The Portland daily press., 1865-03-27
H0lp me. sambo, or I Sink

The more we reflect upon the measure Of
arming the slaves, which the So called Coufed
crate Congress has recently adopted, the more
it excites our wonder and surprise. To arm
certain number of negro slaves for tns pu,
pose OF keeping all the rest in ponusse' -
quite an anomaly in the history Oh nasions.
It is indeed one Of Inc iarseiS F"
this marvellous age-oDe OF those 2loio-
syncracies which sometimes characterize an
ind,vidnA or a people. And our wonder ard
surprise are increased when we reflect ON the
principal cause that produced the rebellion in
which our people are now engaged to save
the life of this great Republic. To perpetpate
human bondage, to rivet the letters upon the
limbs Of the slaves more closely, and to ex-
tend the area of the peculiar institution"
they fred upon Sumter and commonwealth
rebellion in earnest. And now they call
on poor SAMBo to help them finish the damn
able work they SO recklessly beguni No par
allel to this can be found in the history Of the
world. Strange to say, il has been left for
the Southern Shareholders to astonish man
kind with such demonstration, and the last
half of this enlightened century has been
chosen for the time in which these fantastic
tricks are played before high heaven.
In all other instructions of The people
against their governments, the spirit ofliberty
has been the great motive powerTthe strong
incentive to action; but in this the very re-
verse has been the case. These chivalric
men war not for liberty, but for slavery II
their slaves had arisen and thrown off s'the
yoke Of bondage" which has CALLED. their
necks so many years, there would have been
nothing anomalous or marvellous in the insur-
rection, and the historian who might have re-
corded it would have not have made record
essentially different from those which proceed
ing historians had made; but the record Of
this rebellion and its objeetive points will as
tonish and amaze coming generations 10 the
fast syllable of recorded time.' We say this
because we believe in the progressive move
meuts of humanity |; and ii the world does
not retrograds, the record OF this rebellion
will never cease to excite the wonder and
amazement Of the people Of all coming time.
1t is remarkable fact that during this ter
LlOl0 StruggieS Juo uegTOeS nave uOL drlStn
and struck for their freedom! Many prophe-
sled that there would be an insurrection-a
terrible and bloody Instruction; bat bow
false have all such prophesies proved The
slaves have been quiet and abided their time,
and this, not Oh account of their ignorance OF.
the nature of the war, butfar from it. They
"A have known all along what their masters
waged this war for quite as well as any white
people either North or South, and yet they
have remained quiet as il they kaew it were
best to let we'll enough alone. True, wher-
ever our armies have penetrated the negroes
have rallied round the Rag OF Freedom,
sought their hoerty and cheeriuhy offered
their services to our Government.
10 show that the slaves are net Ignorant Of
thu rebellion, we have many accounts Of our
escaped prisoners who have always been as
sisted whenever their services were needed.
Even in the most out of-the way parts of
Dixie, where negroes might be supposed to be
ignorant, if anywhere, they have always BEEN
found friendly to the North, and to under
stand matters quite as well as those in cities,
or near the fields OF battle. The truth il,
Southern negroes know good deal more
about some affairs especially those that re-
late to their freedom-than they have credit
for