Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-01-11
The Emancipation Question in
CONGRESS-.

Secretaries, without knowing what policy
had already been adopted by the Govern
ment and was now in operation, the Rad
icals of the two Houses of Congress, on
the first day of the session, precipitated
before both Chambers the question of
Emanci patton. The process was as logi-
cal as the attempt itself was reasonable !
"Whereas," the resolutions generally ran,
Congress has no power to emancipate
slaves, resolved that our Generals shall
recruit them into the army and declare
them free The nan seqtite, is as appa.
rent as it would be in fact if the proclama-
tion for the negro allies were soupded.-
They would not follow to the call
We are wearied with the pcrtinacity of
folly with which the factious leaders of
minority attempt to force the delusive and
fatal policy upon the county. We shall
not argue the question of right, for they
heed not right; nor of the Constitution,
for they mock it; nor of expediency, for
they are incapable of understanding it.
But if Congress distrusts the power of
the 100000 white soldiers in arms, in de.
feoce of the Constitution, and of the vast
Navy of the Federal Government, and
must needs recruit from the black popula.
ton, why not commence at the North ? If
blacks are needed for soldiers, why not
marshal the free blacks to the rescue, in
stead of attempting this tardy and circu
itous method of rallying slaves to our
standard There are 200 900 free blacks
in the loyal States, and an army of 25,-
600 might easily be supplied from their
numbers To get the same force of able
bodied men from the slave population, we
would have to take within our lines,. and
support till the close of the war, eight times
tho number, counting women, children,
the decrepid and incapable. The burden
of such population would be immensely
: greater than that Of any similar number
Of the most expensive troops we now have
even on the most cxtravagant estimate.
What will it cost to sustain population
of 200, 900 slaves during the war, fed
with daily rations as the "contrabanls" at
Fortress Monroe now are The elements
of the calculation are to be found in that
experiment, aud it is in the power of the
Government to give the results also. We
venture to say that there never was body
of men, outside of the established Aims
Houses, so unproductive and wasteful and
useless, as the laborers at Fortress Mon
roe, and their large dependent families.
We do not believe the people are rich
enough to support such body of prison.
ers Or that the suffering citizens of the
North will patiently abide the idea that
while Government leaves them to their
bitter fate of hunger and cold, it is mani
Testing paternal indulgence and bestowing
its liberal bounties upon the vagrant pop
ulation of the South, whom it has invited
into idleness. And then when the negro
class has sucked its millions from the
Treasury, the master class is to have its
turn How many millions will this take,
and who but the Northern laborer will
have to pay them ?
Will the Northern soldier stand, side
by side, in the ranks with the black freed
men' Try it! Let the experiment be
IN ade with the soldiers recruited from the
black population of the North, before we
rush into the experiment of general levy
Of troops at the South. The Northern
negro, if freedom is an advantage, is the
better man of the two, and is certainly
better educated, and disciplined, and self
reliant. What would be the fate of brig
ado of blacks, oficered by their own class,
or even by whites, and marching to battle !?
What would be their discipline, their tone,
their courage, an! to what extent would
they elevate or deprcss the warlike senti.
ment, and esprit de corps of the Army !
We ask these questions, but we seek no
answer. Every man can answer them.
The country has already answered them,
Not State has sent single black man to
the defence of the country. The Govern
ment has asked for none, and will accept
none. 1t is mere trick of words, de-
lusion and falsehood, to talk about recruit.
ing our armies from such source. Re-
duced to its real meaning, the action of
Congress is this--an invitation to the
slaves to desert heir masters, with the
promise that Government will support and
rec them if they do. Behind this invita-
ton is the hddeh Indictment to servile in
surrection but the fanatics of Congress
have not yet resolved that supernal folly