Litchfield enquirer., 1863-02-12
NEGROES 1N TIE ARsIx

II Der cfmen now on the pay rolls of the America. armies, is not far from nine hundred thou.and men-vastly the largest army of modern times But the the fern of service of about one third of these hien rxpres in the course of thr,, months from now. and there is reason to fear some dlficully in inducing some of them to re-enlist What, then, is our resource The House of Representatives have decided ,b,f the Jiask man tlall be called out. Repimepts shall be formed of negroes, free or slave, who may be otiicered by whites or blacks; but they shall form corps by themselves, SO e in no Icase-t rut white soldiers under the command of black officers The formation of regiments of black men is no new experiment. Thsrs were hundreds of blacks on our pay rolls in the time of the Revolution Rhode Island, New Hampshire. Massachusetts, and New York permitted blacks to enlist among the whites ia some cases. But the practice was found ,o demoraze the whites. and it was agreed n, q council where Washington. Franklin, the den. u'y governors of Connect,cut and Rhod. Is. land. and committee of the Council of Mass. achusetts Bay. that all negroes slave or free. should be excluded from the new enlistmen,s. and in November following Gan Washington issued general order directing that neither negroes. boys unable to bear arms. or old men unfit to endure fatigue, should be permitted to enlist. Col. Laurens, of South Carolina. at particular crisis. when the South was in es pecial danger urged the formation of black rsx iments, but the people proved averss to 1t. The historian says the measure was offensive to republican pride, which disdaned to put the white and the black man. the free and slave, up. "n the same level. The arguments in favor of the measure which has just passed the House of Representatives were ell presented by Mr. Sedgwick He said that there are about 5000 ctaored seamen now in the Navy of the United States. who render good service. Rear Ad miraf Porter. Commodsre Stringhan,. Admiral Dupont. Colonel Beard, all certify to tha, sR ect. He added:
 !" In il few months the term of ihe tvo v.,r, | States will expire. and it is u Very large pum
 her. In little more time the service of m. nine months men. raised last summer. will ex- pire; and with tra'ors in the North resisting c"lisc ID ion. with rebel and senii.rebel author. ,ty ih Ae North and tiaitor sympathisrrs in high places rssisiing conscripticn and diacouf. aging drafting, ask if it is not commOn sense to appear to that class of lOval citizens who believe will make goea soldiers. having the highest motives to success, and who have been demonstrated 10 De such, and take them into the pnhic serriee as soldiers anf sailors.
 The confederate authorities comp sia of their conscription laws that they allow one man to bs exempt for every twenty slaves ma. king an army of one hnndNdand fifty thousand 'nen who might be brought into the service oE the rebel authorities ifthey were not compell.d to stay at home to watch the negroes. Now suppose one hundred nnd fifty thousand of those slaves upon the plantations had arms in their hands, without any organization, without any interference by the officers of the Govern ment how many more men do you think would siay at home iron the rebel ranks to watch them? Why. the very fact that these men. by thelr own admissions. are driven to tli. mecca, sisy shows that if the nrgroes had arms. nut into their hands ts enforce their own riphis against the rrbrs. it would dsperss in day the whole rebel army. They could not stay in the fell If the negroes on the plantations were bar ;iy furnished with srms, though without instruction or di, e pline."
 Aad he wound up ns follows:
 Let me assure gentlemen that the logical consequences of this controversy do not stop even here We have already provided by .
 law of Congress for the sale of estates for taxes m insurrecti"nary territory. hope that be- fore the end of this Congress we shi pa.s law for the seizure and confiscatiun oftke fee simple of rebels in their lan,l-a thoroughly eonstitu- tional measure iH my judgement-n.t merely fer the life estate but of the whole estate. I hope to sc.the estates F be,s distributed andes our homestead law to emgrants; to see them divided u houniies tU soldiers, to see . ~ell-considered system of land laws, in wfich all sales of the public domain in tie reLcl States shall be upon tbe invari.ble csaditioR hat freedom shall be inpres,e ,el upan ths soil, and that forfti ure of the rat.te shall follow inc h'd'iilig or the NO king of a slave thereon, "A perfectly competent condition for the Gov. erniilrnt to impose iH the sale of its lsals. and one which conflicts with no State law aud in, | terlercs with no State law for the proiection, uf slavery. They may hold the ins.iiution, but hey shall not hold it upon the laLds of the overnment.
 !" These arc some of the better but whols. sale and necessary fruits of this rebellion. They put all end to the vilest aristocracy upOa | which the sun has ever shone and when.tha, is accomplished no child in ths distant future | as he plays npon the ba,tl. fl Ids of thib con. est with the bleached bones Of our sol.licrs. shall have old traditions sati,f, his curiosity, with the idle and empty sound that. although | liberty has gained nothing. yet, 'twas famons victory r. We want something m. r. decisivs than barren victory and conquest. The mad. ness ot the siavpiol,l-r hus put his insti,uiion ID our hands. We are responsible for ilie uss uf tn. power with which he. in his folly. has int usfed us and we sh,uI sae tD it that ths basis of justice equality aud lil~riy up0n which our Constitution was fur,ne.l should by tha ex- areise of legitimate authority be 70 establishst in this lanl.th.t tt to tn eni of tins. ths geisr- atons that coihe after us shall To k bick and cal. down blessings apun this COngrsss.
 SoLprERs ATTENTION -Pain. disease and exp.,.urs. with a hot climate, mn,l,ly water and ,iisf will l,. unavoidable hut arp,ed with Hor.