Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-10-19
THE NORTH
Aiming the SIaxes.


IN the field against the North. We attached but
Slight importance to this proposition, because we
could not think for a moment that an attempt
would be made to carry it out But the Richmond
Sentinel Of October 18th endorses the proposition
in the following language:
We do not forget however, that there is
another source to which the Yankees look for rein
forcements and on which they build large calcula.
lions; We mean the negroes Indeed, Mr.. Lincoln
openly admits that take away this help, and he has
no chance Of success. He and his echoes even at.
firm that they have at this time, two hundred
thousand sons of Africa in his military service
This is manlfestly untrue. Where are they p
Grants and Sheridans and Sherman's armies, all
united, would not amount to two hundred thousand
men. But our enemies do not remember one thing
They do not remember that, as President Davis
says, we are fighting not for slavery, but for indie
pendence. We would sooner sacrifice slavery
thousand times than be conquered BY the Yankees
and then have it sacrificed by them. If it become
necessary we can enlist the negro element on our
own side. We can make all the offers that the
Yankees can, and some that they cannot. We are.
far more considerate for domestics than our in
human enemies. We have not desired to involve
them in our wars Save for our tend erness for
them, we could long ago nave used them to far bet.
ter purpose than the Yankees ever can, If neces-
sity should ever obge us to lay aside our scruples,
upon our enemies will be all the blame before God
and man."
The Sentinel is the special organ of the President
and what it says on any subject is. therefore, en-
titled to more than ordinary consideration
Do we dream, or is this sad realityP Do we indeed
live in Gospel land, under the sun of the nine
teenth century, What people is thisf Are these
the descendants Of Washington, and Jefferson, and
CASTOR, and Lowndes, and Moultrie, and Prentiss.
and jackson, and Polk, and Harrison and Clay?
The people-no, the government Of the North-with
a refinement Of cruelty to which language can give
no adequate expression, has srmed hundreds Of
thousands of these poor creatures, hudded them in
camps, and hurled their bodies against our breast
works and through storms of grape, and canister,
and minnie balls and thus sent them to their death
in their efforts to overcome US; and now it is Pro-
posed that zee should do the same thing-should
clay aside our scruples" and commit this great
sin against our slaves against ourselves against HUI
manity, and against God Is our government gong to
oft? lift does, it will proclaim by such an act
that the white. men of the Confederate States are
not able to achieve their own liberties and will thus
in reality give up contest which it will seek to
prolong by the cowardly sacrifice Of an unwarhke
and comparatively innocent race.
The proposition is to free two or three hundred
thousand slaves, and then order them to fight for
US. Will they do ita Would they moi, with arms
in their hands, either desert to the enemy turn
their weapons against usf And what would our
soldiers say to proposition which would place
negro troops OF the same footing with themselves
We have a right to speak freely, and we intend
to do so, far the Conservatives of this State
are concerned They, the Conservatives have done
more than their duty in this war; There are fewer
deserters among them, and there are fewer of them
at home than the original secessionists. They are
willing to continue the war by white men, and be-
0een white men, as long as there is ground to hope
that the South can succeed, provided every honora.
bic effort is made meanwhile to obtain peace; but
they not willing to remain in the ranks and
fight side by side with negroes against negroes and
| abolitonists, while originals skukng from SER
vice, or making the employment Of neg roes as sol
ders pretext for not going to the War themselves.
The aboltionists of the North are thrusting the
poor negro between themselves and danger; and
now the seccssionists of the South are suggesting
in the nope tnat some of them may escape the bull
lets they ought long since to have dared on the
! field of battle.
This proposition to arm our slaves is not only in
expressiby wrong ITSELF but it is calculated to
demoraze our slave population, and thus increase
the chances that the institution will be destroyed
by the war. Every intelligent stakeholder and
non-saveholder, and every citizen vino has spark
Of Conservatism or humanity in his bosom, should
set his face against it like flint The prayer which,
in the very nature of things, would be put up for
the success in battle of share of these poor
creatures against the share or interest in similar
creatures on the federal side with which they would
contend, would cause the blood to cold and the
hair to stand on end. Our secession readers may
imagine such prayer, but we must be spared the
effort to conceive it and commit it to paper.
The effect of so desperate proposition, together
with the statement of Mr.. Davis In his Macon
speech in relation to the absentees from our army
cannot fail greatly to encourage our enemies The
New York Herald Of late date says:
"Our latest advices from Richmond present a
more dismal picture Of the desperate extremities of
the rebel Confederacy than was given to the world
the other day by JET Davis in his doefu harangue at
Macon, Ga and Jeff's disclosures of his melancholy
condition were sufficient to convince the thinking
world that he has the fatal handwriting the
wall His confession that two thirds Of his enlisted
fighting men were deserters or stragglers, absent
without leave, settled the question; but when it is
proposed at Richmond to meet this ruinous def
cheney by arming the slave population, on the basis
Of emancipation, we see the enemy driven to the
pirates last resort of blowing up his ship to
escape capture.
The Macon speech of Davis, the furious but i'm
potent efforts of Hood to extricate himself from
Sherman the still desperate but equally futile
efforts Of Lee right and left to break through the
tightening coils Of Grant, are convincing evlden.
ces that the rebellion is in its dying struggles.
But, if further evidence be demanded think that
to satisfy the most skepticsl copperhead, We have