Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-07-25
our Democratic aacnernis.

as Richardson, Wood and Vallandigham, they
will not be led astray. .ta.-.... ..5.lf..
| General Dumont, Of Indiana, a well known
and honored leader of the Democracy Of that
State, thus refers to one of the devices by which
| Vallnndigham, and those who act with him sock
to ombarrass and defeat the Government: - To-
lcdo Commercial
"rhe charge has been made great many times
that the object of the North in the prosecuting
this war was conquest and subiugation Such
men as this vagabond, Vallandigham say so.--
He processes to be most exemplary patriot, and
he says:-" Millions for defense but not one cent
for an aggressive warfare" Now there is not
man in this audience who cannot see by mo-
ments reflection how utterly absurd that is
Millions for defense, but not one cent for an ag-
gresslye warfare y Did ever any one hear of
war that was not aggressive upon one side or
the other2 There must be aggression. If we
do not assume the aggressive our enemies will,
II we do not invade their territory they will in
wade ours, and if we can only keep the desolat-
ing tide of war from our own fertile fields and
from our own beautiful towns and villages we
have half won the victory, even though we shall
thing to mention, and / am sorry to be compell-
ed to say il, but it is nevertheless true, unfor-
| tunately that men, women and children too
must live by eating. When, few months ago
was in Virginia and saw that army of thirty
thousand men advancing along ono of those
beautiful valleys and stripping the earth ofevery
thing that was eatable as they went this thing
came to my mind with tremendous force.
saw before me forcible illustration of the in
calculable Importance Of keeping the war out Of
our own territories. If at the commencement
ofthis struggle, we had contentcd ourselves with
acting on the defensive New York and Penn
sylvania, and Ohio, and Indiana, and ratriotic
Illiuoie had
der States, how long do you think it would have
! been until the border States would have march,
ed into them2 Why.
even now, at this moment, after our enemies
! have been so often defeated-after we have dri-
ven them from town to town, from fort TO fort in
a manner that is almost unparalleled-even now
they boast that they intend before long to over
4 run and devasate the fair aud fertile fields OF
! Indiana, and Illinois. And yet Mr.. Vallandg-
ham and his school have the assurance to tell us
/ It is now too late 10 think of recOnstructng the
Union, and this aggressive warfare ought to
cease"
Major General Lew Wallace, of the same State,
in speech at Washington, when asked to give
his opinion as a soldier upon the question whe-
ther the negroes should be used or not, in the
suppression of the rebellion, said:
| "He would be poor soldier, in my opinion.
who would fail to use every element of war
which God Almighty gave him. if he could use
tito advantage, Prolonged and enthusiastic
cheerng.J think you concur with me in that
at least. lCries of"Certainly we do: every SEN
sible man will" Now, then, if we find the ne
gro before us, or around us as we advance plan
ted there by some accdent--Providence NAV
have had great deal TO do with it--and we can
/ find his service available, would not that Gener-
al be crazy man who would refuse to use him? (?
Most assuredly," and applause So it seems
n mo and
upon that II by the services of negro can
make my soldiers comfortable; if by the servi-
ces of a band of negroes | can relieve them of
onerous duties and hard work; if can make
them available to dig my trenches r"Thats
| right j shall not do it? 1Cries of ayes yes -
Loud applanse.] Yes, and / will do it. TVoci-
ferrous cheering.l [ A Avoice-"Soldiers will fol-
low you TO the death for that" Another voice
-"Put no arms in their hands" Several vol
/ ces-"Oh yes, as many as they want"1 Now.
then, let me speak about that. CCries of "All
right now; "lo on are mighty good boy."1 II
accept OF the services OF negro, and he works
well and faithfully, fed by us, clothed by us.
and he stands by my gallant regiment, relieving
them the hard duties l have mentioned, would
it be human, would it not be cruel to put him
] into the army, in the way of shot, and yet give
him nothing with which TO defend HIMSELF
II LCries OF That's so,' and loud and continued
cheering My fellow -citizens, / sneak as a sol
this matter in its political aspect for have as
much prejudice against the negro politically,
and am as much opposed TO slavery agitation as
any Of you can be-
Let me make one remark furthur The COM
mon impression has been that this was a war in
which we had all the advantages. Now then.
listen to my practical experience. / tell You it
has not been such war of Inequality in our IA
vor as many suppose. have visited plantations
! IN the course OF our Marches j have asked
where IS the man of the house? He is in the
army. have looked around. l have seen his
harvest field full of stalwart negroes. They
reap his harvest and they put it away as we'll
| and as carefully as If the man had been at home
end not IN the army; and what was the result?
lie had plenty TO eat-a superabundance-som
OF which he was sure would come 20 the susten-
ance OF that Southern army. There are 100000
OF negroes Do yon suppose that Jefferson Da-
Wis, If we went humbly TO him beseeehing such
a thing, proposing to him; "You have 10000
operatives belonging to your people in the
South under our policy We may nc : touch then
/ not holest them. We will leave them upon
| your farms to work. win you agree to leave us
4OO0OO0 OF operatives home on our farms, in
our shops unmolestedT' Do you suppose that
jefferson Davis would agree to that? mol
Yet he would have to agree to that before
equality ofadvantago was established between us.
The Cincinnati Gazette, in an article on the
above, very truthfully says;
"What these generals see, and what the whole
country, including the President, will see before
long, is that slavery, which is cause Of weakness
TO the South in peaceful times is an element OF
: strength IN time Of war. II is so for the reason
Gen. Dumout stated, that it leaves the entire
working population of the country TO their la
bors, while the drones and idlers alone are sent
to the camp. In our free condition of society
every man IL laboreT, and every man who
leaves it for the war is deduction from its pro-
ductiye force. He is an integer in the general
social machinery, whose loss is so far adeTange-
ment OF its operations. Some wheel stops and
some deprivation is suffered. His neighborhood
iooses the benefit Of his work, and his family
their necessary support which depends upon
that work. This is true in each individual case
and it is cumulaively true Of the half million
OF workers which composes our whole army
But under tho bond system of the South, the
war becomes mere vent for idlers they may
go, but the mechanism of their society, beyond
he immediate seat of war moves on: their
slaves will hoe and dig, and pick cotton or corn
as before; their families have the same subsist-
ence rs before and even the females, who are de-
pendents and non-productive with US, are to q
! large extent useful Instruments of labor
But il slavery be thus an element of strength
in war, IT can easily be made an element OF
; weakness, five are disposed to make it so. Let
US say TO each of these workers that he shall be
/ a free man under our rule, that we will eompen-
safe his labors for us, that we need his vigorous
arm and acclmated body and that emaneipa.
ton viii reward his loyalty. and we should sub.
tract sooner or later four millions Of supporters