, 1863-03-14
The Negro Soldier Question.

The New York Tribune, in an article re-
lating to negro soldiers boosts them up by
saying "they are better disposed to learn,
and more orderly and cleanly, both in their
person and quarters, than the whites >
The Tribune, and all of its kind, evidently
expect that the black sOldiery will be a
valuable auxiliary to the Federal army; but
the conservative people of the north have
no faith in the policy of arming negroes.
whether they will make good soldiers OF
not. We will suppose they are equal, or
even superior to the whites as soldiers ad-
init it fact, and what does it amount to
Simply, this, that it will only place the
Federal Government in an infinitely worse
predicament because of that fact; for as
soon as this policy of equiping and arm
ing negroes is inaugurated by the North
the South will have three negroes in their
army to where we have one in ours. 1t is
silly fallacy to suppose that the negroes
of the South will flock to the Union stand
ard. We do not believe the doctrine, set
forth in such glowing terms by Greeley &
Co., ''that the slaves in the South will fight
for their freedom" On the contrary, there
is much more reason to believe that they
will fight almost to a single "chatteP' for
jeff. Davis and their masters. But even,
when it comes to the test, if they will not
fight of their own choice they will be COM
PEELED to fight, as are the white soldiers of
the South.
nv sUuCnern IeaGers are weII aware rnaI
if the negro soldier policy is put into prac-
tical execution by the Federal Government,
it will destroy the last vestige of Union
sentiment in the South. The emancipa-
ton scheme destroyed the greater portion
Of that feeling and this other scheme will
annihilate it. In fact, we hear no more
talk of Southern Union aid from any quar-
ter. When we ceased to fight for the
Union as IL l0aa, we lost our strength both
North and South.
- This negro soldier business was evident
ly cooked up in the South to bait the abo-
lition faction with The rebels had mus
tered their last white man and something
must be done to cope in numbers with the
Federal army When the subject of rails
ing negro soldiers was first broached in the
North, the Southern leaders purposely
raised a great hue and cry, denouncing the
policy in bitter terms as against civilized
warfare, and leaving the idea that such a
course, if adopted by the North, would be
the ruinati0n of Southern hopes; but in
fact it was Just the course they desired the
North to pursue. This "crazy bait thrown
out by jeff Davis and his compeers, tick
led insane abolitionism sweetly. The bait
vas swallowed, and brought forth negro
bill, authorizing the President to raise and
equip an army of blacks. OF all the insane
schemes ever put forth by people, to our
thinking, this last throe of abolitionism is
the most suicidal. The emancipation
scheme was bad enough-has proven SO ;
but this ethiopian soldier business pulls the
"wool" down over everything. The abo-
litionists in Congress will find themselves
out-niggered three to one and while they
will gain neither honor nor victory by it,
they alone must bear the charge Of resort
ing to savagery in carrying on the war for
the South, being forced to such course,
in retaliation, will be excused by the his
torian who records the events of the pres
snt struggle.