Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-11-11

NEGROES FOR TUE REBEL ARNY.-The No
bile Tribune Of late date, in a long article
spon the subject of conscripting the negroes
for military service, says:
Instead Of weakness, it is the strongest assur-
ance Of using all our power and strength. To
bring into service quarter Of million Of men
is no confession Of exhaustion, no sign of weak
ness To proclaim our purpose to add the mill
tary strength Of four millions Of slaves 70 that
Of eight millions of whites has, We think, rather
the appearance Of power than Of weakness. As
to the effects Of this proposition upon subsistence
it should be borne in mind that the production
Of supplies IS not our present difficulty, bat
their ira HspOrtG tiOn and distribution; that zee
hGree ample supply Of pr0risi0rs for the
irkOI c0uRtry, If Il lraS properly distributed.
Negroes now do not aid in the transportation Of
supplies, but, when in the army, they may be
used 10 further that great military end as well
as to fight.
The objection that the negroes will give
trouble and become dangerous, Is refute1 by
their docie and subordinate behavior during this
war, when so many Of the whites are from home,
and when the enemy has been pressing our arm
les 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 h0Us-
and irhO hare gone Of and are H0r rih he
Yankees. trsnt because they trers demOraiisef
6y the fight Of so many irhites from the Yam
KEGS, and because they were deceived by the
promises and driven off by the military power
Of the enemy This war has not failed to teach
the negro the lesson that his interests and those
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 negroes.
1t is objected by some, that to give freedom TO
the negro soldier is TO acknowledge that freedom
| is a boon, and hence that slavery IS wrong-that
| the strong argument which this war IS teaching
the world, that slavery is the God-appointed in
stitution for the negro, will be weakened and
| refuted if freedom is given as the reward and
price of military service-that If negroes are re-
| duired for the army they should be drafted as
slaves, treated as property, when lost in service
paid for, and after the war returned as slaves 70
their masters. But it should be remembered
that whether freedom to the negro be really a
blessing or curse, that many negroes desire
Il, and are IrilIiag 10 take it ereR from h'
| Yankees. Freedom Is given to the negro sol
| der. not because we believe that slavery i,
wrong, but because We must offer to the negroes
inducements to fidelity which he regards al
equal if not greater than those offered by the en-
emy. The Yankee makes the negro free at tn,
North We offer him freedom at home. Oul
correspondent "a b. beliereI the negro lr0ull
desert from us 10 the Yankees, and calls atten
tion to the fact that the negro does not deser
from the Yankees TO Us. The reasons given fo
this by the correspondent are correct and prop
| er The Yankee negro at present fears US nor
than he does the dangers of the Yankee service
but, when once he sees negroes in our army anC
| understands that freedom and home in tn
confederacy is the reward Of service in our army
that there the field Of labor Is open TO him, Will
II is closed in the United States, we believe tina
the tide of desertion would set strongly in GU
favor.
We are not prepared 10 say that this msasUT
is demanded by our present exhaustion. We d
not believe it is. But the future must be pro
vided for-snd it must be apparent to every sen
sible man that the drain xpoH the population {
the Confederate States lrhich this irdr has mad
must sreafually exhaust those States unle:
; something is done to supply this drain froI
other sources than the white population. III
CoRscriptio.. Lalr cannot be extended to an
! gTedIeT age anu lls tAtCutluus HomtNei AAu1
r improved. cannot find the men to supply Il
losses as fast as the campaigns create then
Shall we permit the enemy to use the negro
against US, or shall we make use Of them for OF
defence
Every man should weigh well this questo
and disconnect it altogether from the subject
slavery, emancipation and other matters II
e negroes have their places in this fight, a.
: whether their place be found in our ranks
:, those of the enemy will be for the Confedera
Congress to decide. They are already in {
= fight, and against us-our own resources of IN
V are being turned against us. Shall We sit id
by, chattering about slavery and emancipatiO
while MIME balls frum muskets in negro han
whistle around u.s. Had we begun this "
with our slaves as well as with their maste
Lincoln could not now boast Of his 1.-TWO hundr
thousand colored troops" The past cannot
remedied, but the future may be provided I
y Reorganize the army, consolidate the regimen
h organize the negroes and peace will soon follC
, Leave affairs as they are, and there will SC
he neither army nor negroes, nor COnfeder
l. Gtatas