The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-11-18
FROM THE SOUTH.
The COnscr1ptiOn Of Slaves...The
Rebel Official Organ strongly I'm
Favor of IL.

The COnscr1ptiOn Of Slaves...ThI
Rebel Omcfal Organ strongly II
| Favor Of IL.
! From the Richmond Examiner
| The proposition to extend the oonscript
law to the slaves will not fail to meet witt
some opposition; but as far as we CAL
judge it is daily increasing in popular ia.
vor, and we believe will find favor with a
large majority in the next Congress. The
Montgomery Appeal regards the PROPOSE
ton as "unwise, if not dangerous. F" The
Appears objections to the CONSUMPTION Of
negroes are, that it involves serious il
not fatal blow to the institution OF
slavery that it will be regarded by the
enemy and the world as an indication that
our resources in men are exhausted; that
our subsistence, alread heavily taxed, will
be seriously deranged.
The Mobile Tribune does not regard
the CONSUMPTION of negroes as necessary
now; "the white meu are sufficient for
the emergency" but when the exigency
arises the Tribune is prepared to make
any sacrifice" independence will justify
any sacrifice; everything is well spent that
purchases that boom The Tribune says {:
The question of using the slave for service in
the army is not by any means a complex one.
1t is as easy as an elementary arithmetical
problem, and its substance is simply this: The
independence of the cOnfederacy is paramount.
Everything must be sacrificed to that. All the
negotiations, whether with Abraham Lincoln
or General Mcclellan, will amount to nothing
unless that shall be attained. less than that *
cowardice. Less than that is subjugation by
the slow instrumentality of craft. Less than
that is putting of the evil day to posterity
Without Independence. and with reconstruc-
ton, we shall be subjugated finally Just as
much as though Lincolns army occupied every
foot of our country.
The Tribune is not troubled, like the
Appeal, with difficulties about the negroes
after the war
While We are by no means prepared to
say "After US the Deluge," We see no ne
cessity for raising prospective difficulties
Free negroes are now 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 acqui-
sition of military knowledge. After the
war, the free negroes will be governed /;
laws proper to their government and con-
troll will be required certainly, but not
more so than for the whire man. As to
any confession of present exhaustion, we
do not see that it is implied any more in
the CONSUMPTION Of negroes than it was in
the extension of the Oonscript law to en-
brace persons of fifty years Of age. 80
far from confessing our exhaustion, it is
the earnest avowal on the part of our peo-
pie not to be exhausted, never to give up
the contest as long as there il q man,
white or black, to bear arms Instead of
weakness, it is the strongest assurance of
using all our power and strength. To
bring into service quarter of million
of men, is no confession of exhaustion, no
sign of weakness. To proclaim our pur-
pose to add the military strength of four
millions of slaves to that of eight millions
of whites, has, we think, rather the ap-
pearance of power than Of weakness. As
to the effects of this proposition upon sub
sistence, it should be borne in mind that
the production of supplies is not our pres
ent difficulty, but their transportation and
distribution that we have an ample sup
ply of provision for the whole country, if
it was properly distributed. Negroes do
not aid in the transportation of supplies,
but, when in the army. they may be used
to further that great military end, as we'll
as to fight.
The objection that the negroes will give
trouble and become dangerous, ia refuted
by their docile and subordinate behavior
during this war, when so many of the
whites are from home, and when the enc
my has been pressing our armies at all
points. Never have the negroes been more
easily managed or exhibited more subor-
dination, or less sympathy for the Yankees
than during the years of this war. The
many thousand who have gone off and are
now with the Yankees, went because they
were demoralized by the fight Of so many
whites from the Yankees, and because
they were deceived by the promises and
driven off by the military power of them
envy. This was has not failed to teach the
negro the Lesson that his interests and
these of his master are identical; that his
only friend is the master, and that he can
find no resting place with the Yankees.
The suffering of those that are with the
enemy has been told over and talked over
by those who have remained, and the loss,
though heavy upon the master, has not
been altogether thrown away upon the ne
groes.
1t is objected by some, that to give free
dom to the negro soldier is to acknowl-
edge that freedom is boon, and hence
that slavery is wrong that the strong ar
gument which this war is teaching the
world, that slavery is the God appointed
institution for the negro, will be weaken
ed and refuted, if freedom is given as the
reward and price Of military service that
if negroes are required for the army they
should be drafted as slaves, treated as pro-
perty, when lost in service paid for, and
after the war returned as slaves to their
masters. But it should be remem-
bered that whether freedom to the negro
be really blessing or curse, that many
negroes desire it, and are willing to take
it even from the Yankees. Freedom is
given to the negro soldier, not because we
believe that slavery is wrong, but because
we must offer to the negro inducements to
GJol;tu ,yb:ob ha rnpardS 40 oonol ;f ~ ~