The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-08-18

in the circulation of the letter which we pub
lish this morning, defining his position with
regard to negro slavery, negro liberty, and the
negro question in all its various phases.
Mr.. Clay thinks we have done him injustice
in our report of and remarks upon his late
speech in Washington; but we cannot discover
that this letter materially changes the casc
He says that "you again refer to my speech In
Washington as you reported It, and not as !
uttered it, with view of creating, suppose,
what is now called sensation editorial, or to
extort from me reply for the bsneft Of yoar
journal" But this will not do. II is an old
dodge Of our politicians, when fairly caught BY
the reporter, to charge upon him wilfu or
accidental perversion Of their remarks; but,
from numerous examples of this sort we must
persist in adhering to the notes Of the disin-
terested reporter against the memory OF the In
terested politician. In the next place, the idea
that in our commentaries upon Mr.. Clays
speech our object was to sxtort from him .
letter for the benefit Of our Journal. is q very
absurd idea. The saddle IL on the other horse.
We publish Mr. Clay's letter, to give him the
benefit, through our columns, Of his own de-
fence, and because just now there Is a lull In
the war which enables US TO trot him ont, -
the judicous stage manager brings forward .
danseuse or funny fellow with comic song.
to fill up the interval between the more impor-
tant performances Of the evening.
Mr.. Clay is also very wide Of tho mark In
saying that he has never heretofore been
honored with his name in our columns His
newspaper reading of the last ten years has
been somewhat limited, or his memory must be
very bad, or he could not have made
this silly declaration. But he Is con-
strained to admit the "sublimity" Of
our /" audacty," which he declares :" 10 made
respectable alongside of the indirection, the
mendacity, the meanDess, and the cowardice
of your rivals, the London Times, and the New
York Times, its feeble follower" This keen
and well applied opinion of Mr.. Clay shows
that. with all his negro emancipation and
negro liberty crotchets, he is a man of some
discernment. On the score Of audacity we can
excuse him, in view Of his well deserved judg-
ment against that great English blunderer,
called the Thunderer, and the New York
Times its feeble follower" And so, upon the
almighty negro, we submit Mr.. Clay's letter to
our readers, without further rcmark, except that
it leaves him in the position in which he stood
before-that of an abolition imprecticable in
hostility to the sound and sagacious negro policy
of the administration.
THE NEGRO ON DUTY.-f fanaticism would
only recognize the fact, there are plenty Of
ways in which negroes could be made moro ser
viceable to the Union cause than by placing
arms in thor hands. The deficiencies Of
our ambulance service, for instance, have
been due entirely to the absence Of organisa-
tion and system that prevailed in 1t. In tho
French and Prussan armies the service ID -
perfect as discipline can properly make It. A
corps Of men is specially trained for it, and they
are never diverted from It to any other kind OF
work. Take the ENTHUSIASTICALLY speak
ing, BILE bodied and lusty fellows-form
them into corps of this sort, properly on
cered, and subject to all the regulations and
penalties that govern the military? The prao-
tice of Withdrawing soldiers from the ranks
to carry the wounded to the rear il one THAI
tends very much to cripple the effective
strength Of our army, and there il no reason
that VIC can see why negroes should not be IL
lotted to this duty. They are susceptible Of
discipline--as was shown in the army Of McClea-
Ian, who was the first to place them under
military discipline-and, 20 long as they are mot
called upon to handle . gun or fight, would b
delighted to be thus employed. The with
drawai Of able bodied soldiers as nurses from
| the hospitals suggests another service to which
they could be proftably devoted. 1t is pro
| pose6now to employ conyalescent soldiers for
this purpose; but il is obvious that they are d
all persons the most untitled for it, their own
experience Of hospital giving them
a dsts 70 for the work, and their
continuance in its impure atmosphere tend
ing to retard their recovery. There +
no better attendant or nurse than Q negro.
Here is, therefore, another service for which
| they are we'll fitted, and IL requires only
that they shall be subject to stringent milf
tary control, as in the French hospitals, 10 cure
them Of their lazy tendencies. In the work
of digging and trenching no better laborers Coz
be found, always provided that they arc kept
under rigorous surveillance The proper way
| Of treating them would be to enroll them In
distinct gangs or organizations for all thess
purposes, subjecting them to the rules Of tho
military service, and Furnishing them as dcserters
when found attempting to run away. There
are at present from forty to fifty thousand able
bodied contraband males within our lines,
who by this plan could be made to relieve tho
army from a great deal Of toilsome and harass-
ing labor. thereby adding to its effective strength
and rendering il at all times more ready to take
the field. This is the only way in which the
negro can DC made of any use to Union. To
arm him would only be to spoil good laborer
and make a wrctched soldier, TO say nothing
Of disgusting white men with the military SER
vice.
IMPORTANT MANIFESTO OF ARCHBISHOP HuoHEs.