The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-16
TIE GATE CITY


The Rssels AfAiAg rAsif sr.vss.
The proposition 70 arm the slsves a
the South to fight in defense Of SLAYER,
has called out some death-bed confession
from the Richmond coaspirators.
X. M. 7. Hunter, one Of the late Pesc,
commissioners at Fortress Monroe. saif
that, as he had been instructed by tn,
Virginia Legislature to vote against hi,
conviction, it was proper he should give
MS opinions. When We left the old Gov.
eminent he thought We had gotten rid
forever of slavery agitation !; that we
were entering into new Confederacv,
where the agitation Of the slavery ques.
ton, which had become intolerable under
the old Union, was to have no place. To
his surprise he finds this Government as.
sumes power to arm slaves, which in
wolves also power of emancipation. The
agitation of the question Of the assumption
OF this power, he stated, gave origin to the
gloom which now overspreads the people.
They know that if our liberties were to be
achieved, it was to be done By the hearts
and hands of true men. It also injured
US abroad; it was regarded as . comics.
sion of dispair and abandonment of ground
upon which We started from the old Union.
We had insisted Congress had no right
to interfere with slavery. We also con.
tended that whenever the races were
thrown together one must be master aud
the other slave, and we have vindicated
ourselves against the accusation of Abo-
htlonists by asserting that slavery was the
best and happiest condition of negroes
This proposition admits the right Of tic
central Government to put slaves into Tire
militia, and emancipate so many as shall
be placed in military service. It is clear
ly criminal of the central Government to
emancipate slaves. II we were light 10
passing this measure, we were wrong in
denying to the old Government the right
to interfere with the institution of slave
ry and to emaneipate slaves. Besides, if
we offer slaves their freedom we confess
that We were insincere 10 asserting that
slavery is the best state for the negroes
themselves. They had been sincere in de-
ciaring that the central Government had
no power over the institution of slavery.
and that freedom would be no boon to the
negro.
lie believed the arming and emancipa-
ting OF slaves was the abandonment Of
this contest and the grounds on which it
was undertaken. Not for all the gold in
California whould he have put his name
to such measure unless obliged to do SO
by instruction.
Mr.. Hunter argued the necessity of
freeing the negroes if they were made SOL
diers. Something in the human heart
tells US when they come out SCARED from
conflict they must be free. If we could
make them soldiers. we could make them
officers, perhaps to command whites.
Mr. Graham opposed the bill. He
considered the adoption Of the measure as
an actual abandonment of the principles
of the contest, and protested against the
right of the Virginia Legislature to in
struct Senators after the mature delibsr-
alton of the Senate.
Mr., Semms advocated the bill as ne
cessity, and said it was urged By General
Lee, and the consequences which would
not be 30 bad as represented.
The bill. however, passed BY one ma
lority.