopting such q policy. But, sir. here is
what the historian Brown says:
"The triumphant negroes refined upon the
tOrtures Of the inqusiton in their treatment
of prisoners taken in battle. They tore them
with red.hot pincers; saved them asunder be-
tween planks; roasted them by slow fire; or
tore out their eyes with red.hot corkscrews.
negro named Lannot was, of all their Chief.
taus, the most terocious. Suspectng the f.
deity Of negro under bis orders, who was al.
SO accused OF having saved his master from the
knives of the insurgents, the monster ordered
that be should be cut ia pieces and thrown into
the fire. Other acts Of cruelty still more re.
voting are related of this rebel chief. The
plantation Of Mr. ParadOle suffered an attack
from the Insurgents, in which the proprietor
himself was made prisoner. Some Of his
children, who IN the first moments Of their
panic, had fled TO places OF concealmeGt, came
10 implore the chief to save their father. This
h!ial devotion, which was interpreted as de-
lance by the demon black, irritated him to
fury. He ordered that the four young men
should be slain separately before the eyes of
their parent who was then himself put to
death, the last victim in this tragedy"
That is tie condition Of things to which
your counsels ana your policy are luriDg
the Southern States; and the man who does
not recol in horror from it's contemplation
Is a monster, and is fit to be prince amoug
the damned.
Mr.. WILKINSON. You ere getting
theological.
MIR. DAVIS. Yes, | am Sc theological
TO abbor all such scenes as that, aud to
condemn aud denounce on the threshold the
policy that will lead to them. All! gentle.
men, you can smile derisiyely and very see
curely--you who inhabit the regions of The
North whsre there is no danger Of servie
war, where the secessonists viii never
tread your sacred bomesteads tut we on
the borders, we in the State OF Kentucky,
with between two and three hundred thou.
sand slaves and as many il the State OF
Tennessee, are exposed to all these dangers,
liable to be set upon BY the eeceesionists
themselves, and then of the upheaving OF
this domestic foe, demoniac 10 its character
when it has once tasted blood, as | have
said, and ready to indulge in all the cruel
ties that the most savage ard ferocous ma
ture can devise, csuelties that are here de-
picted by the historian in giving an accent
OF the instruction in San DonIing0--we
are TO be exposed to these horrible calaui
lies and probably be overwhelmed by them;