The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-06-24

| formaE.ses during this entire session on
this great question have been unseemly
and entirely out of harmony with the
/ institutions Of this republic. Two
thirds of the senate have desired Ha-
| waiian annexation, and yet one-third
! of the senators have prevented the ma
, Jointly from voting on the subject by
| their interminable talk.
Blacks to Fight spaniards.
J How many of you who have read
of the summoning of colored regu-
lar troops TO give battle TO the
Spaniards. and of the enlistment
Of men of African descent as
volunteers in Uncle Sans army
without single protest from our re-
united brethren of the south, have CIV
en- one thought to the public agitation
aroused during the civil war, when
those who had formerly been slaves
were given arms to suppress secession?
That was one of the most critical pc
RODS in the nations history, and yet
the act of those days is repeated at
this time without ripple of excitement
or word of adverse comment.
The policy of arming the blacks was
first officially announced in the final
emancipation proclamation of Jan. 1,
1863, and steps were Immediately taken
to put the project into force. John G..
Nicolay and John Hay, in chapter Of
their history of Abrham Lincoln, as
published in The Century OF April, 1889,
state that President Lincoln mot only
watched these efforts with great inter-
est, but from time to time personally
wrote letters to several of his COM
manders urging them to active efforts
In organizing negro regiments. If a sin
gle argument was needed to point out
his great practical wisdom in the man
agement Of this difficult question this
argument Is found in the mere sum-
ming up Of its tangible military re-
sults.''
Many Colored Regiments.
At the beginning of December, 1863,
less than year after the president first
proclaimed the policy, he was able to
announce in his annual message that
about $4,000 men, formerly slaves, were
then actually bearing arms in the ranks
OF the Union forces. A report made by
the secretary of war on April 2, 1864,
shows that the number of negro troops
then mustered into the service of the
United States as soldiers had increased
to I,976, and we learn further, from
the report of the provost marshal gen.
eral, that at the close of the war there
were in the service of the United States
of colored troops 120 regiments of in
fantry, twelve regiments of heavy ar
tillery, ten companies of light artillery,
and seven regiments Of cavalry, MAX
ing a grand aggregate of 1886 men.
This was the largest number in service
at any time, but 1t does not represent
all of them. The entire number COM
missioned and enlisted in this branch
of the service during the war, or more
properly speaking, during the last two
years of the war, was 1S6,017 men.
Watched the Experiment.
For official information concerning
the subsequent development Of Presi-
dent Lincoln's plans we are indebted to
the labors Of Messrs. Nicolay and Hay
for succinct presentment of the facts.
They inform us that the rebel authori-
ties watched the experiment of arming
the blacks with the keenest apprehen-
sion and hostility. In Mr.. Lincolns
order of July 22, 1862, directing military
commanders to seize and use property
real or personal, for military purposes
and to employ persons of African de-
scent as laborers." Jefferson Davis pro-
fessed already to discover a wicked vio-
lation Of the laws of war, apparently
forgetting that his own generals were
everywhere using such powers in mill
tary labor. When it was learned that
Hunter and Phelps were endeavoring
to organize negro regiments, the south
ern affectation Of surprise and protest
bordered on the ludicrous. 1.-The best
authenticated newspapers received from
he INIT tot
announce as fact that Major General
Hunter has armed slaves for the MUIR
der Of their masters, and has thus done
all in his power to inaugurate servile
war, which is worse than that of the
savages, inasmuch as it superadds 9TH
er horrors to the indiscriminate slaugh-
ter of the ages, sexes and conditions"
Issued "a Formal Order.
A little later the Confederate war de- |
partment issued formal order, as fol-
lows: THAT Major General Hunter
and Brigadier General Phelps be no
longer held and treated as public ene-
mics of the Confederate state, but as
outlaws; and that in the event of the
capture of either of them, or that If any
other commissioned officer employed in |
drilling, organizing or instructing
slaves, with a view of their armed serv-
ice in the war, he shall not be regarded
as a prisoner of war, but held in close |
confinement for execution as a felon at
such time and place as the president
shall order"
President Davis, In his sensational |
proclamation of outlawry against Gen. |
eral Butler and all commissioned Off |
GERS in his command. declared: "Afri- |
can slaves have not only been melted |
to instruction by every license and en-
couragement, but numbers of them have |
actually been armed for a servile war
war in its nature far exceeding the |
horrors and most merciess atrocities Of |
savages. In this II was ordered that |
negro slaves captured in arms be at |
once delivered over to the executive au-
thorities of the respective states to
which they belong to be dealt with ac-
cording to the laws of said state" and |
that Butler and his commissioned off, |
GERS, robbers and criminals deserving |
death, be, whenever captured reserved |
for execution"
Policy of Retaliation.
- q I.