Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1863-09-10

Is not consistent with even your view.
! provided you are for the Union. l sugges-
ted compensated emancipation; to which
you replied that you wished not to be tax
ed to buy negroes. But I had not asked
you to be taxed to buy negroes, except in
such way as to save you from greater
taxation to save the Union exclusively by
other means.
You dislike the Emancipation Proclama-
: tion, and perhaps would have it retract-
ed. You say it is unconstitutional.
think differently; think the Constitution
invests its Commander-in- Chief with the
law of war, in time of war. The most
that can be said. if so much, is, that slaves
arc property. Is there-has there ever
been-any question that by the law OF
war, property. both of enemies and friends.
may be taken when needed? And is it
not needed whenever taking it helps us
or hurts the enemy? Armies, the world
over, destroy enemies. property, when
they cannot use it, and even destroy their
own to keep it from the enemy. Civilized
. belligerents do all in their power to bely
! themselves or hurt the enemy. except a
few things regarded as barbarous or cruel.
Among the exceptions are the massacre
of vanquished foes, and non-conabatants,
male and female.
! But the Proclamation. as law, either is
valid, or is not valid. If it is not valid
it needs no retraction. Ii it is valid it
cannot be retracted any more than the
dead can be brought to life. Some of
you profess to think its retraction would
operate favorably for the Union. Why
better after the retraction than before the
Issue? There was more than year aud
balf OF trial to suppress the rebellion
before the Proclamation was issued, the
last one hundred days which passed under
an explicit notice that it was coming; I'M
less avertetl by those in revolt returning
to their allegiance. The war has certain
ly progressed as favorably for us since
the issue Of the Proclamation as before.
know as fully as any one can know,
the opinion Of others. that some of the
commanders Of our armies in the fell,
who have given ua some Of onr most i'm
portant successes. believe the emancipa-
tion policy and the use of the colored
troops, constituted tho heaviest blow yet
dealt to the rebellion. and that, at least.
one Of these important successes could not
have been achieved at the time it was but
for the aid Of black soldiers. Among the
commanders holding these views are some
who have never had any affinity with
what is called Abolitionism, or with Re-
publican party policies, but who hold
them purely as military opinions. SUBJ
init these opinions as being entitled to
some weight against the objections often
urged-that emancipation and armiRg the
blacks are unwise as military measures,
aud was not adopted as such in good
faith. -
You say you will not fight to free ne
groes. Some Of them seem willing to
fight for you; but no matter. Fight you.
then, exclusively to save the Union. /
issued the Proclamation on purpose to aid
you in saving the Union. Whenever you
shall, have conquered all resistance to the
Union. if l shall urge you to continue
fighting. it will be an apt time. then. for
you to declare yol will not fight to free
negroes. oll a es r.
thought that in your struggle for the
Union, to whatever extent tho negroes
should cease helping the enemy. to that
extent it weakened the enemy in his rcsis-
tance to yon. Do you think differently?
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? .sa .fsFe3
Bnt negroes. like other people. act npon
emotions. Why shonld they do anything
for us, il we will do nothing fer them? If
they stake their lives for us. they mus, be
prompted by the strongest motive-evsn
the promise Of freedom; and the promise,
being made, must be kept.
The signs look better. The Father OF
Waters again goes unvexcd to the sea-.
Thanks to the Great Northwest for it
miles up, they met New England, Empire,
keystone and Jersey. hewing their way
right and left. The Sunny South. too. in
more colors than one, also lent q hand
On the spot, their part of the history was
jotted down in black and whito. The Job
WAS great National one; and let none be
banned who bore an honorable part in It..
And while these who have cleared the
great river may well be proud. even that
is not all. 1t is hard to say that anything
has been more bravoly or ably done than
at Antietam. Murfreesboro. Gettysburg.
and on many fields of lesser note. -
. Nor must Uucle Sans web feet be for /
gotten. At all the wstery margins they
have been present.. Not only on the deep
sea. the broad bay, and tho rapid river.
bnt also up the narrow muddy bayou. and
wherever the ground was little damp.
they have been. and made their tracks,
Thanks to all. For the great Republic
for the principle it lives by, and keeps
alive--ior mans vast future--thanks TO
all. ae sFar s "a
Peace does not appear so distant as it
did. Ihops it will come soon. and come
to stay. and SO come as to be worth tho
keeping in all future time It will then
have been proved that. among free men.
there can be no successful appeal from the
ballot 70 the bullet: and that they who
take such appeal are sure to lose their case. !
and pay the cost. and then there would DO
some black men who can remember that.
with silent tongue. and clenched teeth, and
steady eye, and well poised bsyonet. they
have helped and maintained on to this
great consummation; while l fear thero