Year: 1864

.6urth resolution, in relation to the arrest
of straeglers and deserters will meet general appro-
val and is no doubt much needed especially in the
States south of North Carolina But the second
resolution, which would place the militia or home
guards of North Carolina at the beck and call oil the
Governors of the other States is highly obectiona-
ble 1t is simply proposltioh-"e Will not cali 1t
an insid,ous one-to place our State officers per-
manently in the field, not merely to defend our own
State, but to defend Alabama, or South Carolina,
even Missouri or Tennessee if the fugitive Execu-
tives of the two latter States should call for them
And what claim can Alabama have, on grounds OF
equality or reciprocity that our militia should go
to her aid, when it is recolected that her Legsla
ture has Just refused to call out and arm her militia
to defend her own soil?


Our readers will be appalled, to observe that these
Governors of these civilized, Christian States have
endorsed the poposi:ion to arm the male slaves of
the South and put them in service. Such a course
would not only degrade the Southern people to
level with their Northern enemies who have been
EMPLOYING slaves as soldiers but it would SOW
broadcast the seeds of nsurrection and massacre in
our very midst was the insane trifing of France,
the mother country with the slaves of Hayti which





race They we're first emancpated and then en-
ployed by portion Of the whites and mixed races
as soldiers, and in the end they turned their wea-
pons against their former masters and perpetrated
atrocities the recital of which makes the blood run
cold.


proclamation by our own government that all
our arms bearing slave population should be free, on
whatever condition with the proclamations of the
federal government already in force as far as they
can be under the circumstances would at once un-
settle our entire social system. But what is to be
offered to male slaves the reward of military
service Nothing but their freedom The
federal government offers them not only their own
freedom, but the freedom Of their wives and chill,
dren. 1t requires spirit of prophecy to deter
mine which master they would serve. They would
20 over to the enemy with arms in their hands,
probably leaving desolation in their track in every
undefended neigh6Ornood through which they
might pass; and would thus, instead of adding to
our strength, actually increase the strength OF
enemies, while at the same time the Southern
States would be at once and finally deprived Of lie
valuable labor Of every hand thus escaping to til
enemy We must bestow the precious boo. of
freedom on our male slaves and then bid H., Iii
6ght for our freedom as well as their own Rhut
IL this but abolition itself? The Congress o! Tie
Confederate States has no power to interfere I'll
the institution of slavery, much less to abolish it
under any pretext or for any cause And the States
Lave no power to abolish the institution even to
take ineip,ent steps to abolish it. in Conven-
ton. Where then, is the constitutional power to
do this thingg But, we are answered. the slaves
are to be,purchssed, and then set free. But where
s the constitutional power to do that? In the lam
.eusce of the Lynchburg Republican, I'VE caution
the people and the press in all solemnty against
countenancing this new and mad scheme cf abo-
r;t;oo-ihis scheme to convert the Southern States
.;,so fac negro colonies-io make the slave the