Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-11-04
ARMING NEGROES.

1U6 lOllON dOIS dIlICLS III VppOsII4OiI
to the arming Of negroes we extract from
aleading editorial in the Lynchburg Re
publican:
Now, we are free to say that if the
South is to be abolitionized in the end, it
would have been far better for US TO have
been abolitionized in the beginning, and
that, if such a terrible calamity is to
befalI US at all, we infinitely prefer that
Lincoln shall be the instrument of our dis
aster and degradation, than that we our
selves should strike the cowardly and sui
cidal blow. lincoln steals our negroes
and burdens his people with keeping them
the E;,qWirer proposes to tree our ne
groes and make them perpetual burden
to the Confederacy, a standing insult TO
the manhood Of our people!
But this is not the most hateful aspect
of this question. "Justice and sound
policy" says the Enquirer, " demand that
1--WE make freeman Of those who fight for
freedom" This is the beast in all its
frightful deformity. Lincoln and Butler
declared that the negroes whom they make
fight for " freedom" are entitled to it, and
therefore should be treated and exchanged
as the equals of Southern gentlemen. If
the wild doctrines of the Enquirer be
sanctioned by our people or government,
then President Davis cannot gainsay the
propositions of Butler and Lincoln, and
must consent to the exchange of negroes
for white men. But this is not all. If
"those who fight for freedom" are entitl-
ed to it, then they are entitled" to it
equally. If the negro is made to fight
our battles Of "freedom" then he must be
governed by the same laws of war, and
he must stand upon the same footing of
the white man after the war. What will
be the consequence? Why, if 100000
negro men are entitled to their freedom
because they fight for it, then their wives,
children and families are also entitled to
, the same boon, just as the wives, children
and families Of the wife men who fight the
same battles. In other words, the South
is to be converted by this war into an
abeIitioaized colony of free negroes, in
stead of band of white freemen, know
ing their rights, and daring to maintain
them. If the negroes are to be free thew
must be equally free with the master. If
they are to be armed like the master, then
they are in fact equal to the master What
is the result9 Why, they never can be
epslaved again, and must be treated as the
master, politically, civilly and socially
"Those who fight for freedom are en-
titled to freedom" says the Enquirer, and
we say so too. If the white men of the
South are willing to make the shameful
confession that they have accepted war
which they cannot fight to successful is
sue, and that they claim rights in slaves
which they are incapable Of maintaining
by force of arms, then we say we deserve
no other fate than to be leveled to the
equality of the negroes.
There are other revolving aspects in
which this question presents itself to our
mind, but we have not space to discuss
them this morning. We shall revert to
the subject again, for we honestly believe
that should such doctrines meet with any
considerable favor at the South, our cause
is hopelessly lost, and the country not
worth one drop of the precious blood which
has been shed in its behalf. Instead of
being war for the freedom of the white
man, it will degenerate int6 struggle for
the freedom and equality of cur slaves
IF our people are not capable Of vindicat-
ing their title to property in negroes, then
they ought to quietly surrender the ques-
ton, stop the war, abolish slavery and
confess themselves eternally disgraced.
SENATOR B. II. HILL, OF GA, AND THE
PRINrERs.-In letter lately published,
Senator Hill, of Ga, among other things,
pitches into the printing offices in the Con-
federaey for having more employees than
is necessary to carry on their business, or
that the law, contemplates that they should
have. This is an egregious error, and does
great injustice to the proprietors of jour
nails, and casts gratuitous slur upon the
patriotism of printers, as class The
truth is, there are less printers and en-
Ployees at the business throughout the
Confederacy, by at least two-thirds, than
there were before the war; and no one
VIM deny the fact, who has taken any
pans to inform himself, that the work re.
CURED to be done 10y printing offices has
asen quadruPled since the war commence
60. Look, for instance, at the vast and
varied amount of government work now
:Pr'nfea Every department of our com M