Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1863-03-13

habit of subordination which they acquire
from life Of servitude, will enable them
sooner to become soldiers than our white
inhabitants. Let officers be men Of sense
and sentiment. and the nearer the soldiers
approach to machines, perhaps, the bet
ter.
l foresee that this project will have to
combat much opposition frgm prejudice
and self-interest. The contempt we have
been taught to entertain for the makes US
fancy many things that are founded Meth.
er in reason nor experience and an un-
willingness to part with property of SO
valuable kind will furnish . thousand
arguments to show the impracticability.
or pernicious tendency, of scheme which
requires such sacrifice. But it should be
considered that if we do not make use of
them in this way the enemy probably will;
and that the best way to counteract the
temptations they hold out will be to offer
ourselves. An essential part of the plan
is to give them their freedom with their
swords. This will secure their fidelity.
animate their courage, and, l believe,wiil
have good influence upon those who re-
main, by opening door to their emanci-
patton. This circumstance, confess, has
no small weight in inducing me to wish
the success Of the project; for the die
tates of humanity and true policy equally
interest me in favor of this unfortunate
class Of men,"
Congress, breathing the spirit of the
Declaration of Independence SO recently
passed, granted the request.
Pursuing this idea,it was, that in 17S3,
when proposition in Congress fixing the
rate of contribution, embracing three-ffths
of the slaves, had failed, the vote of New
York being lost, owing to his absence,
Hamilton moved a reconsideration OF the
question. He then offered an amendment
by which the apportionmeht OF the ex-
penses was to be in proportion "to the
whole number of white and other free in
habitants of every age and sex and con-
dition, including those bound to servitude
for term of years, and three-6fths af all
other persons not comprehended in the
foregoing description, except Indians, not
paying taxes, in each State" to be COM
pretended in triennial census, and trans
mitted to Congress.
This principle he embraced in his plan
of a Federal Constitution and it was
incorporated in the Constitution Of the
United States. Carrying into effect his
view as to the ultimate emancipation OF
the blacks, in this same plan, he gives the
choice of the House Of Representatives.
not to the free uhite male citizens and
inhabitants in the Union, but to the free
male citizens and Inhabitants without
distinction of color; and when urging tho
adoption of the Constitution by New Y ork.
he advocated "a representation of three
ffths of the negroes
1T is" he said, 'the unfortunate stu
alton of the Southern States to have q
great part of their population, as well as
property, in blacks. 1t will, however, be
by no means admitted that the slaves are
considered altogether as property. They
are men, though degraled to the condition
of slavery. They are persons, known to
the municipal laws of the States which
they inhabit, as ,ceU as 10 the lavs Of no-
ture."
In the same spirit OF liberty this SOL
dier and legislator and statesman, having
retired from the Cabinet Of Washington
retaining all his confidence, at his instance
writing on the subject of the treaty Of
peace Of 1888, used these pregnant ex-
pressions to show that the freedom once
proclaimed and promised to the slaves
could never be revoked. Lord Dunmore,
the recent Governor of Virginia, had
proclaimed freedom to the slaves of Vir-
gnia who should join his standard. Eng
land had freed and deported numbers of
these slaves. She refused to pay for them.
Commenting on this refusal, Hamilton
observed as to the freedom granted by
her to the slave, " the grant was irrevo-
cable" Nothing in the laws of nations
or in those of Great Britain will author
ize the resumtion of liberty once granted
to human being. In the Interpretation
of treaties things odious or immoral are
not to be presumed. The abandonment
of negroes who have been induced to quit
their masters oa the faith of official proc
amation promising them liberty, to fall
again under the yoke of their masters
ana INTO slavery, 10 ao ouiouo anu iHWN-
al can be conceived.
1t is odous not only as it imposes an
act of pertily on one Of the contracting
parties, but as it tends to bring back to
servitudc men once made free. The gen.
eral interests of humanity conspire with
the obligation which Great Britain had
contracted towards the negroes to repel
this construction Of the treaty if another
can be found
Thus it is seen that Hamilton, full in
the faith OF the freedom for which he had
fought and conquered, urged the employ
ment of the negro slaves as soldiers-as
making very excellent soldiers'-prom!s-
cd them their freedom, urged their being
vested with political rights, and declared
their freedom irrevocable can the analo-.
~ be more perfect? The President
promised freedom TO the slaves of the
rebels; by an official proclamation he
has granted to them that freedom; they
are no longer slaves their freedom is
irrevocahe, That proclamation is con-
tract which it would be AN act Of peridy'
not to perform.
Those views, thus early ospoused and tc-
naciously adhered to, are summoned up in
this nasso0e. "a II men have nna com