The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-08-30

any Senator stand on the floor Of the Ameri.
can Senate, and forfeit his reputation for
csndor in declaring these people 70 bs saya.
ges I? They are more highly civilized than
the children Of Israel when they were led
out of Egypt by the hand Of God, and prob
ably fully equal to them. in this respect,
when they returned from Babylon. They
win compare very favorably in civilization
with the masses Of the pesantry of Europe,
and challenge any one who is curious to
the comparison. And yet with thousands
Of these free colored people sll around us,
directly before our eyes, q standing gigantic
demonstration Of this inexcusable falsehood,
Senators persist in debate in calling them
savagcs, and insist that they shall n ot be
armed in the defense of our common coun.
try, lest it may shock the sensibilites OF
mankind, and stimulate the great Powers to
interfere and end awar that under such a
policy must result in the indiscriminats
slaughter Of men, women, and children.
am amazed at such speeches from the lips
Of American Senators, whose candor ought
not to be lightly callei in question. But is
itpossible that these Senator'S do not know
that every nation on earth having colored
inhabitants has Incorporated them into its
armies? On this subject permit me to quote
few passages on concurrent history
"NEGEoEs UNDER MoxARcHIcAL GOVERN
MEsTs-The monarchical Governments Of
Europe and America, those that tolerate
slavery, and those who do not, alike agree
IN employing negroes armed for the public
defense. They find that the burdens Of war
and the sacrifices it occasions, are too great
to be borne by the white race alone. They
call upon the colored races, therefore. to
share in the burden. and to encounter. in
common with the whites, the risks of loss
of life. g l uae era
Thus, we find that in the Spanish colony
Of Cuba, with population one half slaves
and one sixth colored, militia Of free bt,cks
and mulattoes was directed by Cen Pezuela
! Governor GeneraD to be organized in 1854
throughout the island, and it was put upon
an equal footing with regard to privilege,
with the regular army. This measure was
not rescinded by tioyerncr General Conoha
in 1855, but the black and mulatto troops
have been made a permanent corps of the
Spanish army. CONDENSED in the very
phrases of fThrasher's preface to his edition
of Humboldt's Cuba)
| 'In the Portuguese colonies on the coast Of
Africa, the regiments are chiefly composed
OF black men. A Princes Island the gar.
rison consists of company Of reg liar artil-
lery of eighty, and regiment Of black mill
tia of ten hundred and fifty eight rank and
| file, of which the colonel is a white man.
At st Thomas there are two regiments of
black militia In Leando, the Portuguese can,
on an emergency of war with the natives,
bring into the field twenty-five thousand
partially civilized blacks armed with muskets
(From Valdez's Six Years on the West
Coast of Africa. London 1851. Two vols,
8vo) a.e ~
"In the Dutch colony of the Gold Coast
of Africa, with population of one hundred
thusand, the garrison Of the fortress consists
of two hundred soldiers, whites, mulattoes,
and blacks, under Dutch Colonel. }
'In the capital of the French colony OF
Senegal, on the same coast, at st Louis, the
defense of the place is in the hands of eight
hundred white and three hundred black
soldiers. (The preceding facts are also from
Valdez.)
an the Danish island Of st. Croix, in the
West Indies, for more than twenty-five years
past, there have been employed two corps
Of colored soldiers, in the presence ofslaves.
(From Tuckerman's Santa CRUZ
"In Brazil, Notwithstanding its three mil
lion slaves, its monarchical Government en-
ploys all colors and races in the military
service, either by enlistment or forcible seiz-
ure. The police of the city of Rio de jan
Giro is a military organization, composed
mostly ofcolored men, drilled and command
ed by army officers. The navy is principally
manned by civilized aborigines. bidder. }
The course pursued by the British Gov
ernment in Jamaica, Sierra Leone, and Hin
dostan, is so notorious as simply to need to
be mentioned.
'In Turkey, no distinction Of color or
race is made in the ranks of the regular
army"
Is it probable that the English, French,
Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilians, Turks,
Danes. and Dutch, after reviewing their own
colored regiments in Canada, South America
Africa, the East and West Indies, would
suffer materially in their sensibilities in w.t.
Messing regiments Of colored men in South
Carolina !?
The Senator from Kentucky, Mr.. Davis,
has suggested that it.would be dangerous to
arm negroes on account of the peculiarities
of their character. He says that when they
once obtain the smell or taste of blood, they
become demons, and are controlled with
great difficulty. But this objection cannot
apply to them as soldiers their qualities
and capacity in this respect have been tested
by the Dutch, French and English. The
question has therefore been settled. draw
the Inference, however, that in the opinion
Of the Senator, armins slaves would unfit
| them forever for the service of their masters.
do not complain Of him for bringing this
to the attention of the Senate. I believe
wise statesmen have entertained the same
opinion in every age our ancestors were
equally impressed with this conviction, and
consequently always provided for the eman-
cipation of slaves who had served in our
armies. This principle has not been over
looked by my colleague, Mr.. Grimes, in pre-
pairing the pending amendments to this bill.
They provide that colored men may, at the
discretion Of the President, enter the militia.
ry and naval service of their country, and
that all those who respond to this call shall
at the conclusion Of the struggle, be entitled
] 10 THAR fraedom This is rinhf No rla arn