Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-11-09
RALEIGH: FRIDAY, Nov - loof'
Armins the Slaves.

We copy from the Confederate of Monday iast a
-smarkable article on this subject.
As we have no wish to misrepresent tnas paper
or misstate its position on this or any other ques
ion we conv the whole Of its article That paper
while it prudently and ingeniously aosta'ns from
committing itself in so many words to the PROPOSE
on to arm the slaves makes an argument IN favor
oi the proposition, and assumes the extraordinary
ground that the employment of slaves to light our
battles was anticipated previously to the war, and
has never been lost sight of by some who shave
consistently and nationally followed the course of
events" We repeat what we said in our last that
whatever may have been the secret purposes Of the
original secessionists, the idea that in any event,
our slaves would be armed to fight our battles, was
never given to the public of the probable, or
even possible consequences of dissolution. On the
contrary the people told that the only course to
prsrent emancipation, and the placing the slaves on
an equality with the whites was to secede from the
old government; but now, it seems, the employ
meDt of slaves as soldiers anticipated, and the
only way to secure independence to the whites IS
10 emancipa:e portion of the blacks and put them
in the field as soldiers We are thus called upon to
do the verv thing which it was said the enemy in
tended to force upon u.s. and which the cotton States
resisted in advance by their acts Of secession. Our
enemies abolitionize, and so must velour enemies
empley the negroes as soldiers, and so must VEL
our enemies destroy the institution about which We
went to war, and so must vel Werepeat if the peo-
ME of North Carolina had foreseen that the strug-
gle would ceme to this, they would never have au-
tborzed their delegates to separate the State from
the federal Union.
But the Confederate, in order to reconcile our
people to the employment of negro soldiers, can per-
ceye "neither degradation nor dshonor" in the
mere fact their employmenta such by our enemies,
but only breach of faith on their part towards the
negro and towards the South. That is the view
taken BY the Confederate. What, no degrada-
ton, no dshonor to the Northern government to
steal our slaves infame their passions against
their former masters, place them in their armies,
and turn them loose our people to rob, and burn,
and murder? No degradation, no dishonor in white
men to employ these poor creatures ito fight bat
ties in behalf of towards, who afraid to fight
the war they advocate and urges" The Editor Of
the Confederate must surely be presuming on the
credulity or the stupidity of his readers. But the
crime-the dishonor" of the Yankees consists, says
the Confederate, in robbing US Of our property and
then using it against as "without intending to
benefit the agents they employ" That is, accord
ing to the Gonfsderate the negro is forced to fight
for our enemies without any hope Of benefit or re.
ward. But the very reverse is the case, and just
here the shoe pinches those in the SouAb who pro-
pose to employ the negroes as soldiers The enemy
breaches freedom not only to tie negro soldier but
tohs wife and children; but the advocates of negro
soldiers In the South offer freedom only to the male
slave. His wife and children, though be may fight
like Trojan. and even save the life of his master
dozen times in battle, are still to be held in bond
age, and he is to be free only tie result of his
escaping the chances of war. 1t is criminal, it is
dshonorable, says the Confederate, to compel the
slave to fight without benefit to himself The slave
fights for the enemy to free his entire race, but he
would fight for US only to free himself If the
crime or dishonor must be measured by the benefit,
at whose door would the greater crime, the greater
dshonor rest7
But the Confederate not only justi6es the use of
slaves as soldiers against u.s. so far as their mere
employment is concerned, but it goes further and
seeks to reconcile people to the proposition by
holding up to them the example of heather nations.
1t refers to the Helots, the slaves of Sparta, who
were employed as soldiers; but it omlts two very.
important facts first that these slaves were white,
and therefore of the same color with the ruling
race; and secondly, that the Heots belonged, not
10 individuals, but to the State. They were simply
separate class of inhabitants, like the Doors or
seEs of Russia. Yet these Helots, thus elevated"
as the Confederate says, by the use of arms, rose
several times against their masters, and were with
u'mculty reduced to subjection As they belonged
the State, the State hada right to use them, and
ua so at times with effect; but it had to pay the
penalty m the nsubordination and revolt which in.
' 'sFaoly followed But the Spartsns were heathens
lucy "erea rough vulgar unpublished race, who des-
pSsa learning and encouraged cunning and dishones-
YIN their young men, nsomuch that the youth who
'u'u steal most without being detected in the act
most honored. Spartacus, who formed and led the
~ conspiracy of the slaves, seventy years before
s1 against the Roman empire soon found him.
wi a the head of 10000 men and so formidable
h.S ' 'ns conspiracy that even Rome trembed for
SAFETY This was one Of the results of the "ee-
b,S, .' OF white slaves by placing arms in their
as inrs The great Napoleon was urged at one time,
,b.a s campaigns against Russia, to place arms in
aa'us OF the Russian serts and encourage them
And 'Ae i0r their liberty; but ambitious as he was,
sscnsa Aious as he was to humble that empire and |
advantages to France, he refused to do it. be-
biEtu ~ was not willing to assume the response
acn a' " the horrors which Ae foresaw would result
Ss'A Such course. He was restrained. if not bv
spbi... sense of right, by the sentiment on this
w., w., " enlightened, civilized, Christian nations
sbiA A"o"' too that the Social War of Rome,
Paved sUOA place in the ee2d year of that empire
h n ae way to the widest disorder, and ultimate.