Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-02-27
SLAVES IN LOUISIANA.

=
tical difficulties which beset
emancipation. In all those por-
tions of the State of Louisiana
which are held by the national
forces Slavery is practically abol-
ished, and the Slaves are actual
ly as we'll as legally free. As
might have been expected from
suddenly freed slaves, they evince
a remarkable disinclination to
work. Hence, on the ore hand,
there is great danger that the
bulk OF the sugar crop will be
lost for want of labor, while, on
the other, the Government is put
to an enormous expense to feed
thousands Of colored refugees.
To remedy these evils General
Banks has issued an order com
pelling the negroes to work tor a
fair remuneration. This order
has drawn down upon the Gen
eral the thunders OF some of the
extreme anti-slavery leaders of
the North, who complain that
our armies are being used as
slave-drlvers for the sugar lords
OF Louisiana.
Again, General butler commen-
ced, and General Banks is con
tinulng the work Of enrolling ne
groS as soldiers, and forming
them into companies, regiments,
and brlgades. This operation
provokes the hostility of large
number of our Northern troops,
in whom aversion to the negro is
deeply lngrained. Something
very like mutiny broke out
lately at Baton rouge in conse-
quence OF the encanpment of a
negro battalion in proximity to
some OF our New York regiments.
A colonel ef one of the Louisi-
anna colored regIments-himself
A Northern white man-declared
that pc could hardly show him
self at the st. Charles Hotel
without being insul,ed. As at
Port Royal, the hite troops re
fuse to be brigaded with negroes,
and many OF their oficers-who
are too often the worst men in
their 'egimentS-lose no oppor-
tunity OF showing their contempt
for colored soldiers, and for the
white men who are appointed to
co mand them
These are some Of the practi-
cal difficulties with which Gener-
al Banks has to contend. We
are satisfied that he is the man to
grapple with them. Reflection
viii by-and-by satisfy every one
that en- ncipation must not be
construed as securing to the ne
/ gro a lie OF sloth at orr expense;
that the black, as well as the
white man, if he would eat, he
must work. Emerging from
hereditary slavery he cannot be
expected to understand at once
his responsibilities as a free man,
and it is Out duty, for the present
time, by salutary and humane
laws, to compel him to lead such
a life as he would lead without
coercion had he been born free
and self.rellant. Those who re-
gard the unwillingness Of the ne
gro to work as an evidence OF his
inferiorlty to the white, viii do
well to remember that every civ
ilized milton in the world has
vagrant laws on its statute book,
and that time was when our an
cestors needed the gentle stimu-
lus o. the law to COMPEL them to
/ can their living. Time-the
great physician-will cure this
evil, and the other also. As
soon as our troops see that the
negro regiments can hght-as
soon rs a white general, or a
white battalion. is rescued from
peril by a gallant charge of col
lored men, they will begin to get
rid OF their prejudices. 1t took
some time TOR 'he British soldiers
in India to march cherful!y by
the side Of the sepoys. But
when the latter showed that they
were as ready to shed their blood
for their has as the whltest white
man the pride OF race gave way.
/ Our new coloTed troops vii
fight well, and will commanc
respect by-and BY. The creates
general who ever lived oweC
some Of his most glorious victo
RES to the valor OF men OF a rae,
akin to that of the Southern
slaya-