Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-04-01


offered; il was that which was conferred
as a reward on the slave AZ Charles
ton, amid the deelamations Of the whole
city, for saving part Of St Philips
church from FIRE. Here we have liberty
osteutatiously held out 70 the negro az
the greatest Of blessings, while it was
at the same time O0stinately withheld
from him. lie could not fail to per-
eeiye that something was wrong in the
positioa Of the master; and the very
carelessness Of the latter aided him in
arriving st an accurate knowledge of
ghat that something was. Although the
Shareholders pretended 10 consider the
negro one degree removed from the
brute, they knew better; and bad they
understood the real catare Of their own
position, they would have taken the pre-
cautions 10 have kept him in ignorance
OF what was passing IN the world
But what was the taet2 We now learn
from those emancipated BY the Federal
troops that in the houses OF the planters
il had long been customary for some
house servant 10 carry OF, before the
family came down 10 breakfast, tie
Newspaper left on the table over night
In all neighborhoods there we're negroes
who could read, Iittle as their masters
suspected it. When there was any par
ticular news, the paper was sure to dis
appear; but il was seldom asked for
When it was not interesting, it lay in
full view. This was one way pf gaining
information Again, these house serv-
ants stole down to the negro quarters at
night; and whenit was certain tina. the
loyersesr was in bed, the. fastest runner
started for the next plantation to send
| on the news OF any disclosure made at
/ the table or dressing-room, in the hear
ing Of walters OF ladies' maids
The messenger vas always at home be-
/ fore the overseer was up, Ia addition
to these means Of ascertaining what was
/ going on in the world, there were the
! communication by escaped "eontra-
bands, through mysterious channels to
those friends whom they had left behind.
But the want Of foresight and prudence
among the Southerners eliminated at
the Presidential election in 1886. When
IL appeared that there was chance for
| Frenonts success, they lost their heads,
and 9ealed the doom Of their peculiar
institution. They madepublic speeches
all over the coantry--from balco@ies, in
market places, and at barbeeues-ap-
/ pealng 70 Southern aociety 10 save the
country from. Fremont aud the overthrow
of slavery. This rzshness marked q
new period in negro history. The slaves
we're allowed % know that Fremont
wonld make them Free. II be could, and
that be was very likely to be enabled to
do They thus learned that their pros
poets depended on Presidential elections,
and that they must be ready when the
hour Of deliyerance came. Contrabands
who now come with money into the Fed
eral lines, mention six years as the time
duringswhieh they have been accumulat-
ing their cash The fears of the Soalh
were temporarily allayed hY the election
0f their time serving tool aad nominee,
Buchanan: and one Of the irst fruits Of
their victory was the Dred Scott deeis-
/ ion. This, With the fugitive slave Law.
made the condition Of he slave still
more hopeless, aad goaAsi bin TO dea.
peration Hundreds made their escape
into Canada, but the millions wbo re-
/ ruained behind bad the ~bans6t Of the
Presidential election Of 1860 Here,
again the Southerners manifested sheir
singular want of caution From talk Al
the table aad IN the carriage, aud ia town
and country meetings, the listeners, who
never failed 10 have their ears open,
learned that there we're other men as
hateful TO the South "a Fremont and at
length il appeared 20 be Breckinridga
who would Keep all straight AZ the South,
and Lincoln who was the Fremont of the
day
They would never have fonnd out fos
themselves what il was that Mr Lincoln
was expected 10 inhict; bat tue South
erners had not learned prudence from
the events of 1856 They talked as
eagerly and as rashly about Lincoln as
they bad about Fremont; and thus they
gave their negroes 3 new idol When
the war began they found out their mis-
take They began to suspect it before
that period, and in their frantic attempt
to escape from the psrils which menaced
their favorite Institution from the success
Of the Republican party, they resolved
10 cut themselves aud their territory of
from the republic, thinking to preserve
slavery by making it "ihe corner stone,
of their new policy. But by declaring
war they found themselves suddenly
placed IN circumstances in which their
cherished property iaeame mere loss,
their idolized power gazing weakness,
and their peculiar curse. They have
staked everything on one bold stroke foF
their social system, and that falling, the
: system itself must fail The longer the
war lasts the more evident this becomes,
aud thus their own insanity has been
converted into the Instrument Of the
! destruction both of themselves and of
Siaxerv