Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-01-10

esta ablished that all the able.b bodied will es.
cape from their masters to our camps, II
they can there be sure Of welcome aud pro
teciion. 1t follows, then, that, so long as
our armies shall simply remain in the heart
of the Rebellion--Which is Of course the
heart also Of the slavehoding region
there will be constant tendency of the
slaves to escape to our lines, aud give all
possible Information and aid to our com
manders, and that great share of Rebel
effort, time, and attention, must be devoted
to eonnieraeting this tendency--aud this
with at best hut partial success.
ii. The slares are far better informed
nO10 than they hare been loith regard 10 tie
causes and objects of The struggle. At FIRST,
they we're told by their chyalrous masters
that the Northern invaders came to steal
them--to freeze them to death in Canada
above ALL to sell them to Cuba. The
early Proclamations aud Orders Of Patter.
son, Mcclellan. Halleck, Sherman, etc,
and the official oyerruliug Of Fremont's and
Hunters orders by President Lincoln, gave
a color of plausibility to these falseboods
The brutal treatment Of fugitive slaves from
Rebeldom by TOO many of our officers and
soldiers confirmed the most unfavorabe i'm
pressions. Still, the mass of the negroes
were only perplexed and made to hesitate
For they well knew, from the unrestrained
conversations of the masters held in the
presence of their household dependents,
that the War upon the Union was War
for SIavery-tbat it had no other impalse
or justification. Not being truined in
schools of cAsuistry, in the nicer subtletieS
of logic, they jumped to the conclusion that,
where one side was fighting for Slavery,
the other must be fighting against it. Our
past policy did much to shake this conyic.
tion, but was never able wholly to over
throw it. ..-...,. .-..
III. The Proclamation of Sept. 22d re-
sounded through the land The Slaves
have long since heard it, or heard Of it.
They know that President Lincoln has de-
clared them free after the lst of January,
1868 and they know just when that day
arrives. They have beeu silently rejecting.
comforting, counseling, praying, with re-
gard to it. Not being skilled in the expo.
sition of Democratic platforms, they have
no question as to the validity and constitu-
tionality Of the P esident's improved mode
of fighting the Rebellion. They eagerly
anticipate the Day of Jubilee, and are pre-
pairing 10 profit 10y it--not, of course, by
rushing unarmed and powerless on the
HaIf-Millon bayonets Of the Rebel Confed.
eracy, but by improving every opportunity
10 escape from Bondage into Freedom
1t will not be half SO safe as it has been to
leave o gang of them within sight of a
camp or marching column of our Folun'
teers -HuiIH HlH. tI.
". Europe, including our worst wishers
in that hemisphere can no longer plauSibly
contend that Unonists and .Confederates
are alike lighting for Slavery--thst there
is no moral difference between us. They
may, indeed, say that we did not adopt nor
propose TO try the Emancipation policy un.
Ill we had no choice but between doing
This aud cOucedng the triumph Of the Re
belliou. But what is this beyond saying
that We reiraiued from doing right until we
learned by sore experience that We could
not prosper in doug wrong And if all
who thus profit by Christening are trimmers
aud hypocriteS, where shall We look for the
faithful snd true
V. Finally, having placed ourselves
wholly iu the right, by resolving to fight
henceforth the Rebellion aud its incjting
cause as our enemies alike, we may hope
fully ask Gods blessing on our future exer-
lions II it be His will that Slavery shall
now die aud the Union live again, lie will
vouchsafe the means, provided We 20 act as
to be worthy Of ibis great mercy We
know that HIS purpose will stand, and
that we, having done our utmost, shall lri-
umph if that be consistent with His inscru,
table designs, his benefcent ends SO,
with the Ship of State careeriug dauntlessly
on her stormy course, her Aag emblazoned
will the stars Of Union aud her sails filed
with the strong North wind of Freedom,
let US freight her with our prayers aud our
best efforts aud commit her without fear to
the guidance and keeping of Him who
doeth all things WELL