Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-09-05

Whether they had or had not heard of the pas
sage Of the Coniscation Act, they reasoned logi
cally that we could not kill them for desertins
the service of their lifelong opprcssors who hac
through treason become our iinplacable enemies
They came to us foi liberty and protection, fo
which they were willing to render their bes
service: they met with hostility, captivity, anc
murder. The barking Of the base ours Of Sla
very Ia this quarter deceives NO cne--s0t ever
themselves. They say, indeed, that the uegroe,
had no right to appear in New Orleans arInet
with their implements of daily labor in th,
cane held); but no one doubts that they woult
gladly have laid these down il assured that the,
should be free. They were set upon and MAIN
cd, captured aud killed, because they sought tn,
benefit of that act of Congress which they ma,
not specifically have heard Of but which wa
none the less the law Of the land-which the,
had clear right TO the benefit of--which it wa
so01ceody's duty to publish far and wide, in or
der that so many as possible should be impelle,
TO desist from serving Rebels and the Rebellion
and come over to the side of the Union. The,
sought their liberty in strict accordance will
the law of the land-they were butebered or re-
enslaved for so doing by the help of the Unior
soldiers enlisted to fight against Slaveholdinl
Treason. 1t was somebody's fault that they wer,
so murdered-if others shall hereafter suffer il
like manner in default of explicit and public di.
rection to your generals that they are to recog-
ilAe ana ODey inc OOn0Scat1On Act, the world
will lay the blame on you. Whether you will
choose to hear it through future History and al
the bar of God, | viii not judge. can only
hope.
VIII. On the face Of this wide earth. Mr.
President there is not one disinterested. determ.
ned, intelligent champion of the Union cause
who does not feel that all attempts to put down
the Rebellion and at the same time uphold lis
melting cause are preposterous and futile-thai
aln1 IL.
be renewed within year if Slavery were left
in full vigor-that army officers who remain Ia
this day devoted to Slavery can at best be but
halfway loyal to the Union--and that every
hour of Difference TO Slavery is an hour of ad-
ded and deepened peril to the Union. Iappeal
to the testimony of your ambassadors in Eu-
rope. 1t is freely at your service, not at mine
Ask them to tell you candidly whether the
seeming subserviency of your policy to the
slaveholding, slavery upholding interest is moi
the perplexity, the despair of statesmen of all
parties, and be admonished by the general an
sweri
TX. close as began with the statement that
what an immense majority of the Loyal Millions
of your countrymen require of you is a frank
declared unqualified ungrudging execution OF
the laws of the land more especially of the Con-
fiscation Act. That Act gives freedom to the
slaves Ofrebels coming within our lines or whom
those lines may at any time inclose-we ask
you to render it due obedience by publicly re-
quiring all your subordnates to recognize and
obey it. The rebels are everywhere using the
late anti-negro riots in the North, as they have
long used your officers treatment of negroes in
the South, to convince the slaves that they have
nothing to hope from a Union success--that we
mean in that case TO sell them into a bitterer
bondage to defray the cost of the war Let them
impress this as truth on the great mass of their
ignorant and credulous bondmen, and the Union
will never be restored-never We cannot con-
quer Ten Millions of People united in solid
phalanx against us, powerfully aided by North
ern sympathizers and European allies. We mus
have scouts, guides spies, cooks, transfers dig
gers and choppers from the Blacks of the South
whether we allow themto fight for us or not, o
we shall be baffled and repelled. As one of tn
millions who would gladly have avoided thi
struggle at any sacrifice but that of Princi pl
and Honor but who now feel that the triumpI
of the Union is indispensable not only to the ex
istence ofour country but to the well-being o
mankind, entreat you to render hearty ant
unequivocal obedience to the law ofthe land
Yours, HORACE GREELEY.
Ne0 York. August 10, 1862.