Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-05-17
Gen. E.I: HUNTERS ORDER !
sVam
100000 SLAVES SET FREE !

Not since the war begun has there been
en- order issued which has had such a tre-
msndOus immediate effect upon slavery as
TIA. of Gen. Euntsr, which win be found in
> or special diapatchel Under date Of May
he says that martial law was declared
8 the three States Of Georgia, Florida and
South Carolina on the 25th of April, and
that as 'alaTeEy and martial law in a tree
oonn1y are altogether incompatible" those
persons heretofore held a. slaves in those
States are .Jorsvr Jrss. The immsnsity of
the results Of this order can hardly be real
isea. By it nearly one HiHion slaU's-one-
f0urth Of all in the sOuth-are set free at
one stroke of the pen of the military COM
msndsr. In 1850, Georgia contained ssl,-
$50 slaves Florida, 80, $40, and South Car
olina ssA9s4, making grand total of
sO6,O7s. The slave population in 1860,
we have notat hand, but the proportion to the
whole number in the south-sbout one
fOurth-is doubtless nearly preserved One
a;llOa slaBss set JTssl Truly the day of de-
Evsrance from the bondsman Is at hand, and
slavery has received staggering blow.
How definite Gen. Hunters instructions
may have been from the President upon this
subject Of course is not known, but we may
be sure that the commander of the DEPART
msnt Of the South would not make 8 move
sovast in its operations and 50 mOnsntOus in
iz results, had he not the sanction of the
Administration.
haH aWhat win ne do with them ~ becomes
now a question of interest Toe uniforms
and srms which were sent to him from New
York lately, answer as to the disposition of
8 part Of them. They viii be trained and
drilled, and II not called to fight in the open
ssld against an organized foe, they will
at iesst coustitutsa aRome Guard, which
VIII be most efficient. And if wealthy So
csssionist, who boasts Of ancient blood
tron the 6rst "famiHes" in his veinh
+ compelled to obey the iPiunctiOns
given him by q cOlored federal soldier
whom be has been accustomed to order to 90
and come at the crack of the whip, why, We
fancy that the Northern people will not
Wssts their time in condolences at his humiI-
iaHon. In South Carolina especially will
our people be willing to see the proud heads
OF the originally plotting rebels 'brOught low
in Difference to the rank which soue here
tofors despised anigger has attained in the
service Of the Government.
How the remainder viii be controlled,
cared for, and supported, are matters which
must have been well considered and carefully
prepared for. There will be difficulties to
Overcome, and the most careful Judgment
WIN be demanded in the management Of the
department under the new regime, but high
above all stands the tremendous fact that
one million slaves are freed forever from the
tolls of slavery that in all those three
great States toe curse of human bondage
is now and forever removed. What must
now be the feelings of those plOtters Of trea-
son and sssassinatOrs of their Government
who declared war against the United States,
and already see, as a part of the results of
the va, slavery abolished in the District of |
Columbia, slavery forever prohibited in the
Territories, a free homestead law passed for
the benefit of all loyal men, and one million
slaves set free at the very fountain head of
rebellion By military authority. The poison
which they prepared for others they are
drinking themselves in fearful draughts.
AMER RiehuOnd, Charleston.
Riebmond cannot hold ont u,uch iongar