Smyrna times., 1862-09-04
Gen. Sickels on the Conduct Of the
War,

In these days the negro is always with us. Pa |
tent statesmen. who have depored his presence here
and have tried to alleviate his condition, are now
exercised how to dispose Of him in the relation
he is made to sustain to the warlike complications Of
the times. Very small partisans may look upon the
sudden release of thousands of slaves by the acts Of
the savehOldng secsssionsts, and upon the dangers
thus incurred by the blacks formerly free, with
sort of grim and malignant satisfaction. that both
together may assist the called Democratic parry,
and contribute TO a settled and chronic division Of
the Northern people. Tins wretched business may
be safely confded 70 Ghe Breckenridge politicians
and the discharged ofee-hoders of James Buchanan.
But the thoughtful and common sense patriot will
look about him for a remedy for evil not brought
zpOn the country BY the present Administration, or
indeed by any party but those most noisy ia ssm-
planning Of 1t. Such a man will find in the follow
ing extract from late war speech Of Gen. SiekIes
of New York, not simply cure for this great evil,
but an answer TO the miserable Arguments of the
politicians, who make Of the negro question to
smbsrrass the Government:
Nov, have a word or two to say 10 nv fellow
citizens, and especially to those who have hitherto
done me the honor to concur with in my views
of public affairs. In the event Of the result Of the
war terminating in emancipation, wish TO say that
mems minds should at snce be disabused Of any
| false notions they may have conceived. The labor.
| ing men of the North need not suppose that the
| tresd men of the South will ever interfere with or
become competitors with them in the labor market
of the North. 1t must be borne in mind that, since
this great eonvusion Of the country the South has
not been able TO produce enough OF rice, cotton
tobacco, corn sugar. and the other staples for which
il Eha nd of q,
been great but she could not meet them. Fur mors
than a year not more than one hulf Of their uaua
crops has been produced. Aud remember, the de-
nand Is always increasing for all the staples Of the
South produced by negro labor. Remsmber tha
{ there is more cotton land and rice and sugar lane
now uncultivated in the South than there has beer
hitherto cultivated by all the planters who Aourshe,
there but single year ago. Remember that thi
demand must 20 on continually increasing and Oh
supply be greatly diminished for years to come be
E fore capital can resume its former channel.
q "Cannot every man see it, that when peace sha
be restored, the demand for negro labor in the Sout
will be increased that all the blacks throughou
the country will be drawn by attraction toward
ths South, and there be entirely absorbed So thai
SO far as the labor Of the blacks ssssng to be in d.
nand on the cessation Of sad the restora alton
y peace, tbs demand for the great staples of sic'
1ooacco, sugar, and cotton-which will and must
scarce-wil call the service Of every black labors
into instantaneous and continuous Tequisition an
4, a new IMPULSE viii be given to every branch of pr
ducsive industry. The prosperity Of the Nortl
J. meanwhile, is not to cease. Capital. spternTis
Of thrift, are still here among US, and will be thcn
N now; and we will not only have the same dsmar
for labor with liberal wages and the same rewn,
for enterprise aad industry, but in my humble udg
ie ment, every branch Of trade and commerce and q
I'll nestle industry will rise into new life when n
III Union aud the Constitution shall be indicated al
- peace restored"
~ Theae IRE words Of weghty wisdom, and there
se no successful reply to them. Secretary Sswart
a. late letter, in which hs invokes European emiVr
toa to the United States Gil the vacuum created
nj the enormous contribution of our white men to
NJ army Of the Republic, bears with signal sgn6can
ns upon this question. The freed slaves Of the sou
ne will be required to till this Southern cotton, ri
i? tobacco, and sugar fields, and the engranls of
" Old World will be demanded TO occupy the void
se the various mechanical and agricultural walks
Ne the free States. These two propositions stand
v. an impregnable battement, and prove couclusiv,
Ia tbat the white Of the flee States need not (;
w an exodus Of the free or dsfrsnchissd blacks Of
al South and that the Soutb mpn perish orsper, II
w sxlsipatsd BY these snfranehissd blacks.
General sickles clones his observations on /
\, hsAa ~ish Anoshsr philosophical srgausas, misl
- M sasef sst 81