The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer., 1863-09-11
Proposition to Enlist Slaves in Mary
land. ..0t

Proposition. to Enlist Slaves in Mary
oa rl,i. a-aa..- .-,,a land. (, .a. -r..-.
Judge Bond of this city, has addressed
a remarkable letter to Secretary Stanton,
in relation to the enlistment, of persons of
color within the limits of States which
are exempted from the operation of the
Presidents proclamation of freedom
As o portion of the history of the times,
we give the main points of the letter.
The Judge sets out by observing that in
Maryland the free is nearly equal in num-
bers to the slave population, their respec-
tive aggregates having been, in 1860, 80,-
900 and $1,000. If enlistments are to
be confined to the former class, the city
,of Baltimore and the nearly free counties
of the northern and western sections of the
State will, he alleges, suffer materially in
being deprived of the laboring force neces-
sary for their welfare, if not existence
Atthe same time in the lower slavehold-
ing counties, a majority of whose white
inhabitants, he declares, are at heart dis
loyal, the value of slave property would
very largely appreciate-a result which it
is impossible to suppose Congress had in
view when it passed the enlistment act Of
last year. The present course of General
jBirney, in enlisting free persons of color
only, is thus calculated to "put money in
the purse" of the plantation interest at
the expense of those who are now and al
ways have been loyal to the government
and devoted to, the Union.i. saS
= Judge Bond then proceeds to. give his
views on this topic. - Wequotel a per
of his remarks ,y.l!la .i >lu7.. - n
"The act gives the President power to
employ all persons of African descent to
,putdown the he,rebellion not all free per:
sons. These persons, therefore, of Afri-
can descent held ito service in this State
are clearly within the aOords of the act,
and that theirlarelation". is. not and was
not, intended by Congress to be q bar to
their. military. service ia plain from aaale-
goqs statutes respecting tue yeplistmentpof
"" "Ths, Fundamental idea rof .iall the laws
on the statute book respecting Jshis matter
ia that military service is hesqual duty of
all persens who enjoy the protection of or
owe obedience. 20 the lavsr1ther servant
as we'll as the MASTER Hence Congress
allows the enlistment of minors, who, sby
len and, natural right owe service to the
parent, and po compensation il, made to
the father. for the lost service Of his boy,
between the ages of eighteen and twenty
,one.a Yet the law of Maryland recognizes
this ,ohlgation,to service on the part of the
child, and epforces it,when refused. y /
ssgsAgain, the law Of Maryland establishes
Itbe relation .0f masteC aad apprenice.z-
;Withopt, the. statute such, relation could
not exist ito .is the mere creature rof
laW,i Yet the act iof Congress does not
exempt the ,indepturod youth from. SER
vice.. nor doesiit provide . compensation
for the master, Higher and above, para
mount tofall such relations, is the claim Of
tbs country for military service, and lall
such ties and obligations, whether by force
of .iag Or by 5coatraot,eare supposed BY
Congress tol be- made or epjpinad in full
.yieM of the wellsknowH duty. Of military
service. yssi0Tq is1'3qaoqa hipaH .asHs8 +
3 slavery, he maintains, ; 10 simply the
creature eftsaw, precisely as ltherelaiion-
ship betHeenaa master and his appr entice.
ThstStats constitution expressly isaysias
much, and the: law. deals with itathe same
way, without regard to the different values
bet~een services to- be rendered for life
and for term of years only. 10 Judge
Bond combats the. proposal Of leading
STAKEHOLDER, that the government, should
allow bounty by way Of compensationto 10
the owner who is thus deprived Of his
property, terming it partial and unjust.
Bnfl if bonnties are to be paid he hopes
they will be only TO those who are known
to be loyal, not 10 men who have renomi-
mated members of Congress who last ses-
sion cast their votes solid against compen-
sated emancipation.
He accordingly recommends that q pro-