Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-21
name Of humanity to the loyal blacks" Gov.
Andrew replied as follows:

cannot BRING myself to do any thing to take away
from the command under Gen. Dix this great reserved
force a. know you would find il if you would bat it,
you are attacked let the blacks fight to their
freedom They are needed If any thing could strengthen
my previous opinions this point ID would be Just such
facts a. you narrte in your letter If the negroes have
wives and children to fight for in addition their freedom
they will not show themelves insensibe to the motives
which have inspired all other races 1t is one OF their
rights to strike for their dearest other rights a. all
have done. should welcome every blow of theirs which
might at once carry succor to patriot death to traitor
confusion to their slanderers renewed life to their
veins, and victory to our f,g
C0ntemplatn n.y. however, the possibility of their
val permit say that the Northern States are of all
places the worst possible to select for asylum These
poor people, ah0At upon the world inhabitants of
Southern climate and have habits and subject needs
and to peculares OF physical constitution accordingly
Where then is the prudence the humanity Of subject
irg them at once to the g0r Of northern sky in the
winter season, with the moral certainty of nfictDg
treme suffering resulting probably in disease and death
II their removal Is definitely determined upon, would
take the liberty Of suggesting for the asylum Union
foothOld 10 the Sonh-as Hilton Head-where they could
retain their health be trained soldiers and their labor
be rendered economically available. For them to
here for encampment asylum would be to
pers and sufferers into strange land and climate trying
even to its habtu6s, of homeless wanderers
migrating without purpose and not to the wilderness where
the strong arm would suffice for maintenance, but to
busy community where they would be incapable Of self
nelp-a course certain to demoralze themselves aud
danger others"
As in the year 1862 Governor Andrew could
not bring himself to do any thing to take away
from the command of Gen. Dix the great reserved
force" that was to be found in blacks fighting for
their wives and children on their own soil and in
their own neighborhood, he must see the impro-
priety of advocating different policy at the pre-
sent time, as it would take away from our Gene
rails in the field what he calls their reserved force"
and which Gen. Thomas is popularity supposed to
be organizing, under the direction of the War De-
partment, as rapidly as circumstances will permit
If in the year 1862 the Governor had given asylum
to the suffering and endangered contrabands at
Fortress Monroe, he might have properly recruited
from among them any able bodied men in their
number, as in that case the responsibility of sus-
tanning and supporting the dependents left behind
would have lain too obviously at the door of Mas
sachusetts to be neglected. But to refuse hospi.
tality to the blacks of the South in 1862 from the
fear of finding them an incumbrance on the State,
and then to propose in 1864 to 60 among the
blacks of the South for the purpose of existing
soldiers without the usual burdens entaed by
such enlstments, seems to US, to say the least of
it, very unilateral transaction, in which the pro-
fits mainly on the side of Massachusetts, If
there be any force in the logic of Gov. Andrew
when he refused the rights of ay'um to these
q poor people aHoat in the world" because, as
/" inhabitants Of a Southern climate" they would
find Massachusetts too cold for them, be must ad-
NIT that it would be curious solecsm in politics
and geography to enroll these "children of the
sy,nU amopo tho t;tuIsr n,;l;t.rr of.nr;r. &c ~
"frozen North" The eternal fitness of things is
clearly against his pleasant project.
There is another branch of this subject which has
peculiar interest to the people Of the District of
Columbia. 1t is known that in accordance with
orders from the War Department, colored men are
prohibited from leaving this District at the in
stance of foreign crinping agents, for the pur-
pose of enlisting in the army at any other place.
BY this order the military authorities are required
to prevent colored men going North for that pur-
pose and to arrest oil parties who shall aid or abet
them in so doing.
proper and just. The people of this District
alone among the Territories of the Union, (for the
District has been judicially declared to be Ter
ritory) have been called to furnish their contin-
gents to the army of the United States, and, as
W have no Governor to protect US | Ike Illinois
and other States in which such irregular recruiting
has been forbidden, it was incumbent on the SEQ
rotary of War to see justice done in the premises
This he has done, and in doing it he is NJ less en-
titled to the support of all fsir-minded men than
to the thanks of the people of the District.
Our assessed quota under the last call of the Gov
eminent is exceedingly heavy, and would become
intolerable if at the same time while we are called
to sustain an undue share Of the burdens Of the
impoverished black population that has flowed in
upon us, We are to be deprived by other commu-
mites of any facilities their numbe. may afford for
filling up our military contingent. To state the
proposition is to expose the inequality and ipjus-
ioe Of tho measure proposed at the expense of the
people of this DISTRICT. Nothing but the most in
tcnse sel6shness could blind the perceptions of
men to the inequality Of the policy they advocate
when they arragn the conduct of the Secretary Of
War simply because he endeavors to procure for
the people Of this District that protection which
the Governors of the several States are swift to
claim for the iphabitsuts thereof
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