Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-02-21
GEN. sHERMAN's PROCLAMATION

Gen Sherman, at Port Royal, has issued the
following directions in regard to the "blacks, y
l (he does not say slaves, } now there. Some Of
our readers, We presume, have already seen
1T. We copy partly in order to append to it a
part of Il letter from one OF the officers serving
IN his Observation-Disclosures Colonel Hawley
OF the Connecticut seventh Here is the proc
lamation:
:, 10 relieve the government of a burden
that may hereafter become iusupportabIe. an,
to enable the blacks 10 support ard COVER
themselves IN the absence aud abandonment
OF their dlsoyal guardians, suitable system
Oh cultSre ana instruction must be combined
| with one providing Tor their physical wants
Therefore, until proper Legislation on the sub
Ject, or orders from higher authority. the
country in occupation OF the forces of the
command will be divided eff into districts Of
convenient size for proper superintendent
For each of these districts suitable accent
will be appointed to superintend the MANAGE.
ment of plantations by the blacks, to enrol and
organize the willing blacks into working par
ties, to see tina! they are well fed, clad and
paid proper remuneration for their labors IN
take charge OF all property on the plantations.
whether found there provided by The govern.
-
all other administrative duties connected with
the plantation that may be required by the
government code of regulations on this
SUBJECT, as well as proper division of district
will be furnished in due time. In the mean.
while, and until the blacks become capable of
thinking and acting judiciously, the services
OF competent instructors will be received
one or more tor each district-whose duty will
consist In teaching them, both young and old,
the Tudiments of civilization and christianity
their amenability to the laws of both God
and man-their relation to each other as So
cial beings, and all that is necessary to render
them competent to sustain themselves in social
and business pursuits.
For an efficient and complete organization
OF this system there will be appointed two
general agens-one to have II general super.
intendence over the administrative or agricul-
tural agents, and the other over the educa-
tional department.
IL The above system is not intended, in
any respect, to interfere with the existing or
ders respecting the employment OF contrabands
by the staff departments of the army, and BY
the cotton agents.
Ill. AS the blacks are now in great need of
suitable clothing, if not other necessaries OF
life, which necessity viii probably continue,
and even increase, until the above system
gets into working order, the benevolent and
philanthropic of the land are most earnestly
appealed to Tor assistance in relieving their
lmmed lte wants. Never was there npbler
or more fitting opportunity for the operation
OF that considerable and practical benevolence
for which the northern people have ever been
distinguished.
By order of Brig. Gen. T. W SHERMAN
Col. Hawley's letter, which we find in the
Hartford Press, is dated at Tybee Island, Feb.
III. Omitting the first part OF the letter we
copy as tollt VS.:
Let US possess ourselves in patience in this
matter OF slavery, at least in all places and all
times where nobody asks or commands us to
do anything to protect or countenance it. If
the government will only keep off the fatal
rocks and not thy to protect or preserve the
institution in any way shape or manner, and
will hold rod over its extension all will be
right. We shall then have work a2ailIst slav-
cry and Tor the slaves quite as fast as we can
do 1t, and great many men OF widely differ
ing theories will find themselves working to-
gether. Gen. Sherman got very little credit
from anti slavery peope W Ell he first came.
down here | must not either censure or
praise my superior officer, but let me smply
call your attention to his order just issued. Do
you open your eyes Here are thousands of
tacts-great black, muscular, two legged facts.
III,
it occurs to you as it did to me this moment,
look through the order and you will not find the
words slave" and "owntr' in it. Whether
they are in any sense o~the words slaves now
the order does not say, for that,is the question
to be d. termined. Neither you nor believe
that they CiU be, but we need not get angry
with anybody discussing that point The gos.
pei as brought into South Carotina-Giory to God
Tor that! Perhaps Gen. Sherman may have
been among those who would like to hang
Garrison, Beecher or Sumner-I don't know
he being humane Il an, just This week and
this month he and Garrison and Beecher and
John Cochrane can perfectly agree in the prac.
teal work to be done under this order.
Now let the armies Of the Potomac and Mis-.
.sissippi get control OF vast slave territories,
and so long us the blacks are treated in the
spirit OF this order, who is going to get mad
about it? Let the holy spirit OF freedom ami.
mate the whole nation in this contest, but let
me lay down two propositions LIST. Any
paper decree of emancipation is but idle wind,
so long as the armies VI liberty are not on the
soil to enforce it. 81. Wherever those armies
go, whether that decree Accompany them in
words or not, ii is there. So let us of the old
taith-the faith much older than even the Dec.
laratiOn of Independence--be of good cheer;
the world keeps its old habit of moving"
1t | have moderated the impatence of any
anti slavery FREUD lei me turn a moment 10
those weak souls VINO are afraid of saying any.
thing against slavery-I mean those people
VINO profess to believe it wrong, and who
KhGw, as we all do, that it is at the bottom of
all the causes-morai eccl6 siustiCal economi.
cal, social, and polltical-that have produced
the war lie resolutions of the state conven.
toh were enough, every man sees, but you do
say III effect that all necessary (honorablel
means must be used to put down this war.
STICK to that; 1t was the least you men Of
Connecticut could say, brought up under free
institutions, aud having suffered only equally
with tile rest in the accused faint of cow
ardice and blindness which slavery spreads
everywhere. And yet it is said that there
were men who objected to saying that
much, for fear it should be interpreted to
! squlnt Mt emancipation This is ineffably
trlghttCl. Let me show you two men of a
different class. They are both Shareholders and
yet in very responsible positions on the right
side OF this contest The first, | should sun
pose, might have been a regular hard shell
democrat in former days, one OF the Daniel
). Dickinson sort-not a bit of a sentimental.
list on amy topic, and not brought to his pres
ent views by any abstract moral reasoning
either. Talking on this topic he said -
well; I've about made up my mind that
either the country or slavery las got to 90
down, and want to see slavery go to hell
first The second, talking Of England's de
claring war, aid:-"I never thought much of
niggers, but il England attacks us, Pm ready
to arm every mothers son of them, and tell
them to fight for dear lite, and | wouldn't
leave an ounce of cotton on the globe for
England to get al"