Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-06-06

MAANf NWAAANh W AAlhs II congress can decree
that rebellion shall work a forfeiture of these
things, certainly it can decree that 1t shall
work forfeiture Of alright Of the master to
the services OF his slaves.
2. Why should not these freed mon, or for
feited slaves and free blacks come under our
protection? OF all who have been true friends
Of the Union, in the rebel States, the blacks
are almost the only ones, and the first in
stance yet Of treaehery is to be found among
/ them. .sgfr.| THf
! 3. Why not arm these men men When ne
eessaryY Let US remember that the country
4 is engaged in saVing iis ife. Ia il not worth.
enough TO be saved by any assistance what
/ eyerY II an individual were set upon by an
antagonist who was accompanied by dogs,
would IL not bo right and proper in order to
save his life, 10 gain tho dogs over to his side
and use them against the master. Or If the
antagonist was accompanied by slaves who
were commanded to assist him, would it not
be right to gain over the slaves, and thus dis
able the murderer and save his own life? II
this may be done, and ought to be done in
case Of an individual, why not in case Of
an Aggregate Of individuals, nation,
in order to save the life Of the nation
This ought to be done, and these blacks en-
played In oYery way in which We can find
employment for them besides, il would be
AAN@N 9NNAse Va ahiNAkNAA " knA Joy u ~
and weakness to the r0bols. The loyal army
is at the South its strength should be pre-
served for field services and active cam
paigns. If the soldiers have TO do the seryi-
ces Of the soldier and at the same time, in the
hottest season and climate, do that to which
sorvile labor is better adapted, their strength
is lessened, and they united for the arduous
duties Of the soldier. BY depriying the reb-
els Of this labor they are weakened and We
are strengthened.
But here VIC are met and have been met
frequently, with the argument that admitting
the Government may for the purpose Of putt
ting down rebellion free the slaves Of rebels,
or free all the slaves, yet it must be done by
the war power Of the Government, and cannot
be done by Congress. A fallacy more clearly
heterodox than this proposition cannot we'll
be advanced, as must appear by glance at
the subject.
From tho earliest stages of this Govern
ment, it has been principle that the military
is and must be subservient to the civil power.
President Jefferson announces this doctrine
in his first Inaugural address.
The Army and Navy are but the means
made use of by Congress to preserve the ma
ton. The Constitution expressly provides
thai Congress may make Hrules for the gov
ernment and regulation Of the land and naval
! AolbS5s ACcuIuAAlb 10 llt1 GillluA IN AuhoE u
the military power alone to free the slaves,
Congress mast authorize and provide for feed
ing, equipping, clothing, transporting and
subsisting a vast army by the people, and
also for offering it and placing it in the field,
only to be an uncomfortable despot. We can
subscribe to no such doctrine, any more than
We can TO the doctrine that the creature Is
greater than the creator. We do not contro-
vert the proposition but that the slaves of
rebels may be declared free by the military
power, if it can be done by any power, either
in obedience to the "rules prescribed by
Congress, or in the absepee Of any rule but
how lHqeh more appropriate IS it that the
employee, the Army, should be directed by
the employer, the People, through their rep-
rese4t4tiVes, than that they should place an
Irresponsible unqualified power over them
selves.
There is another reason Why II Il Is exer-
els0d, Il should emanate from Congress. The
rule would then be uniform in every depart
mont, and military leaders opposed to the
measure could not evade it. Besides, If the
order to free the slaves of rebels were left
discretionary with the President, how would
it assist his judgment and nerve him UP to
the WoTk, to DO assured that twas the clearly
expressed viii ofthe loyal people Of the Union,
through their Representatives?
It may be said that the position here main
tanned is at war with the practiss Of the Gov
emMeat in this rebellion, IN declaring Martial
Law, aud thereby making the civil power
subservient to the military power in many
( places. We cannot stop to enlarge on this
point but it does not conflict with the argu-
mont here maintained We will say, how
loyal eiDa po0er, 1t has not been superseded
by Martial Law. d a.f'.
Bat lpe go further, and announce he PROPOSE
ton; II It 'cH materially }aeilitate he suPpres-
sion Of The rebellion, or proDide for The common
1 defence, Congress has he right 10 declare eDerg
siaVe free IN The land, aud to eaplqy ,eDery one
/ 90 freed Ia the serUice offhe coioirg, and more
oOer, II il ifs daty 50 10 da.
The right % to save the nation life " Is a
sovereign right as has been shown, and it is
recognized throughout the whole spirit Of the
/ Constitution, The nations life cannot now
be saved except by providing for suppressing
rebellion and for the common defence. So
long as the present condition Of the slaves
remains, they are attached to the body of
4 the rebel masters-they win be used as the
| great suppOrt-the only foundation Of the
rebellion 0T of its continuance. The enemy's
Notifications, subsistence and other material
means of continuing dislOyaI, are due almost
exclusively to slave labor. Tho rebellion
would not, could not endure in any form three
months if the case was reversed, and the
slaves were gained over to our side. It could
not on the start have lasted three months if
they had been gained over to our side and
made free. .r..
One hundred thousand of the uoblest of
Americas sons have, or viii lose their lives,
or be MANNED forever from the effects of this
| years campaign now just closed and the
country has expended or incurred debts to the
amount Of twelve hundred millions of dollars
/ for the same cause, and during the same pc
Rod, and yet peace is far off in the distant
future, except the nation avails itself in the
/ times of its adversely Of Z" Gods Opportuni-
ty," and says to the poor down trodden
race the rebels slaves q Come eut from
among themi and be ye separated from
them" Bat We fear hundred thousand
more Americans, noble as those who have
already perished must be led to the slaught-
er house for the benefit Of slaUeholdiag rebels,
and thousand millions Of dollars more of
/ the money Of loyal citizens of the Union be
expended and squandered before the scales
will fall from the nations eyes before the
Magi will come to the test which destiny
has inevitably prepared forthe people Of this
great nation II.
We have just had some most wholesome
lessons on this subject. If at yorktown the
work had been given to the services Of the
South, to build tOrtihcatOns and entreneh-
| ments, and other work which they were
thirdly more able to do than the soldiers, in
stead of wasting the energies and strength of
the army in this work, and if the army in
stead thereof had been employed in watching
and preparing to meet or pursue the enemy, /
the enemy could not have departed with all
his available means before being oVertaken,
or at least the Union soldiers would not have
been SO OYerwoTked as to be lily prepared for
a sudden and successful pursuit,
And whose blood does not boil with indig-
nation when it is remembered that a worse
policy has prevailed at Corinth, and Ameri-
can freemen, already enervated by long
campaign and from the effects of the climate,
must day and night toll in trenches and
among Notifications and embankments
in constructing them, and thus be al
most untitled for army duty, when