The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-11-09
The CONSUMPTION OF the slaTes-Tbe
Rebel 0nicial Organ Strongly in
H. n

as we can Judge 1t 10 daily increasing IN
popular favor, and we believe will find
favor with large majority In the next
Congress. The Montgomery Appeal
regards the proposition as unwise, if
not dangerous The Appeals objec-
tions to the CONSUMPTION of negroes arc,
that il involves q serious if not fatal
blow TO the institution Of slavery that
il will be regarded by the enemy and
the world as an indication that our re-
sources in men are exhausted; that
subsistence, already heavily taxed, will
be seriously dersnged.
The Mobile Tribune does not regard
the CONSUMPTION of negroes as neces-
sary now; 'the white men are sufficient
for the emergency" bus when the exi-
gency arises the Tribune is prepared TO
make any sacrifice" independence
will Justify any sacrifice; everything Is
well spent that purchases that boon"
The Tribune is not troubled, like the
Appeal, with difficulties about the ne
groes after the war.
While we are by no means prepared
to say after us the Deluge," we see no
necessity for raising prospective difii>
culties. Free negroes are among US in
very large numbers, and, in one State
at least, louisiana, they are permitted
to organize military companies and TO
be drilled, and have never given trouble
from their acquisition of military
knowledge After the war the free ne
grOes will be governed laws proper to
their government and control will be
required certainly, but not more 80 tn, n
for the white man As to any confess
sion of present exhaustion, We do not
see that IL is implied any more in the
conscription of negroes than it was in
the extension of the Conscript law to
embrace persons of fifty years of age.
50 far from con essing oar exhaustion, IL IS
The earnest aUoaoaL on the part Of OR people
not to be exhausted, never % give up tie con-
test as long as there Is a man, aol.ite or black
to bear arms. Instead of weakness, it is
the strongest assurance of using all our
power and strength. To bring into SER
vice a quarter OF million of men is no
confession of exhaustion, no sign of
weakness. To proclaim our purpose to
add the military strength of four mil
lions of slaves to that of eight millions
Of whites has, we think, rather the APP
pearance of power than of weakness.
1t is objected by some, that to give
freedom to the negro soldier is to &C
knowledge that freedom is boon, and
hence that slavery is Wrong-that the
strong argument which this war is
teaching the world, that slavery is the
God appointed institution for the negro,
will be weakened and refuted, if free
dom is given as the reward and price Of
military service-that if negroes are re-
quired for the army they should be
drafted as slaves, treated as property,
when lost in service paid for, and after
the war returned as slaves to their mas
tsrs. But it should be remembered
that whether freedom to tie negro be
really blessing or curse, that many
negroes desire 1t, and are willing to take
it even from the Yankees. Freedom is
given to the negro soldier, not be-
cause we believe that slavery Is wrong,
but because we must offer to the
negroes inducements to fidelity which
he regards as equal if not greater
than those offered by the enemy. The
Yankee makes the negro free at the
North. We offer him freedom at home
Our correspondent IA B. believes the
negro would desert from US to the Yam
KEGS, and calls attention to the fact that
the negro does not desert from the
Yankees to us. The reasons given for
this by our correspondent are correct
and proper. The Yankee negro at
"a, hn hn
hangers of the Yankee service; but,
when once he sees negroes in our army
and understands that freedom and a
homie in the confederacy is the reward
of service in our army; that here the
field of labor is open to him, while it is
closed in the Uaited States, we believe
that the tide of desertion would set
strongly in our favor.
But "A. B. says the negroes will not
fight We confess that at one time we
entertained the same opinion. A dis
tinguished general officer, writing to us
privately upon this subject 1--WE wish we
could give the public the weight and
influence of his name) answers this OBJ
lection He says =" Fort Gilmer. the
other day, showed they would fight
They raised each other over the parapet,
to be shot as they appeared above =
But fighting is not the only duty de-
manded of soldiers. In the Crimean
war over lone hundred thousand men
were employed outside of the army
The Work Party corps, of the British
army, employed on roads, was over ten
thousand The negroes are lganted, not
oall as soldiers, Jaaas labOrers and ,OOrking
pte,t, 10 relieve the soldiers. Organized
and drilled, taught and instructed, they
will make good and efficient soldiers
Proud of the respect that will be due
them after the war, they will be found
useful and orderly in time of peace. A
home secured them here offers induce
ments TO fidelity which will greatly add
discipline in governing and controlling
them Their organization should give 70
he President an unlimited pOs0er Of Gp-
p0iHtmeRt
Promotion by seniority and boards of
examiners is played out in the army at
present; we hope they will never be
applied to the army of blacks The
bravest and most sOldierly privates of
the present army should be selected for
company oficers-men who twill lead
the negroes, officers who will devote all
their time to instructing and drilling
them, not only in the school of the sol
der, the squad and the company, but
who viii explain to the negroes the ma
ture of their duty as well as the re-
wards and inducements held out by the
people to fidelity and courage. By
mingling kindness with frmness, the
officers can excite the self esteem of
the negro and teach him to understand
that, after the war, he will be respect
cd and protected by the white man, and
live in ''Old Virginny."
The rebel General Hood is described
as a thin stoopinp man with n Toodar