Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-11-21


ally come through the rebel leaders if it
does not come from the federal govern
mcnt, and that it is better to have abo-
liton in the Union than outside of it.
And there is pertinence and force in this
view of the matter. Whether Jeff Davis
is already thinking of emancipation as a
last resort or not when all other means
fail, and the prospect of his experiment
become as desperate as they can be, it is
evident enough that the measure is one
that would naturally occur to him. In
deed we consider it not improbable that
President Lincoln anticipated and defeat
ed the project by his own proclamation of
emancipation. It was limited at the time
that the president had information of the
intention of Jeff Davis to get ahead of
him in this measure, and to secure the
advantages of the moral position before
the world. This may not have been
strictly true but it is well known that
the European powers-France very dis
tinctly-have intimated to the agents of
the confederacy that the promise of the
future and gradual abolition of slavery
would do more than anything else to fur
ther their cause abroad, and that without
it indeed they could not hope for any ma
terial assistance.
1t is objected that it would be absurd
to suppose that the rebels, after having
seeded and made war for the avowed oh.
ject of strengthing slavery and making
it the basis Of their new government,
should voluntarily destroy the very insti-
tuition for which they arc fighting. BUT
the prime object of the rebel leaders now
is their own salvation, which can only be
sure by success, and though they may
not willingly destroy slavery, they will
do that or anything else rather than fail.
If emancipation should appear to Jeff
Davis to be the last and only means of
insuring the success of Thea rebellion he
would declare the southern slaves free
tomorrow There can be no doubt of
that AS to the use of the slaves in the
war, we may be sure the rebels will have
no scruples on that subject if they can
make soldiers of them. And the negroes
themselves would have no choice Of course
as to which side they fight for if so be
they have the reliable assurance Of free
dom as their reward. That they would
add much to the strength of the rebellion
as fighting force we do not believe:
they are invaluable to it as producing
but the rebel leaders will not hesitate to
use them as soldiers to any available ex-
tent, more especially as they have now
nearly exhausted their white reserves.
The rebel papers give many indications
Of alarm at the new and formidable armies
marching into their territory. They ac-
knowledge that the crisis of their fate is
just upon them. If the leaders at Rich
mond take the same view of affairs, they
may be ready for any desperate measure,
and there is nothing incredible in the sug-
gestlon that they may emancipate and
arm the negroes in the last resort.
If there should prove to be anything
in these conjectures, it may before long be
evident to us all that President Lincoln's
emancipation proclamation was not issued
a day too soon. But if, as we have often
been told, the slaves of the South have
private system of information and obtain
general ideas of what is going on, they
know by this time that they can be free
by getting within the lines of our armies,
and that they will be legally free on New
Years day. Any promise of liberty now
on condition. of their fighting for Jeff
Davis will be likely to find their minds
pre-occupied. They have long looked for
Il Al
not be very easy for the rebels to persuade
them that their longtime oppressors are
their real friends and will do better by
them than "the abolitionist" AS the reb
ell leaders, by suggestion of Beaurogard,
now call the Union armies not consider
ing what assurances they are thus giving
to the slaves If Jeff Davis thinks he