Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-07-26

CURED by powerful and influential communities.
il Is quite possible that thew nav be recognized
! hereafter BY Congress a legitimate object Of
national ASSUMPTION; and if this happens those
communities that have retained their iaborers at
home. and thereby secured their prosperity during
the war, will cast part Of the burden Of their
exemption upon other sections
Obviously what has been wanting has been wis
dom and foresight IN those who have controlled
the public measures OF the var, and who have
resorted 10 one expedient after another without
fixed policy; who have acted where they ought
4 not and have failed To act where action and reg
ulation were demanded.
\ But subject which requires particular notice
IS the employment Of negro troops in the war
An act Of Congress. passed the 18th day Of July,
1862, authorized the President Ito receive into
the service of the United States for the purpose
of constructing intrenchments, or performing
camp service. or any other labor or any military
or naval service for which they NAV be found
competent, persons OF African descent; and such
persons should be enrolled and organized under
such regulations. not inconsistent with the con-
stitutOn and laws, "a the President might pre-
scribe; and further, that they should receive
| ten dollars per month and one ration three dol
lars of which monthly pay might be in clothing"
Without any other law on the subject prior in
| date to the present session of Congress Except
| 81
President, in his message of December g. 1868
announced that "of those who were slaves at the
beginning of the rebellion. fully one hundred
thousand are in the United States military
service. about one-half of which number actual
~ bear arms in the ranks T"
At the present session, on the oath OF Feblu-
airy. an act amendatory Of the conscription act of
1863 was approved, the twenty fourth section of
which provides for the enrolment of colored per
sous between twenty and forty FIVE years of age;
that slaves of loyal masters drawn and mustered
into the public service shall be free, and one
hundred dollars for each shall be paid to the
master; and that in the slave States represented
in Congress, the loyal master of a slave who vol
unteers into the public service shall be paid a
sum not exceeding three hundred dollars out of
the military communication fund.
By the army appropriation bill. approved July
; ID, 1864. II was further provided THAT all per
sons of color who have been may be mustered
into the military service of the United States
shall receive the same uniform, clothing, arms,
equipments, camp equipage, rations, medical and
hospital attendance, pay and emoluments other
than bounty, other soldiers of the regular and
volunteer forces of the United States of like arm
of the service. from aud after the first day of
January, 1864, and that every person of color
who shall hereafter be mustered into the service
shall receive such sums of bounty the Pres-
dent shall order in the different States and parts
of the United States, not exceeding one hundred
dollars each "
This enactment is similar in terms to a bill
which passed the Senate in March last, upon the
consideration of which il announced that AT
least two hundred thousand colored troops would
be raised Adding to this number the number
stated by the President to be in the service in
, Decembet last, would make one quarter Of mil
lion OF troops of that description
The msaure So above mentioned would estab
ell IF
ernment:
First The employ ment of black troops gener-
: ally, both slave and free.
Second The equality of black troops with
white as to compensation and supplies; and
|, Third. The payment to the loyal master of a
slave of a bounty of one hundred dollars when
the slave is drafted into the service, or of boun-
ty not exceeding three hundred dollars when he
volunteers.
The practical results of this policv are TO OBJ
! tain inferior quality OF troops at the highest
rate of expense to impose upon the Treasury
the support of an enormous number of undisci-
, plined and ignorant negroes; to recognize the
principle OF buying negroes from their masters,
whether public interests require il or not. and to
incur the risk OF breaking down in war because
. OF the ineihciency OF the forces employed in il.
prosecution; besides, il is notorious that in pur-
suing this policy, the negro women and children
must to a great extent be thrown upon the gov
4 eminent for support or be left to perish. There
has never been an extensive objection to the EN-
ployment of negroes, under the act of 1862, in
those war employmeuts for which they are fitted
as laborers and teamsters for camp service. In
the warm parts of the country, especially, they
could be thus employed, and a reasonable num-
Der doubtless might also be employed for some
sort of service in the navy; but to employ an
unwieldly number of them at such prodgous
expense is most evident folly and wrong aud it
will ha oil sio In
from it. We know reason for this extrava-
q giant, costly and dangerous policy, except a de-
sire OF the majority in Congress to establish (if
indeed their enaciments could accomplish such
o6ject,) the equality of the black and white
. with each other But, doubtless the employ
r ment of blacks in the is to be the pretext
o for extending TO them the right OF suffrage, and
also social position. and to be followed probably
1 by the organization of considerable body of
: them into a standing army.
4 The Immediate result of this policy of negroism
n in the war has been TO postpone and at last to
limit, the increase of compensation to our cti-
i zen soldiers. Bills providing such increase
were permitted to lie Enacted upon in Congress
o for more than five months of the present session.
and the bill finally adopted for that purpole was
inadequate and made to take effect only from the
lst OF May, 1864. Ii increased the pay of pri-
Yates from thirteen to sixteen dollars per month
without distinction of color and the paw OF
= officers ia somewhat similar proportions. But
the smaness of this increase, well as the delay
in enacting, was occasioned by the extravagant
= measures above mentioned. The treasury
+ strained by the payment of enormous to
negroes by reason OF their employment in in
h creased numbers and at increased rates of ex-
I pense, could lily respond to the just demands
made upon it in behalf of our citizen soldiers
Besides, il is Instructive to observe that in this
legislation by Congress which increased paw to
white troops. begins the LIST of May, an in
D cease TO coloEed troops dated the LIST of jan
, uary And provision contained in the act of
o 18th June, authorizes the Attorney General of
the United States to inquire whether increased
pay under former laws cannot be allowed TO ne
{ groes employed in the public service before the
beginning of the present year who were free on
! the 18Th of April. 1851 and if he deter mine to
favor of such allowance his decision shall be
carried into effect by orders OF the War Depart
: ment. The majority in Congress in pursuing this
phantom of negro equality are as improvident
n they are impassioned. The decision of the War
Department lin accordance with the opinion OF
/ its sOlictOr) "a to the compensation of negroes
under former laws is to be opened and subjected
, to review By the Attorney General, in the hope
that some additional meaning may he wrung out
of the statutes. justtiying additional expenditure
upon favorite object
Ii ought to be manifest To every reasonable
man that negroes IN service should be paid less
! tA. Il.