The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-02-12
NUMBER III

them "a such service Ydn Ill ~ empio
aiso the statement of the gentIa-l a. feco.iet
Ienh~'ivania (Mr. Stevens1 ~ Au iror
to 'tii"oily ,I. ny OF Capt Woodruff in resnen a..
oonsi % III" black men under his comma~S vSpeS
wbinl IIi' hhaIng them for the spirit ~;.I ~lid
hra0 %nicii 'hey handled the guns and e.. VIZ nl
49, 49, and gallantry which tbau ~" az
r. tHba IN battle. We know. too tSa, S
oro r'peis use this class of nersons sHa a
noeas way ior accomplishing Their 81 :,
ronn rnrs IN this rebellion; and when tbar ar
Ganhot obtain their services vnIru.Iy un tne
tney 'orce them, as they did a. VII VII
.omn' TO take front place on II. -ofA,
ing nFre to avow it, 1t is this: we have
not ohiy to conquer this rebel countrv
out we have to hold it after il l. go,
9uered- We have for time to boIJ :
py force OF arms; and the onest;on
arISes whether we shall send our men of
tne North there to perish in Soutbern
s"anipS s, and slckly localities, or whether
we SLail make use of that populat;on
winch, from their peculiar pbvs;cai
adaptation, can brave the malaria Of thai
climate like alligators? If they are igno'
rant OF the use of arms, instruct tban !,
that use. Teach their "hands 70 1ra-
and their fingers to fight" Are tbor -
g,a.aii@ea .ba;~ mat they will not fight for
thelr own liberty Shall we receive
them and educate them to arms for This
there? O"n Suns
but the gentleman says that the en-
pioyment OF these people will turn this
INTO oarbarous war Why. sir. is il
possible that these people, who for gen.
erauons have been under the bumaniz-
ing, civllzing, christianizing influence
OF slavery are still such barbarians that
we cannot safely put arms in their hands
laughter without the commission bv
them OF barbarous outrages unon tbe;r
Oenencent masters? What has become
OF the christianizing influence of sIayerr9
No' sir; put arms in the hands of
these men, and let them, if they will.
Shoot down the rebels, who would shoot
gown our brothers, our sonG,-ond our
frlends--1f you 20 not choose TO have
your son aided by such means T do
Ghoose TO have mine. Ny son was in
tue oattie OF Vicksburg, and there, un-
derstand, black men, forced perhaps b7
tnelr masters to take up arms against
the cause they love, foug ght in the ranks
OF our enemies. Gentlemen rise here
ana denounce us because we propose tn
secure every means we can to bring this
war to successful termination. What
i! !. "nl'e men can put down this rebel
non, snail we not spare this precious
white blood, if we can find black men in
hold the white man of the North at a
lower price than the market value of
your slaves? Their blood, the blood of
our soldiers now in the field, is dear to
our hearts. 1t is above price. We can
not estimate its value by all the treas
ures Of earth.
Now, Sir, shall we hesitate in this
matter? We do not hesitate to fire into
the forts of the South We do not hesi-
tate to- destroy their ships, and all of
their property which may be used against
US in this war We do Tot hesitate to
strike down white men in arms against
us. But we must protect slave prop
erty, as it is more precious than the
blood of our kindred and friends. Is
this property, as it is called, to be held
more precious than the blood which
courses in the veins of the noble sons of
the North?
The gentleman said-and it is a state
ment frequently made by him--that the
money which should have been paid to
Our soldiers, or expended for their bene-
fit, has been employed in feeding and
clothing idle and lazy contrabands. I
tried at the time to correct him. 1t is
but few days since that General Meigs,
the Quartermaster General, told me that
such was not the case. He authorized
me to say so. Negroes are employed as
teamsters and otherwise, and from their
pay the Government deducts a part
which goes to support those in the con-
traband camps. He told me also that
they want more negro laborers than they
can get here The navy wants them.
The navy has applied to him for them to
serve on our ships of war and other YES
sells as stevedores, and for other service,
but he cannot furnish them.
The gentleman said that the rebels
had slot the negro prisoners taken down
Sonth Certainly they hat-a -Rut these
negroes, l suppose, in lis estimation, are
not men? They are not human beings?
They have not the rights of humanity?
When the blacks espouse our cause, to
help US fight our battles, and when they
are taken prisoners are not to be treated
as prisoners of war, want to know
whether that is the treatment to which
they are to continue to be subjected? /
trust that it viii never be submitted to.
Let US demand that every man who
fights for our cause shall be treated as
soldier, no matter whether his skin be
white or black, whether he be freeman
or slave That is one reason why am
willing to pass this bill in the form de-
sired by the President of the United
States, so that he shall have no embar-
rassment when colored men are enlisted
as soldiers, and the other side under
takes to treat them contrary to the
usages of war; then should they shoot
down the black soldiers, we will make
the white traitors answer in blood for
blood
A N0ST cTTppTNn ApprAY