The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-05-07
The Arming of Negroes.
Speech Of Aa;utamt General Thomas
at tLake Providence, La.-Ihe Presi-
dents Policy Unalterable.

OCnE s IOttcy OUuttefuOtc.
FELLOW SoLDIERs.-Your Com
manding General has so fully stated
the object of my mission that it is al
most unnecessary for me to say any
thing to you in reference to it. Still,
as l come here with full authority from
the President of the United States to
annouce the policy which after mature
dsliberation, has been determined upon
by the wisdom of the nation it is my
duty to make known to you clearly and
fully the features of that point. l beg
you will listen to what | have to say as
soldiers receiving from soldier the
commands of the President of the
United States.
! 1 came from Washington clothed
with the fullest power in this matter.
With this power / can act as if the
President of the United States were
himself present am directed to refer
nothing to Washington, but to act
promptly-what l have to do to do at
onoe-to strike down the unworthy
and to elevate the deserving.
i can only speak briefly and cannot
enter into the details of the subject at
present. 1t may be that some of you
are better acquainted with this country
that l am, but all my early military life
was spent in the South. know this
: whole region well. l am a Southern
man, and if you will born with South
ern preiudices but am free to say
that the policy | am now to announce
: TO you / endorse with my whole heart
You know full wel-for you have been
over this couHtry-that the rebels have
sent into the field all their available
fighting men-every man capable of
bearing arms, and you know they have
kept at home all their slaves for the
raising of subsistence for their armies
in the field.
In this way they can bring to bear
against us all the strength of their So
called Confederate States, while we at
the North can only send portion of
our fighting force, being compelled to
leave behind another portion to culti-
vate our fields and supply the wants of
an immense army. The Administra-
ton has determined to take from the
rebels this source of supply-to take
their negroes and compel them to send
back portion of their whites to culti-
vate their deserted plantations, and
very poor persons they would be to fill
the place Of the dark-hued laborer.
They must do this or their armies will
starve. You know perfectly well that
! the rebels had an opportunity offered
them under the Proclamation of the
President in September, to lay down
their arms and come back into the
Union. They failed to do it. Not but
that the hearts of many men in the
South were with us and against the re-
bellion. The leaders of the rebellion,
jeff. Davis and his satellites, would not
permit it, therefore they are still in
arms against us.
On the first day of January last the
President issued his Proclamation de-
claring that from that day forward all
the slaves in the States then in rebel
lion should be free. You know tha:
vast numbers of these slaves are within
your borders. inside the lines of this
army. They come into your camps
you cannot but receive them. The au-
thorities in Washington are very much
panied 10 hear, and fear with truth in
many cases, that some of these poor
unfortunates have on different occa-
sions been turned away from Us, and
their applications for admission within
our lines have been refused by our Off
GERS and soldiers. 81.
! This is not the way to use freed men.
| The question came up in Washington,
"Wbat is best to be done with this un-
fortunate race % They are come upon
us in such numbers that some provi-
sions must be made for, them. You
cannot send them North, You know
the prejudice of the Northern people
against receiving large numbers of the
colored race. Some States have passed
laws forbidding them to come within
their borders. At this day, in some
Estates, persons who have brought them
have been arraigned before the Courts
to answer for the violation of the State
enactments.
| Look along the river and see the
multitude of deserted plantations upon
Its banks. Those are the places of