Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-11-28

husband, OF whose character Annette had
rightly judged.
CA true woman has something to be
far more proud of than personal beauty" ;"
-~A~A
[From the Boston Journal, Nov. IL
Gov. Andrew and the Contra
bands.
The Democratic General and his aid
(the latter from Massachusetts, who
undertook to manufacture "a liCtie pusit-
ical capital for the benefit of the Demo
cratic Peoples party: here, by inviting
Gov. Andrew to make provision for the
care and support of five hundred con-
trabands, received very pertinent and
forcible reply from His Excellency, a
copy of which we lay before our read
ers. It will be difficult for these polit-
ical Generals, or their friends here, to
evade the logic of Gov AndSew's reply,
while the fact will remain upon record
that the proposition to Introduce negro
contrabands into the State, came from "a
Democratic source, and was rejected, for
good and sufficient reasons, ty Repub-
llcan Governor.
COMMONWEALTH oP MASSACHUSETTS,
EXECUTIVE DEP .RTMENT, BosToN,
October 16, 1862.
Major John 4, Bozles, 4. D. c. to lNaj.-
Gen. Di.c
MAORI have the honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt of your letter
from Gen. Dix, together with copy of
letter addressed to the General from
the War Department at Washington
In these general communications it is
proposed to me to take some active
measures for the reception in Massachu-
sets of portion of the escaped slaves
new at or about Fortress Monroe, ac-
cording to plan proposed by Maj Gen.
Dix, and in which the General has OBJ
tained the acquiescence of the War De-
partmert. This plan is represented as
Every desirable for reasons both mill
tary and humane" Il is said that the
Fortress is threatened, and probably
may be attacked; that, if so, these peo-
pie may be ''swept back into slavery"
or that hasty retreat and transportation
Of them will be attended inevitably with
severe suffering to the helpless
1t is imperative 1pon me to say that,
though | sympathize deeply with the
humane motives upon which Gen. Dix
is seeking to act, do not concur in any
way, or to any degree in the plan pro-
posed. These same motives of human
ity lead me in different direction, and
to point where in general, as sound
reasoning teaches, and even in particu-
lar cases, as the case in question makes
manifest, | find that the true interests
of the African and Saxon are inter
woven and their rights correlative as
they are identical, SO that the assertion
and maintenance of the one become the
salvation Of the other. If, indeed, it is
true that rebel hordes are collng their
traitorous length for deadly spring
upon Fortress Monroe, aud that rebel
iron clads are coming down the river;
and if it be true that the Union forces
to oppose the threatened assault are in
ferior to the forces that menace them,
then by listening to your proposals l
should deprive the band of heroes now
under command of Gen. Dix, and stead
lily awaiting the storm, Of the strength
of hundreds Of stout arms which would
be nerved with the desperation of men
fighting for liberty, and | should de-
prive this slandered race Of tho praise
and of the education Of their manhood
to be acquired in bold struggle for
their dearest rights. Here Providence has
given to them chance to complete their
emancipation from slavery by victory
over prejudice; and it is significant that
if [ do anything to deny them that
chance, by the same act I may visibly
injure the cause of the Union arms. [
cannot bring myself to do anything to
take away from the command under
Gen. Dix this great reserved force, as l
know you would find it if you would
but use it. If you are attacked, let the
blacks fight to preserve their freedom!
They are needed If anything could
strengthen my previous opinions on this
point, it would be just such facts as
you narrate in your letter. If the ne
groes have wives and children to fight
or in a idition to their freedom, they
will not show themselves insensible to
the motives which have inspired all
other races. II is one of their hts to
strike for their dearest other rights, as
all races have done. [ should welcome
every blow of theirs which might at
once carry succor to patriot, death to
a traitor, confusion to their slanderers,
life to their own veins, and
victory to our flag.
Contemplating, however, the posi-
bility of their removal, permit me to
say that the Northern States are, of all
places, the worst possible to select for
an asylum. These poor people, ahoat
upon tho world, are inha bitants of
Southern climate, and have habits, and
are subject to needs and to peauliarities
of physical constitution accordiagly-I
Where, then, is the prudence of the hu-
manity of subjectins them at once to
the rigors OF our Northern sky, in the
Winter season, with the moral certainty
of infiicting extreme suffering, resulting
pro oably in disease and death? If their
removal is definitely determined upon, i
| would take the liberty of suggesting
FOR the asylum, some Union foothold in
The South-as Hilton Head-where they
could retain their health, be trained as
soldiers, and their labor to be rendered
economically available. For them to
come here for encampment or asylum
would be to come as paupcrs and suffer
srs into strange land, and climate
trying even to its habitues, as a swarm
Of homeless wanderers, migrating with
out purpose, and not to the wilderness
where the strong arm would suffice for
but to busy community
u h ora thau would he inca ma hla of salf, |