Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-02-15
General Banks and the Abolitionists.

General HANKS anu inc ADVliu"
Ii We may Judge from articlea in the CleVe-
land Leader and other kindred prniS, the course
of General BANKS at New Orleans, anti slavery
az he Ia, and willing as he may be 10 "ie' tue
IJn,on slide,n does not suit the Abolitienitt''--
One of the charges against BANKs is that he is
irving to develope o Union sentiment among
the people ia Louisiana and to induce them TO
believe that if they are loyal to the Union and
the Constitution, their rights will be respected
This, Of couvae, however slightly it may be NJ
tempted, does not square with the Dlsunlon
echemee Of the Abolitionists.
Another ground of complaint against Gen.
BANKS is that be does not down there In Louis
lana fully recognize the entire freedom and
equality of the negro, especially In districts
which tho President has declared loyal, and
exempted from she operation OF his emancipa'
tion ukase. The Leader mourneth with great
lamontaticn over the condition OF the poor
Americans Of African descent" in bAsKss
department, 90 much worse, as 1t represents,
under bis rule than is was under thai OF Gen
HuTLER.
IL seams that General BANKS, on arriving az
New Orleans, found the city and surrounding
country overrun with idle, thieving and vaga'
boud blacks. He, therefore, issued on order
that negroes found straying or wandering about
after seven O'Clock In the evening, should be
arrested and lodged 10 prison, unless they ex-
hibited free papers In consequence OF this
order, the Leader says "hundreds OF colored
men and women had TO sutfer." If they had
been white men and women who had been ar'
bitrarily arrested and Imprisoned and denied q
hearing before q judge or jury, the Leader
would have had no tears to shed for them-no'
no; one. Black ia said to be powerful abSorb'
ens d retainer of heat; 1t equally absorbs and
retains Abolition sympathy Whs! specially
gs;eves the Leader is, that the negroes got up
remonstrancs against these arbitrary arrests" !"
as it calls them, Of colorei individuals, and
sent il to the Military Governor, SHEPLEY, but
at last advices no response had been made TO
IL. This keeps the Lsad.r and the rsdit, 4on
the Reserve in a state Of aioful suspense
There is still another count In the indictment
seainst Gen BAnKs. Il shows upon what
slender thread Northern DsuniOnists will hang
9 grudge even against General from their
own ranks, who they suspect is not SO active
as he ought to be In promoting their conspir-
scy against the Union. On January 29lh, Gen.
BANKS issued an order for carrying out the
Presidents Proclamation of Emancipation.
That order contained the following in reference
to negroes:
Officers and soldiers will not encourage or
assist slaves to leave their employers, but they
cannot compel or authorize their return by
force,
The Leader donv like the frat clause 10 the
above extract, because IL forbids officers and
soldiers from encouraging or assisting sIapss in
running away from their masters Bat the
second clause excites its ire. for though IL for
bids the return of fugitive slaves by force, it
leaves, the Leader thinks, officers and men at
liberty to persuade, encourage and assist run
away slaves to return to their masters. This
of course Is something net to be tolerated un-
der the new Abolition dynasty.
Radical, ss General BAnKs undoubtedly 10, Ii
seems he Ia altogether too conservative for
Northern Disunion Abolitionists. His course,
though by no means very conciliatory, is too
much 90 for them. II it tends in any degree,
however uight, to develop and foster Union
sentiment among the people in New Orleans and
Louisiana, this is enough to excite the bittersst
hostility from the Abolitionists. II Ia for this
reason, that they have poured out the vials of
their wrath upon every officer who entWined the
sword with the smallest twig from the olive
branch Il is for showing soms very faint man
ifestations Of this sort that General BANKS has
fallen under their msediclions, and that their dc.
mand has become pressing for his removal and
the return of BUrLER 10 New Orleans They
know that the latter may be safely calculated
upon to repress any symptoms Of q growing st-
tachment to the old Flag and to the old Union
among the mass of the people under his military
rule. He 10 the man for the Dlsunionists, wheth-
or of the North or the South. His return to
New Orleans you'd be hailed with as much joy |
BY the Secsssiouists as by the Abolitionists.