Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-12-30
re E,E,n, eis:;'' s.

| At ia timesWhen, the VS. Ia Portugal
4 we're used for fuel cd B festive occea-
/ lstons which, in the lanRage Of that coun-
lttyaweTe called sANtoS re-, oF) acts. OF
Faith, q DOOR Jew. Ra3 Cd through the
streets oF iLisboht .td,b burned at the
stake, followed as he 5ant by a numer-
oas FsPblS FRll seager q the. sport aud
Ifnpstie hs fSr ms Iki1d Ptlte4ls Pile'T;1
Fearing, however Ie4 they should be
banked of their amusel az By 'recanta-
Ition Of his errors and ideclaratiou OF his
conversion to christias soue one OF the
crowd would from tint time comeelose
up to the Jew, and, by Sey OF encouraging
him to pelsevere in ha faith, would clap
him on the beck and say, hBe hrmt Mo-
ses-bedfFEn, Moses ~ ~ = ~ ~
IIf the IESsHia1I Post sud, by ehahce,.
fail into the hands OF me JEFF Davis and
his Secretary, Mr.. Judah r. 'Bepjamin, We
would address them In words OF like en-.
c6uragemelt, conceFntpE thsir. scheme OF
putting arms into the handss of their slaves
and rewardipg, them viii their liberty. 1t
is an uncomfortable thing that you are
about to do, we would sty-to themi 1t must
be, to use a familiar comparison, ikepnllH
ing teeth, but mover mird; screw up your
courage to the sticking point and give the
world an example of constancy' and torti.
.tude. mBe firm, Jeffy; he firm, Jhdah;"
OF, using the Greek form of the latter
name, "Be firm, Judas !"
The abolitionists of the North, including
Wendell Phillips and Lloyd Garrison are
already chucklipg over the, conversion of
so many of the bigots Of slavery, as they
call them, to the creed Of UNIVERSAL liberty,
They will be almost beside themselves with
delight when they see the rebel govern
ment, by.a solemn ACT; breaking the chains
of q hundred thousand sltyes at once,
taking them away from their plantations,
putting arms into their hands, and thus
giving them the means of demanding the
liberty of 5their wives and children before
they lay them down. Woula De crnel 10
deprive these phiIahthrspists of the pleas
ute of seeing the slayehe eiders' government
resolving itself into an abolition society.
We therefore copjprea tne rebel leaders IN
the old Portuguese fornsala, 70 adhere un-
fInchingIy to their purpose. "Be frmr
Jeffy; be firm, Judah."'
The southern apologies for slavery have
all along maintained that the negro Is
happier in 9 state of bondage than in q
state of libertyj happier In condition In
which he is driven 70 his work every Morn
ing, and fogged whenever his oyerseer, or
his master, or any member of his master's
family, may take fancy 70 administer the
lash happier in a condition in which his
wife and children may be sold from him or
he sold from them, than il be were master
of his own time and ;pefsQli working for
wages, and certain OF ThsstS his life With
his own family. To offer him liberty as
the reWardif0r taking up arms for the rebel
government is acknowledging slavery to be
an evil and liberty "a, good II tells the
negro that he has been kept hitherto IN a
condition of hardship and 2debasement, and
that, if he is willing to light, he shall be
relieved from it. But let the rebel
leaders, consider that the more their pres
ent practice oOntradlcts their former pre-
tences, the greater will be the fun. They
have astonished the world by their rebel
lion against agovernment which had never
pi ven Them cause Of complaint; let them
now astonish It bypraotIoallJ TetraenaE
all they have said, in favor of the very fn-
stitution for the propagation of which they
desired to form a separate, goVernment.-
We therefore say again: t'Be frm, Jeffy ;
be firm, Judah |" r
Mr.. Lincoln two years since Issued a
proclamation declaring all the negroes in
The rebel States emancipated. Il wal give
that gentleman great pleasure to see his
example 80 handsomely followed and jus.
tilted by those, who have 80 furiously de
claimed against II. He win be much Obli-
ped to them it they will in this mannerr
show the world that he wisely anticipated
them, by, hrst bestowipg The boon ot
liberty on the negro, and without any con
iition of military seFHiCepso that the negro
of the rebel States is already free, IL he but
knew Ii, as thousands Of them do without
taking up arms for his master. We there
fore repeat the phrase of encouragement
"Be firm Jeffy; be Arm Judahl"
It is true that there is great danger that
the blacks, thus armed, may not choose e
employ their weapons against the federal
government They may say "Let us hghi
for those who first acknowledged our free
dom.D They may say, "Let us not murdei
our brethren OF tue African race who haV'
been freed and enlisted IN the federal ar
nv by our friend0 Lincoln" They mas
shudt their own officers tpstead OF the red
| etdT soldiers. They may say to their lat
masters: .I'You have aGkuo"iedged th'
wrong of slavery BY setting as free; nov
set free our entire kindred-eveEy man o
color within your limits-or we lay you
country waste al But ths,gFe5ter- the risk
the greater admiration wilt fall to the shaF
of those who coprageously take II. "B
firm therefore, Jeffy; be firm Judah"
In short, the whole civilized. world
| looking on, with an eager curiosity, to Sc
the leaders of the rebellion take this laE
desperate step. Thsg have not disdn
ghished Themselves OtIiafe by. any act o
measure which commadds t6e attention o
the world. The extraordinary things jus
now are AH done By thOse Fhos4Fe iinfth
service ofths federal government- t-fRotn
/ as's great victory over Rood-Shermau'
i astonishing march through the heatt o
| Georgia-Porter's formidable expeditio
srsiust. Wilmingtou-to say nothing {
Older matters, including the gallant con
anct of our colored troops wherever the
lhaTe been tried 1t is time that the rebl
4 ieoyernment should do something in il
4 turn to, make thsHorld starel lts time
I sh or,; its end is mAnifestly drawing nea
Iapd ii should bethink itself whether II
/ not better to go ont as some fireworks d