Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-11-17

To guppo0o that any slavenOoin8 couutry "ouio WE.
unfairly leave it to any other power than its OVID, TO
emancipate its slaves such absurdity, that We did
not bslievs single intelligent man in the Confederacy
caud entertain it. Still less could we believe ater
what bed taken place under the Unised States WIN
reenect 10 savsry in the Southern States 1t was posi-
be that any preterson to emancpa,e slaves could De
set up for the Confederate States It because the
exclusion of slaves from Territories by the Govern
ment of the United States looked to their emancpa-
tior, that &c resisted 1t.
The power 10 exercise it was never claimed BY
that Government The mere agitation IN the North
western States effect the emancipation OF our slaves
largely contributed TO our separation from them
And now, before Oonfedsrecy which We essa hlisned
years DID, We find the proposition gravely submitted
that the Confederate Government should emancpa:e
slaves in the Stats. South Carolina acting upon the
principle that she and she alone bad the power TO
emaocipase her slaves has passed laws promoting
their emancipation by any of her cit zens, unless they
are sent of the State and no free person OF color
already free who leaves the State, sha ever after
wards it. She has laws now IN force, pronloit-
ing free Negroes belonging TO either the Northern
States, European powers, from entering toe STATE;
aud by the most rigid provisions, they are selzsd and
put ato pri.oD should ,hey enter it, These were her
rights under The Union Of the United States, reeognz.
ed and protected by the Government OF the United
States and &cquiesced in by oil forsi nations And,
now here 1t 10 proposed that the Government OF the
Confederate States only has the right to selz5 our
slaves and to make them soldiers, bat TO emaoclpse
them in South Carolina, and compel rs to sive them
"a home F" among We confess that our lndgna-
tiun al such prsarsons il great, that ne are at
loss TO know how 10 treat them. To argue against
them ia ss>sulufcAtion. They are IS monstrous IS
they are insulting.
The pretex. for this policy H. that want soldiers
In our armies This pretext is set up by the Enquirer
in the face OF the fact disclosed by the President of the
Confederate Btates that two thirds Of soldiers now
in the army absentees from its ranks The Enquir
er ia devout upholdex of PraAident Davis and the
T. - ~
for such stae Of shinga Il passes over the gross
| misnanagement which hss produced them and cries
out that negroes wsnted 10 ill the ranks of
mics TIE President reiues the assertion. They are
not vented. The trssmen Of the country not de-
pendent slaves for thsr defence There arc twice al
| many at home are in the field. Why are they not
10 the servcef In our opinion, it il the fault OF The
Government, and can be rectlftd. But ii it IL the
fault OF the people, can slaves supply the place O.
two-thirds Of the people, TO give tie Confederate
States independence aod liberty! 1t is vain te
attempt to blink the truth. The freemen Of tn.
Confederate States muat work out their owr
redemption, they must be the slaves OF their owr
slaves. Tie craftsmanship, which looks to any othe
source for success, is contemplate charatanry 1t
worse-it is reachrry to cause itself Assert TIT
right 10 the Confederate Government to emancipatt
slaves and it ls all stone dead.
OF the two-tLirds of the freemen OF The Confederat
States, who absent from the army, there are tw
hundred thousand who have, by the direct action
permission OF the Government been exempted from ser
vice in the field These Alone placed in the 6sd,
sufficient to give SUCCESS to arms. hey constitute
portion of our enrolled aodisry, belonging dstinc
military Organizations AID command. The rfsjenc
of every OF them 10 known srd they are sm.ps-
BILE to military discipline ana seizure. Congress ha
passed law, taking rom the Government the powe
to con'icue these exempts. Why are they not put in
to tie ermyH The ground on which they were ex
empet SON service 10 the field was, that their iabo
Was important TO the Confederacy as borpe t.
DIVIDE for the county and the army than in the field
Admit that for this reason, the Government va
right in exenpsing from service in the 6eldit conciu
svry proves that slaves ought not to be abstrac
ted from this occupation. II for the last year. not on
all Saves but two hundred thousand of GU: soldiers
were necessary by their labor, TO make food for tn
country-does it not follow, that If you withdraw th
two hundred thousand soldiers from this occupation
the slaves ought not to be withdrawn also? The labo
of every slave 10 the Confederacy will be required
give 70 ID, and thus to save Gauss. They hav
be:n and must continue to be, vastly more useful to
as aborers than they could be soldiers. But "
tre in presenting these reasons Of e1pedieney that VI
in some sort, degrade the right. We deny that th
Government OF the Confederate States has the powe
by the Constitution Of the Confederate States, to con
scribe slaves into srnlies, or to emancipat
them ~ Char. Mercury.