Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-06

OLLL W - 40NkH
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The Cleveland Herald and senator
Sherman's record.
We suppose it is scarcely necessary to
state that the Herald never resorts to legit-
innate argument, bat contents itself with
a superficial handling Of such questions as
it cannot eYade. Such is its course on the
Senatorial question. Feeling itself bound
to defend its political 'Iord and master"
John Sherman, it accuses us of @virulence'
and abad taste" and p~rOnounees Mr..
Sherman an cable statesman and a "de-
voted laborer.n If dogmatism were logic,
then, indeed, would the HeraLds claim be
established. On the subject of Mr.. Sher-
mans advocacy of the return Of Negro
soldiers to loyal masters, the Herald with
out doing more than to apply to us its
usual amiab.e epithets, refers to an article
MAlCA u lCDLOAulG5 AOll TIC OAnIAAAahA
HoLksbLatt 1t is certainly fortunate for
Mr.. Sherman's organ in this city that it is
able thus to find ideas aready made and
still more fortunate for MIR. Sherman, for
otherwise the ideas would have been want
ing. We have carefully read the remarks
Of the NoEksblGH on this subject and have
been able to find only one point meriting
reply, and that is a question as to the
nature of the service to be performed by
the Negroes sought by Mr.. Sherman to be
returned to slavery. The amendment to
the militia bill, introduced on the 9Th July,
1862, by Hon. Preston King, authorized
the President to receive Negroes 'into the
service of the United States, for the pur-
pose of constructing i-ntrenchments or per-
forming camp service, or any other labor,
or any tgar ssrvies fer s0hiek they may be
fond competent" 1t is well known that
Preston King designed this as an initiatory
movement in favor of the ultimate en-
ployment of Negroes in the military ser
vice upon the same footing with
whites, and even all this . is
comprehended in the language, "any
war service for which they may be found
competent" They were subsequently
found competent +" to fight the battles Of
their country, and they had been found
cOmpetent" to make good soldiers in the
wars Of the Revolution and 1872. Border
State members, who had a tender feeling
for theinstt1tion of slavery, but who were
the same they could protect slavery, de-
sired to except from Mr.. Kings amend
ment the slaves Of loyal masters, evidently
Regarding it right that if Negroes were
to perform such military service, they
should reap the reward prescribed, namely,
that their mothers, wives and children
should receive freedom with them
selves. But John Sherman, a Republican
Senator from a Republican State, had
more adjustable ideas of justice, and voted
to use in the army the slaves of loyal
masters, but to give the pay for such ser
vice to the master and to return to him |
his slave after the Government had had
the benefit of his service. View it as you
viii, this was an infamous and a pro-
slavery view and vote. 1t was infamous,
because it was the height of injustice to the
slave. It was ~pro-slavery, because it pro-
posed to make the Government practically
a Shareholder, really a slave driver;
whereas the whole previous theory Of the
Government had been that slavery was an
institution sustained alone by State legis-
lation. The uniform ruling of Congress
had been that property cid not exist in
man, and hence claims for slaves lost by
operations of our armies were inadmissible.
This decision prevailed in the case of
slaves lost to masters during General
Jaekson's military movements i'll Florida,
and also in the case of slaves impressed
into the military service by the same COM
mander at New Orleans. Such claims
were at different times repudiated by
Southern Cabinet officers and Southern
Legislators, but John Sherman, a Repub-
iean Senator from Ohio, in the year 1862,
during the existence of shareholders
rebellion, voted to recognize the right of
man to hold property in man, by voting to
employ slaves in the military service and
return them to their masters at the expi-
ration of their service, after having paid
the master instead of the slave for such
service. Such progression as this would
within a decade lead the nation into the
barbarisms Of the dark ages.
On the subject of Mr.. Sherman's action
in relation to the repeal of the fugitive
slave laws, the Herald resorts to some
special pleading, which, all admitted, does
not relieve Mr.. Sherman from any of the
odlum we charged upon him. Firstly,
says the Herald, the event occurred in
1864 instead of 1868. If any Importance
attaches to the precise date, it is that Mr..
Sherman's conduct is more censurable
after three years of the education of war
than it would have been after two. I
Another point is that Senator S~hermandid
not vote against the repeal Of all laws for
the rendition of fugitive slaves, because {
Mr.. Summers bill did not come to a final l
vote. Bnt Nj. Sherman did vote, as we (
stated, against repeating all laws for the {
rendition of fugitive slaves for he moved T,
the passage OF, and voted for, an amend |
ment excepting from repeal the law of
1898. What was that, practically, but {
votng as we ststed2 Unlike the Herald /.
we are willing to retract an error, and
freely give Mr.. Sherman and his {
friends the benefit of the statement that
Mr.. sherman did not vote against Mr..
Summers bill, for the reason that the bill
never came to a vote, having been killed {
BY Mr.. Sherman's pro-slavery amendment,
of the adoption of which the Herald I
boasts. 1t is welcome to all the capital it
can make for its chief out Of a triumph on
the slavery question gained by voting in
unison with such Border State Copper
heads as Garrett Davis of Kentucky,
salisbury of Delaware, and johnson of
49, - H 4,