Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-04-24
For the Charles City Intclligencer
The Slaves of The SOuth-their Future

EDITOR ISrELIcENcER My caption
says, Slaves of the South" BY this
| do not mean to say that the black
population of the seeded territory OF
this Government are still legal slaves;
| only use the term to denote those
persons who have been slaves, by
way Of convenience.
The object of this communication is
to awaken spirit of investigation in
the minds of our thinking men, touch
ing the future destiny of that unfortu-
nate, and yet, in some respects, fortu-
naie class.
You remark, in yonr structure upon
winfield" in your No. of March goth,
that you hope the affair with him, !"
myself, "will end here, ;" and assign
as reason, that, the columns of the
Mleliigenor must not be used for the
dissemination of pro-slavcry doc
trines." All right, Sir, but you do
not mean to say by that, that your
old and tried friend, Peter Perdy, must
cease replenishing your graceful col.
umns with anti-slavery matter, and
that of such character as contrib
utes to that great mass Of politico-
moral power that is destined to sweep
from this fair realm the foulest blot,
and most whitening blight that has
ever, or could ever curse this, or any
other land No, no this could not
have been embraced in your rcstric.
ton. You only meant TO be under.
stood to mean just what you said, that
the Iuteliigenoer must not be used to
advocate pro-slavcry sentiments. Nei-
Their do you wish to be understood by
this, that you shrink from fair inves-
tigation, from any logical enquiry az
ter truth. No! no! for, every fair
minded editor ought to court this,
that the truth may appear. / like
very much the good.natured sort of
spirit that friend Winfield" manifests,
and cannot believe him serious in
the prQ-slavery proclivities he has
seemed TO evince in his correspond
cnce. He is only writing for amuse-
ment, and to draw ont close and
sweeping course of investigation that
should annihilatc every vestige of APP
parent right, law, or argument for the
continuance, or existence, of slavery
in Sccessia. Were you fearful, in any
way, Friend Inteliigeacer, that Win
fields arguments Oh that score would
result in harm 1t was only music
to me. Did he, even seriously intend,
as he seems to intimate, playfully, no
doubt, it would be impossible TO re-
suit in any serious damage, since your
hawk-cyc is upon him, in connection
with the most scrupulously jealous
guardian care, ever awake to check
any approach Of harm, and to protect
the right, on the part of your CO.
worker in the cause, Peter Pcrdy. |
could not but feel some emotions of
regret. that our playful friend, "Win-
field" should be restricted in his re.
creations for, it somewhat circum-
scrbes mig sphere of operations. Sup
pose you give him full play? We
can attend to him. We have only
spent one-half of our printing, as yet.
| tell You, Sir, there is nothing like
fair investigation I; and until we can
have it, untrammcled, many will hon.
estly remain in the mists of error.
But to the question proposed.
In course of the past year have
made frequent contributions to a num-
Der of periodical journals, besides
your own, touching this great ques-
tion, the future destiny of the liber-
ated slaves of the seeded States
This process was commenced from
view Of two things which
| saw must prove inevitable from the
genius of our Government on the one
hand, and the position of the slave
on the other. 1t was clear
ly demonstrable to my mind, that the
act OF secession, or the revolt OF any
State would, nay, must, of necessity,
make every slave in such State free
man. And that such is the fact,
none can, with any plausible pretcxt
deny. ! also saw that, notwithstand-
ing the verify of this position. the
masses North, and South,
would take fixed and determined
for holding the institution en-
tire and unmarried, in Secessia, and for
continuing it the same, as legal
and constitutional institution, when.
ever the rebellion should be subdued.
It also appeared more than probable
to me, that portion, if not a MAORI.
ty of the Governmental Departments
would take the same ground, and EN-.
ploy every possible advantage for per-
petuating the institution as constitu-
.ional element of the Government. To
'orestall these, | commenced a course
If investigation, as above remarked.
My deductions were, first, that there
vas no longer vestige of legal sla.
very in any Of the seeded territory.
second, that there was no power in