M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1864-12-08

gested that, in addition to the duties
heretofore performed by the slave, he
might be advantageonsly employed as
pionaer and engineer lab irers, and,
IN that event, that the number should
he augmented to forty tho usand,
| Beyond this limit and these employ
ments, il does not seem 10 me d1slrea
bic, under TX sting circumstances to 60
\ broa 10 'rl distinction exists be
tween the usJ Of slaves ae soldiers in
the defense Of their homes, and the in
ctemcnt OF the same persons to nsur
Ireclion against their masters. The
one is iIsiTflb'e II necessary the
other Ia nqutCus and unworthy of a
jcsalized people aud such is the
! IjHdgun1nt ri all writer's Of public law
~ we'll as that expressed and insisted
on by our en,mi1s in al wars prior
to thar nov waged aglinst us. BY
Inlna have tho practices, OF which they
are now guilty, been denounced with
greater severity than th9m'elvo, in
the .tvp wT5 with Grsat 'BfitIan in
tha last an1 in the present century;
and in tha Declaration of lndepen
dcnce oi 1915 when enumeration was
ma ie ufths wrong',which justified the
revolt lrln Grelt Britian, the climax
Of Nroc,ty WA dsemjl to be reached
only when the English monarch va,
ijenrnncei ls having excited domes
tic ;nsurrec,irn Among us.'
The suhjaet is to he viewed by us,
therefore, s'Ie IN the light OF policy
an our social economy. When 60
regarlsl, mast Dissent from those
who advise u general levy and arm
ing uf tho slaves for the duty Of sold
iers. Until onr white population shall
prove insufficient for tile armies we re
q lire anl can atfrd to keep in the
he'l, TO employ rs soldier the negro
who haa lugreIy been trained TO labor
an ~ u laborlr, for the white man
accustomed from his youth 10 the use
OF fire arms, would scarcely be deem
cd wise or advantageous by any and
this IS the question now before us.
But should the alternative ever be pre-
seuteh OF suhjugation or the employ
ment Of the slave as " soldier, there
seems no reason to doubt what should
! then be our decision,
Whether our view embraces what
would in 30 extreme case, he the
SUN Of military entailei by dominion
o! the enemy or to be restricted solely
to the welfare and the happiness Of
the negro population themselves, tho
result would be the same. The ap.
palling naturalization, suffering dis
ease and death which have been cauI
cd by partially substituting the invG
ler's system Of policy for the kind
relation previously subsistion between
master and slave, have been a
sufficient demonstration that external
interference with our institution OF
domestic slavery is productive of evil
on,y' ii the subject involved No
other consideration than the mere
right Of property, tho sacrifices here
tolpre mlle by our people have been
such a. t. permit NJ doubt of their
readiness to surrender every posses
siDa IN order to secure their indepen
donco' Bat the social aud political
question, winch i5 excluslvely under
tn control Of tho several States, has
y tar wider and more enduring impor
tance than that OF pecuniary interest.
In its manifold phases, it imbraces tae
stability OF on, republican institutions
resting on the actual political equality
Dl all its ctiz ms, aud includes the
'uIiiment of the task which has been
Il happy begun, that of christianizing
apI mpr wing the Africans who havs
w the VIII of Providence, been plac
ed in our charge. Comparing the re-
suits of our own experience with thoss
of tho experiments VI others, who
aave born similar relation to the
A r;can race, the people OF the sever
al States of the Uonfederscy have
abundant reason to be satisfied with
the past, and to use the greatest cir
cum3pection in determining their
course These considerations, how
ever are rather applicable to the i'm
prob ,ble contingency of our need OF
resurtins 10 this element of resistenc
than to ohr present cou!iiion' II the
rec 1mmeniallon abode made, for this
training of forty thousand negroes for
the service indicate shall, meet your
appreciation, it is certain that even
this limited uumb.r, by 'h ,ir prope'
training in intermediate duties, wouI
form a more valuab o reserve force il
case of urgency, than threefold the +
number suddenly called from fell lH
bor: while fresh levy could, to
certain extent supply their places in