Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-03-15

| me the other day how many slaves
could profitably use in a column of 81,
OcO men. l replied, $4,000 besides the
teamsters. [ told him | wanted to see
every soldier knight-errant, and be-
hind him his squire to do all his work,
so that / may use the soldier just to
shoot traitors, and send them to that
home prepared for them from the be-
ginning. I would like to have the reb-
els killed by gentlemen. Let the sol
diers go on with their killing, and the
'squires 90 on with their burying.-
And if the 'squires get guns [ don't
propose to punish the negro if he kills
a traitor. Now l may lose my stand
ing in the church, but tell you take
stock in every negro insurrection, and
! don't care how many there are. If
they don't want to be killed by negroes
let them lay down their arms.
The new Secretary Of War has turn
ed over a new leaf. A healthy public
sentiment, created by God himself,
compelled that statesman to publish 1t
to the army, s,Henceforth your business
is to attack, pursue and destroy the
enemy" No more taking the oath !;
no more swearing in the rattlesnake. -
| Why, to my certain knowledge, the
rebels over here in Missouri have been
sworn over FIVE times, and they are rat
tlesnakes yet. The true way to close
this war is to detach the four million
slaves. a man says, "Lane, if you do
that, won't you make them free !?"-
Great God what terrible calamity
Every slave within this Government is
destined to be free. God has so de-
terminel. Applause.
Gen. Lane then fully answered the
question, that the liberation of the
slaves you'd work injustice to the
Northern laborers. Instead Of dimin-
lshing the wages it would increase
them.
The chains are to be stricken from
every limb. Freedom is to be the bat
tie cry from North to South, from East
to West.
The negroes arc much more intelli-
gent than [ had ever supposed. | have
seen them come into camp { occasion
ally) looking down, as though slaves
-and-by they begin to straighten
themselves, throw back their should
ers, stand erect, and soon look God
straight in the face They are the
most atfectionate, impulsive, domestic
beings in the world. No one loves
mother, wife, children, more than the
negro, and they are altogether smarter
people than we give them credit for
| mean we Democrats
After long days march, after get
ting supper for the men, after feeding
and cleaning the horses, | have seen
them out just back of their tents, drill
ing. And they take to drill as a child
takes to It's mothers milk. They soon
searn the step, soon learn the position
of a soldier, and the manual Of arms.
\ on can see that in the innermost re-
cesSes ofethelr souls The devil is in
them" General Washington did not
lie when he said his negroes fought as
well AS his white men. General Jack
son did not lie when he paid that no.
bic compliment to his black soldiers at
New Orleans. Give them fair chance
put arms into their hands-and thcv
will do the balance of the fighting in
this war.
So terrific is the crime of these trai-
tors, | care not who involves them in
ruin and death. Let us teach them
that treason against this Government is
crime against God, as we'll as against
man. | care not whether the punish
ment is inflicted on the battle field, on
the gallows, Or from the brush by ne
gro. Death death that crushes out
this terrible rebellion-let our children
remember that the punishment of trea-
son is death.
Why, see here it almost unmans
me to hear people talk about the sscon-
stitutional rights" Of States in REBEL
lon-of States outside the Constitu-
ton. The constitutional rights of
South Carolina! Great God! l won
der how long it will be before Kansas
will be called upon to return fugitive
slave to South Carolina--to Missouri
When the Kansas man is called upon
to return a slave, let him remember
the live hundred and seventy dead and
wounded at Springfield, now charged
up to the account of the State of Mis-
sour. Do you love Kansas-love vour
wife and home? See to it that Mis-
souri, IS free. If you love these things
see to 1t that there is not slave left
there thirty days hence.
1t is stated that the reason why