Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-02-23

lude to the counties Of Prince George, Not
toway, Amelia, Powhattsn and Cumberland.
There would be nearly 6,Q00 male slaves
between the ages OF Is and As. If l50, 600
or 0,00O slaves we're nut into the army il
would require, as will show hereafter, at
least half between those ages. So that
from the FIVE counties named there would
be taken about 5000 male slaves. Suppose
only 1000 Of this number are returned after
having fiught as well and bravely as the
friends Of the scheme promise themsel
should then have some 400 negro soldiers
in each Of these counties. We shall have
taught them, as already stated, the use of
firearms and that liberty is worth fighting
for. They will have learned the power Of
combination, and have their minds set on
mastering and guns, Naturally averse to
labor. they will have become indolent and
mschievious. They will,be without restraint
and ready for all excesses. Here let the
curtain drop. Objections multiply as We
advance, and can do but little more than
suggest them. Il lHT.
~. BY the conscription of slaves we
shall surrender every ground assumed by
us at the beginning ofthe war We col
EMMY declared that no necessity shouid in
duce us to treat our own slaves as prisoners
of var We now propose to arm them ns
soldiers. We shall also be bound by every
, principle ofhumanity, to claim for them
: the rights of s0lllers---that, in case of can.
( ture, they shall be treated as prisoners =
! This necessarily comedies corresponding
! right on the part of our enemy. There will
I no longer be any contest with Beast But.
ler." We shall have placed black and
white soldiers on the same footing.
/ ". 1t will be confession of weakness
which will operate to our disadvantage.
both al home and among cur enemies. -
They will regard il as an admission Of great
exhaustion, and it viii enable them to ad-
vance more readily in raj, ing troops.
/ vi. The question of supplies for our ar
my and people cannot he overlooked. We
have difficulty in ptoyiling for our army
! without danger of producing scarcity among
4 the people. Some sections produce sur.
( plus, but they nre so remote and transac-
! tons so li'Uited, that every section has been
compelled to rely chiefly on it's products. =
! With all our slave population now under
our control, we have produced only enough
to supply our wants. 1t would be hazard
GUS to withdraw large part of our labor.
1t would be sad spectacle to see a large
army compelled to disband or give up its
position for want of food The question of
! supplies IS question OF army. r. tfH
| Ho then went into a statistical calcula.
ton to show that the number of male slaves
between the ages of lS and as was very
much exaggerated, and would not exceed
100000 after the numbers required for
teamsters and cooks had been raised, and
argued that it would be most unwise to
take these from the field, without an assu
rance, which, so lar, no one had been able
.l | IN olive that tbav IA Il
soldiers. 3a ....
o. He then proceeded to make other obiec:
tlons to the experiment. The Confederate
Government bad no power characterization.
This was conceded. The President did not
hold contrary doctrine, for in his message
ho adopts the report of the Secretary of
War, in which it is clearly admitted If
therefore, emancipation is necessary to
make the slave good soldier, and the
Confederate Government can't liberate him,
IL follows that State action IS necessary to
the success OF the measure, and the action
or the States agree to the iaeasure propos
edT think d0 nut go too far when I say
that all the States will not do so.
And the Currency bill lately passed by
this House, known as Mr.. Trenholm s
scheme rests entirely on the products Of
slave labor. Wheat, corn and cotton are
'immutaby pledged" Where will these
come from, after you inaugurate a policy
which not only takes productive labor from
/ the field now. but leads inevitably to the
{ destruction of Slavery hereafter? 1t utter.
ly destroys this measure.
But there are still other reasons why this
measure should be put at rest. 1t has ere.
ated despondency among our people, who
have concluded our CONDITION much worse
than it really is. 1t has frightened our ne
! groes, and made many of them escape to
the enemy. II the scheme il impracticable
! for any redson, we should so decide at once,
and restore confidence as as far as we can
among our people, and permit our fright
ened slaves to remain at home. ..