The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1863-09-08

enE msts att4 iEttA4ea may nt iAhtN
when needed And Is it not needed
whenever il helps Us and hurts the
enemy Armies, the world over, de-
siroy the enemies property when they
cannot use IL and even destroy
their own to keep il from the enemy
Civilized beligefenls Dc all in their
power to help themselves or hurt the
enemy, except few things regarded
as barbarous or cruel. Among the
exceptions are the massaeree Of van
quished foes ard nou-combaiants, male
or females.
But tic Proclamation, as law, eth
er Is valid, or is not valid. II il is
not valid il needs no retraction. II il
i valid il cannot be retracied, any
more than the dead can be brought TO
life. Some Of you profess TO think is
retraction would operate iavorably for
the Union. Why better after the re-.
traction than before the issue There
was more than a year and a half Of
trial to suppress the rebellion before
the Proclamation was issued, the last
one hundred days of which passed un-
der an explicit notice that it was com-
ing unless II was averted by those ia
revolt returning to their allegiance
The war has certainly progressed as
favorably for Us since the issue of the
proclamation rs before.
know as fully as one can know the
opinions Of others, that some of the
commanders of our armieis in the
field who have given US our most i'm
poriant victories believe tie emanci
patton policy and the use Of colored
troops constitute the heaviest blows
yet dealt TO the REBELLION, and that at
least one Of those important success
es could not have beee achieved when
it was but for tie aid OF black sol
ders.
Among the commanders holding
these views are some who never had
any affinity with what is called " Ab-
oliionism or with Republican par
y politics" but who hold them purely
MS military opinions. submit their
opinions as being entitled 10 some
weight against the objections often
urged that emancipation and arming
the blacks are unwise as military
measures and were not adopted us
such in good faith.
You say that you will not fight TO
free neeroes. Some of them seem
willing TO fight for you-but no mat
ter. Fight you then, exclusively, TO
save Tie Union. Whenever you shall
have conquered all resistance to the
Union, if shall urge YOU TO continnc
fighting, il will be an apt time then
for YOU 10 declare you will not fight
10 free negroes. thought that in
your struggle for the Union, TO what
ever extent the negroes should cease
helping the enemy, TO that extent II
weakened the enemy in his resistance
10 you. DO you think differently? Il
thought that whatever negroes can be
got to do as soldiers leaves just so
much less for white soldiers to do in
saving the Union. Does it appear
otherwise to You? But negroes, like
other people, act upon motives
Why should they do anything for US
if we will nothing for them? If they
stake their lives for US they must be
prompted by the strongest motive,
even the promise of freedom, And the
promise, being made, must be kept.
The signs look better. Tbe.Father
Of Waters again goes unvexed TO the
sea. Thanks to the great No,hwest
for it. Nor yet wholly to them
Three hundred miles up they met
New England, Empire, keystone, |
and Jersey, he~ing their way right
and left. The sunny South, too. in
more coiors than one. also lent help /.
ing hand. On the spot, their part Of
the history i jotled down IN black and
white. The job was a great national .
one, ard let none be sighted who |
bore an honorable part in il. And
while tsose who have cleared the .
great river may well be proud, even
that IS not all i, is hard TO say that
has been more bravely and
well done than at Antietam, Murfrees- +
boro, Gettysburg. and on many fields
Of less note. Nor must Uncle Sans
be forgotten. At all the
waiery margins they have been pres
emf, not only on the deep sea, the