Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-02-04
From the indianapolis Journal.
What tie Soldiers Think Of the Pro

What tie Soldiers Think Of the Pro
clam alton.
A former officer of the 9th regiment.
Col. Coigrave, received letter day or
two since from an old and respected COM
rade still in the regiment, and resolved,
as he says, to stay till school is out, in
which the policy of the Presidents Pro- /
ciamation Is argued with force and di- /
rectness ii at most stump speakers might
envy, and with the additional power which
his position gives him as a soldier in the
army whose efforts alone can make the
Proclamation effective. He is a Demo-
crat, and a pro-slayery Democrat, as thou
sands would know if it was proper to so
far violate the confidence Of a private let
ter as to reveal his name, but he is a
warmer patriot than Democrat-strange
that the words once Synonymous should
be made by the selfish disloyal party lead
ers so contradictory in meanlng-and be
lieves that any means are lushiable which
will aid In suppressing the rebellion, and
| that it IS no business OF ours TO preserve
| the rights of those who defy our Constitu
| ton and resist our Government. We eX-
tract that portion of his letter:
You know that am pro-slaverv man
in principle, but viii never allow the
my Governments; and, denying as | do,
that a rebel has any rights under the
Constitution. or the law of notions, and
that by this act of rebellion he forfeits not
only his property, but even his life, held
it to be right to take from him his negro
and emancipate him, and then take all his
real and personal property besides, and
confiscate them. and if that will not stop
the rebellion, hang the rebel owner.
/ tell you this rebellion cannot be put
down while we suffer the rebels to keep
"A half million of negroes working on fortl
iications for their masters to hide behind
to enable them to kill us with impunity
Every negro the rebels have employed thus
in their army counts equa! to one soldier
If our army. Then, since they are using
the negro as an clement of power ana
, strength to carry on this rebellion, why
should we be SO timid about the preserva
ton of that peculiar Institution 2
1t is the negro labor of the South tina
prodces substance for the rebel army
Strike down their labor system, and yot
destroy the rebellion at once. 1t may
an doubtless will, operate hard on some
few loyal men, hut this cannot be helped
On al occasions Ike the present, 1t Otter
happens that the innocent, to some extent
: suffer with the guilty. Iou may say
) that the rebels have no considerable force
, in arms against us, but if you Will rehec
? moment. you will see that every man
,comdn and child Of the colored race il
? rebeidom are engaged in assisting to car
2 ry on the rebellion, Negro boys and girl
over fourteen years of age are able t.
make a full hand in the fields in the pro
duction of the very sine rs Of this hel-bori
and hell-engendered rebellion They
2 taken in connection with their fathers ant
, mothers, who all constitute the entir
laboring and producing population of tn
rebel States, are feeding and keeping aliv
r the very men who are ievelling their rifle
at my heart, as we'll as the heart Of til
nation Must stop to sympathize will
men who are not only trying to kill me bu
r worse, ten thousand times over, trying t.
, destroy that Government that has SO lon
protected me in all my rights, and mad
me the recipient OF so many blessing
a and privileges No, sir. | would con
6 iscate, subiugate and if that was no
sufficient, ! would annihilate the negr
and his master, and consume them bot
! on one funeral pile. sooner than l woult
5 give up my government | am not res
2 ponsible for the destruction of slavery
\ nor Is President lincoln. The rebels, a
conceive, by their own persistent folly
have forced the President to adopt III
proclamation as military necessity t
enable him to sustain the Government
| do not believe we can conquer then
- without destroying their labor system
. this being my firm conviction, | hearth.
7 adopt it 1t is true, | would not hav
made it quite SO general, | would hav
excluded part of North Carolina, nm
North Alabama, from the operation of
: for the present.