The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-22

Had sound sense ruled the Rebel eoHnseis, this
practical demonstration would have been promptly
accepted, and the experiment been n once tried
on a small scale whether black regiments coud
not DO enlisted under the Confederate flag which
would do equally effective service Had twenty
such regiments been formed from picked slaves a
year ago, IL 10 not very improbable that liberal
promises, combined with the wonderful influences
Of military training might have made them by
this time good Confederate soldiers. They would
have served as an excellent nucleus for constant
fresh accessions, until finally they might have
grown into very powerful army.
Had this experiment failed, had 1t been found
that the slave could not by any process be con-
Nerted into sorvlCtdble Confederate soldier 10
would then have been easy to remit the compare
lively few TO their old condition, aud no harm
would have resulted to either slavery or the
Contederacy. As II is now, in the present eN-
uemity Of the Rebellion, the eNpcrimcnt mus. bs
made on the largest scale, fat all, and It's rillrt
must at ouce sweep both CJn,cdcracy and
slavery into ruin.
The Richmond Enquirer fully admits that the
present adoption Of the measure will be equlvl.
lent to a ger era abolition OF slavery. The mum.
bcrs required would comprise nearly an NJ the
ahlC-bOd.ed slaves within the limit, Of the Con-
ied,rDCy aud these, OF course would MOI in any
case do elective 0gauug unless liberty wcr'
assured, not only TO themselves, but 70 their
wives and children. We do no: undertake g.
soy ositiyey whether the blacks can be ma ic 20
light for their former masters, or not. A good
many predictions by Northern mcu, concerning
not do, have been fal,iGyd / WIS Generally
expected in the North that the slaves would
seize the opportunity OF the absence OF their
masters, to strike a blow for their liberty. They
have done nothing Of the kind.
It was also believed that they wOlld rush In
multtudes 10 our lines, there 20 hnd liberty and
protection. The numbers of black refugees nave
been very few. lt was claimed that even If they
did not rise in insurrccrOn, ur run away, they
would at least retuso TO work. But the great
mass Of them have worked as regularly as ever
either ia the fields, or in building iJ.tiu.ItiOaS
and in camp service. In view of these former
mistakes, it may as well be admitted thst the
slaves may possibly be brought TO do some sort
Of fighting for the CUnfgderaCy. Butevcu if they
are II Will not 40 all prevent tho huul overthrow
OF the Rcbelioni and the great facts will still
remain that slavery has been destroyed by tue
very men who resorted to the Rebellion 20 save
IT, aud that the Southern masters have 40 last
been reduced to the very lowest humiliation
imaginable, in being compelled ~ ask tlc,r own
dCDased slaves 80 save them from the power they
had once 50 impCuously deied,
IL needed just this last ordering OF events 20
give the Rebellion its CDnsummats ratrlution.
There is fuluuss of poetic justice ia it which
would not have been realized had we ourselves
liberated the slave after prOsratiug thC mast T..
That would only have been the result Of superior
ply SiCa force, and there Is nothing ia that ngCes-
ssrily 90 abaSg proud posi- ion. History ubOInls
with The cases Of those who have never shown a
lCiticr spirit than when physically OyCrpOwergd.
1t is only when tue spirit Is humulcd that justice
gets its complete satisfaction over the wrong
docr For generations the kidnapped African
and his pOSterity have begn accounted by
Sou hCrn masters "a no better tnlu th' beast, Of
the field. There ha' never been in sll tme,
one part Of a nations pOpulS,ion so utterly de-
spised, and SO unscrupu Ously used by another.
Even the puiah, of India are not held by q
long degree, in such cheap estimation by the
BHhmns; for mere OutcAss .uas n CHER than
a ChLtel. Even thCir chattai,m Oil not con-
tribute the full degradation Of the southern slave,
but sup .radted was the loathgd tsnt If African
h'COd. The Southern spirit, rs ig existed in
1860, could not possibly have received an insult
that would have stung 1t to such fury As the
! barest iutmai0n hat the time might soon como
| when Southern rulers would bG discussing, with
pallid lips, whether or not the slaves would be 50
! good and generous rs to forget their wrongs and
take up arms to fight a battle tor them which
| they had tried to win but could not
To this complexion IL comes at last. Whether
! the slaves actually fight or not, the humiliation
| Is already accompl he'd when the sldve-m isters
| arc compelled 10 hang their fate on the question
| whether the slaves are willing TO fight. II is a
| confession tJ the world that the slaves are
| really masters of the situation. This makes the
| aYcnging requial complete. "John Browns
soul" itself, having marched on" to that polut,
must rest satisfied.