The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-07-18
The Views Of Secretary stanton ON
the Policy Of Aiming Negroes.


the Policy Of Aiming Negroes.
From the National In.slligenoer. Julys.
1t will be remembered by our readers
that Mr.. Secretary Stanton stated, in reply
to the resolution Of inquiry introduced into
the House of Representatives by Mr.. Wick.
life, respecting the alleged armipg of me-
groes by General Hunter in the Department
Of the South, that no authority for any such
proceeding had been given by him. so lit
tie part or lot had he in countenanclng the
conduct of General Hunter in this regard
that he was able to state, in his reply to the
resolution of inquiry, that be "had no OH
cial information whether General Hunter
has or has not organized a regiment OF
South Carolina volunteers for the defence
of the Union, composed of black men, fugi.
tive slaves; but that, in order to ascertain
whether he has done so or not, q copy OF
the House resolution has been transmitted
to General Hunter with instructions to make
immediate report thereon"
To this the Secretary added, that while
General Hunter, upon his requisition as
Commander Of the Department of the South,
had been furnished with clothing and arms
for the force under his command, without
instructions as to how they should be used,"
he had mot been furnished by order OF the
Department of War with arms to be placed
within the hands of those slaves"
In bis response to the application made
upon him for "oficial information" in the
premises, General Hunter, as was to be
expected, fully confirmed these representa-
tions of the honorable Secretary, and IN
doing so felt it consistent with the prorieties
of bis position to intimate bis "painful"
dissatisfaction with the neglect of Mr.. Stan
ton to provide, among other things, for the
arming of negroes. To this effect General
Hunter writes as follows:
To the third interrogatory it is my painful
duty to reply that never have received any
specific authority for issues of clothing, uni
forms, arms, equipments, and SO forth, to the
troops in question: my general instructions
from Mr.. Cameron to employ them in any
manner l might find necessary. and the militia.
nv exigencies of the department and the coun-
try being my only, but in my Judgment, sufii-
cient justification.
That is, General Hunter seeks to convict
Secretary Stanton of not being sufficiently
alive to sense of his obligations to these
negroes, whether as relates to their physical
comfort or to the ends they might be made
to subserve in the exigencies of the military
service. So Indifferent has Mr.. Stanton
been on this score that Gen. Hunter, it
seems, finds it "painfu" to make the report
which "duty" constrained, when he is COM
PEELED to state that be had no "specific Gu.
thority'' for the step he had taken under
the assumed cover of Ex.Secretary Came
ron-instructions which we have shown
distinctly forbid the general arming of ne
groes, as contemplated by Gen. Hunter.
We suppose that Gen. Hunter will be
still more panied to learn that Mr.. Stanton
is not only chary of the specific Instructions
which the former desiderates, but in one
well~au,henticated case has stamped With
the seal of his official displeasure the policy
espoused by Gen. Hunter. Those who ig.
norantly suppose that in favoriDg the views
of Gen. Hunter they will be likely to re.
ceive the countenance of the present Sec
rotary of War, may learn better fron, the
perusal of the following statement, made by
Mr.. Mallory in the House OF Representa-
tlves On Saturday last. We quote from
the official report of the debates
Mr.. Mallory. remarked to the House. when
I sought to interrupt my colleague (Mr. Wick
liffe) while he was on the floor, that did not
concur with him in bis expression of censure
upon the Secretary of War. Ny reason for
that was that have well founded confidence
that the Secretary of War will disapprove the
conduct of General Hunter. have good rea.
son to believe that this action of General
Hunter will bring down upon him the ceEsure
of the Secretary of War.
I believe that the confidence have thus ex-
pressed is not misplaced, and think 30 for this
reason: On one occasion. some two or three
weeks since, while attending to some matters
of business at the Office of the Secretary of
War, with two of my colleagues, as We were
leaving the Secretary called me back and ex.
hibited letter so folded that neither the name
nor date was visible, saying, 'Here is letter
from an officer Of the army asking authority to
raise and arm regiment of negroes for the
called you back to ask you what answer l
ought to give him." / replied: "Mr. Secre.
tary, if you will allow me to dictate your an.
swer, it " ill be no: and l would make that as
emphatic as the English language would ena.
BILE me to make it." He then remarked that
he had done more than that; he had not only
refused, but had ordered the arrest of the 0fi-
Ger asking the authority.
Now, sir, after this conversation with the
Secretary of War, in the presence of two of
my colleagues, who know concur in my re.
collection of the matter, l thought had rea.
son to believe that my colleague was mistaken
in supposing and assuming that the Secretary
of War approved and sanctioned the arming
of negroes.
1t further appears from the tenor of the
debates on Saturday last that distinguished
member of the House of Representatives,
who had been tempted to think the answer
of Mr.. Stanton, in reply to the resolution of
the House, somewhat "dsinginious," discov.
cred 10 point of fact, that he (Mr. Stevens)
had been simply mistaken 10 attributing
to the Secretary views with which, it now
distinctly appears, be has no sympathy. To
this purport Mr.. Stevens, of Pennsylvania,
spoke as follows, at another stage of the
debate:
Mr.. Stevens. l agree with the gentleman
(Mr. Mallory in not liking the answer of the
Secretary of War to the resolution which was
sent to him by this House, at the suggestion of
the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky.
did not think it, at the time, quite ingenious.
had had some communications, which will
not relate now, with the Seer etary of War. and
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