, 1864-03-19
THE Excitement in Kentucky About
Negro EnldfcrN.

Inc hentNcky eloVel0lueI8 Arc making q
loud and threatening clamor, over an order
from Washington, to enroll the able; bodied
negroes preparatory to drafting part of
them to help ill up the quota of that State.
The Cincinnati Commercial talks to the excl
ted KeutuckIans like father on the subject.
1t says: ,.. ,.- ~ ,....
While Governor Bramlette's proclamation
Is not document Indicating serenity Of
temper and absolute equipoise ofjudgment,
the advice given the class Of persons WHO are
tncky, is We1l-t[med and sound. .. It is, in sub.
stance-Sub1ait to tie tams, and .tr-usttq legal
Who arc the negroes, that they ahould be
exempted from the peri1s Of war;. Why
Should the rich mans negro b eTeNptad, aud
interests IN Kentucky, TO- conserge except
those of the owners Of negroes?: Does the
ownership Of. black men imply property
rights In white men, and special privileges In
tile State Is this peculiar slave property
The most sacred Of all things?:sa
do not believe loyal Kentucklaus would this,
day advise the disbandiDg OF this army, Il the
whole case were committed to their dlscre-
ton. It would sensibly detract from our
ability speedily to end the war, to throw away.
the sixty thousand black troops under arms.
ed. It has been among the boasts Of Ken
tuckian5 that they are emineutl7 practical
people. Then let them come up to the cool
| and quiet consideration Of the accomplished
facts. There are the blacks already clothed
in blue, glittering With the eagle-butto1s,
and .ea1Tyfng y ga the bay0nets and banners OF ths
A few thousand negroes from Kentucky,
will not affect any general principle, and
might be setviceabie In the ranks. We can
lose nothing, moral}y, and We can gain some
thing, phyalcally, By putting IN 4, thsss T. ne
] indeed, very practical. view OF the mat
/ There we're wise and good men IN Ken
] tucky who, long ago, looked upon slavery as
necessary evil in their State. Certainly it
! is an unnecessary evil now. More than that,
| 1t must speedily, in any turn of affairs, be-
has been destroyed IN Tennessee, not by
| procluu,atfons, but by the direct process Of
war The hostility to slavery has greatly In
| creased north Of the Ohio River. Missouri
and West Virginia ,have provided ior eman. :.
| she would, stand an isInn1 of slavery in. the
| midst of these revolutionary changes wash
| ing lcr oil around with the waves OF uuivcr-
| sal emancipation? Slavery Is sensitive, and
| peculiarly perishable- It shlink4 from Dor.
| surrounded By the facts and penetrated with
! the spirit OF freedom. There Is one thing
| that can compensate Kentucky for her 1osses
and SORROWS In this war, and that is rfadance
| of the burden OF slavery. If slaverI- were
| to-day swept out Of the State, us With a
broom, and every dollars worth Of negro
property annihl1ated, the increased gplue Of
the land won1d, to.morroW, fur more than
| make up the loss, Theak things seem to us
| 60 patent that We marvel all practical people
do not recognize them as un1nistakable,
Kentucky has had, no. has, representatives
In Congress for her negroes, fire .degrocs
connting as three whites In making up the
figures OF population for the Congressional
apport:onment. She can not ignore the ne
gro element in her political composition.
Why should Its military strength be refused
to the country? Kentucky does not seek ex-
emption for her white men from military SER
vice. Why then such yociferation and doutcrE
about black meny Kentucky has submitted
to the inlpressment Of horscs, and the sup
preston Of distil1eries, the appropriation Of
grain and the consumption Of fences, IS mill
tary necessities, and that with no extrnordl-
nary deye1opement Of distress. Is the; negro
so much more delicate and lovely than other
! property that: his impressment should cause
alarm and anguish so astounding? It is Gu
rious II tits So. Let us put away this folly,
this fanaticism for the elfete, and have done
+ with It forever. There has been, we are sorry
to say, according to our observation, moro
widespread grief in Kentucky In mere antic-
ipatlon OF the enrolment OF negroes, than at
the actual loss Of all the horses John Morgan
has stolen, or: Of all the beeyes that were
slaughtered By BragE's army. !;