Year: 1863




In Congress or started by the Secretary
of War and Major Generals command
ing Southern Departments-which have
for their end the organization and equip
ment OF negro regiments, mean but one
thing. Their object is palpably to save
enlisted white soldiers from death in
camp or death on the field of battle, by
substituting, as far as possible, ii ,ck for
white soldiers, where the former can be
equally serviceable and efficient.


Further than this. A Conscription
Bill has passed the Senate unanimously,
and it has passed the House by large
majority. Garret Davis, a pro-slavery
Senator from Kentucky, voted for it cor
daily, adding to bis vote the maxim that
1t forced upon white citizens of the
United States the alternative to Eight,
pay, or emigrate" Why should black
people be freed from this duty?


But 1t is not sufficiently considered
that the army already in the field, and
the army to be hereafter called into the
field by conscription. will both be re-
heved OF large portion of their duties
II negro regiments are Systematically
organized. Even if we concede that the
war is for the rights of the negro-that
1t is war for abolition-why should not
the negro shed his blood in a contest
which is thus stated to have for its OBJ
ject his advancement?


Every enlisted black man, in the
Southern or Northern States will save a
white man from doing military duty in
this crisis. No body doubts the power of
the government to call out the entire
militia of the country to sustain the gov
ernment. The government at this mo
ment requires a hundred and fifty thou
sand additional men. If We could get a
third of this force from the enslaved or
free black population of the United
States, what objection is there to employ
ing this force ?


1t is simply question whether GER
tain number of whites should be sacri-
feed in order to keep a certain number
of blacks in subiection. when the an
nouncement that the blacks are not
slaves, and can be properly armed AMI
disciplined for the general purposes of
the war, would save the same number of
whites from death by disease in the
camps, or by death on the field OF battle.


The question, as our readers will per-
ceive, is entirely independent of the con-
troversy respecting the rights of per
sons of African descent" To every
white father, son, nephew and husband
OF the loyal States, it is practical mat
ter, whether he happens to be a republi-
can or a democrat Win you shed
your own blood exclusively, or will ynn
allow black man to aid you or to be
your substitute ?'-that is the question.
And this does not depend on the willing
ness of the Southern negro 10 fight for
his liberty. Gen. Hunter, in the South
ern Department, has already carried into
effect the right principle. He has in
augurated the system of conscription
among the freed blacks, as it is now on
the point of being established among
the whites of the Northern States. He
compels, by military law, the services of
the negroes, as the services of the whites
are on the point of being compelled by
constitutional law.


Yet there are educated people in New
York and Boston who look upon this at
tempt to make the negroes effective, as
an enormous violation of the Constitu-
ton. Their representatives meet at Del
monico' s-the one hotel in the country
where the delicacy and richness of the
eating and drinking are parallelled only
in the most expensive cafes of Paris
and decide that our soldiers should rot
and die content in foul encampments,
rather than that negroes, emancipated
by the Presidents proclamation, should
be allowed to give military assistance.
Mr.. Curtis blandly tells the army that it
SHOULD subside into the elemental mud
rather than violate his notions of the
Constitution of the United States


We have no intention of attempting to
answer Mr.. Curtis argument on the Con-
stitution. Our simple purpose is to ask
the white people of the United States
whether they have any objection that,
under the Conscription Bill, negroes
should relieve an equal number of white
men from military service If they pre-
fer that white men should die rather than
that black men should be enrolled, we
have nothing to say. But even they will
admit that for every black soldier who
enlists or is drafted, white man will be
spared for the employments of industry