Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-11-17


ing the slaves. Such pressure was
brought TO bear upon JEFF Davis that
Ne could not overlook the subject in |
his message to the newly assembled
rebel Congress. He did not venture,
however, (if prepared for 1t himselfO |
70 shock the sensitive nerves of the
"chivalry" in general by proposing
negro army. But he suggested as a
first step the arming OF the slaves In
she ouartermaster and commissary de-
partments, with freedom guaranteed
them as a reward for their services,
while their places should be filled by
new levy upon the slaves of planters
II this plan were adopted by the bogus
Congress, it would open the way for
general employment of negroes, at any
time, at the pleasure of the rebel gov
eminent So the rebel chivalry and
rebel newspapers regard 1t and their
sensitive nerves are fearfully shocked
after all. The Richmond Wing charac-
terized the proposition as monstrous and
startling. Many of the other papers
treated it In the same way. II militia
ted against every fundamental idea OF
the "new civilization" being prepared
by the rebels for the enlightenment OF
mankind. If the negro is fit for SOL
der, cried the Examiner, he is' not tit
10 be slave; and if any large portion
of the negro race is fit for free labor,
then the whole race is fit for it, The
employment of negroes as soldiers in
our armies, either with or without
prospective emancipation it exclaims,
would be the first step, which would in
volve ell the rest, TO universal ahoh-
ton. Again, the promise OF freedom as
a reward for his service to the'eopntry,
is admitting that the negros freedom is
a 5oon---a natural good which our laws
deprive him of and keep him from. 1t
is admitting, says the Examiner, the
whole theory OF the aboiitionists.
"Our enemy, concludes that paper
would perceive that he had succeeded
in his design to the point Of moral sub
jugation, and would not doubt that our
absolute submission was not far &c
moved. TIC our own hearts it would be
q confession, not only Of weakness, but
of absolute inability to secure the OBJ
ject for which we undertook the war.
1t would be .Ralt by all as compromise
to the abolitonism of the world, in
compatible with thet independence OF
action for which the South strives"
There is no doubt THAT the rebel lead
ems all agree substantially in this view,
Why then was such pressure brought
TO bear upon JEFF, Davis from certain
quarters Why did the convention Of
southern governors recommend the arm
ing of the slaves? g4yhy did JEFF. Davis
mention the subject in his, MESSAGE
.the establishment of their confederacy
by some means or Other, oq one hand,
and the halter or exile, on the other, and
because all other means ofestablishing it
are near absolute exhaustion. They are
doubtless ready to surrender the "divine
institntion," to preserve and extend
which they rebelled against the Union;
they are willing to smash irretrievably
the "corner stone" of their model civil
hation, laid with so much pomp and
circumstance, if they can only live in
any way and by any means 1T is
question of life, or death, and people
are not apt to be very particular under
such circumstances. All other meaas
of life are confessedly exhausted; shall
they try this?
The question was submitted to the
rebel Congress, discussed therein, and
the proposition to arm slavesl prob
ably will be given up Why ? The rea-
sons above given by the Examiner are
convenient ones, bnt they would not
outweigh the necessities of the rebel
I" situation" The much talked OF vio-
lation of the rights Of Southern slave
holders by the rebel government in seiz-
ing their slaves; the violation Of state
rights by the central government in this
forcible emancipation scheme, would
not avail against it. The true grounds
Of successful opposition to the scheme
(if it shall be successfully are suggested
in the following extracts from rebel
papers. Arm the slaves and, says the
Lynchburg Republican,
"They would insist, and have the
right to insist, at the point of the bayO-
net, upon enjoying all the civil, social
and political rights enjoyed by their
former masters, or dreadful eiva
soQr Of determination bstpeen the Whits man
and the black leoHla .follOw Can such con-
sequences be contemplated by the
Southern mind without shudder for
the result And yet this is the certain
result to which 1t is now proposed to
educate our slaves" ea
And writer in the Richmond En- /
quirer 1--WE copy from the paper now ly-
ing before us,) says;
4 And what would be the effect upon
the army-the army of white men-of
this Infusion OF the negro element.
Laying aside all questions of taste-of
likes and diglikes-the morale of an army
ia worse affected nv s,,c,,srtog c1e.,a,,. ~,