Year: 1862

the enforcement of the connscation act
recently passed by Congress, they will
caunteract such advantage by giving
freedom to their slaves themselves.
What wo should especially guard
against is being doludsd with the idea
that We are now, or at any future time
to receive powerful and overwhelming
assistance from the slaves by procla.
nation Of emancipation. Those who
assert that the war would now have
been ended had an emancipation policy
been adopted at FIRST, are those who
want tho war waged for the express
purpose of destroying slavery. Eman'
cipation is with them special object
of attainment--an they would rather
see the Union hopelessly destroyed than
to see II restored without the abolition
of slavery. They seem to think that
should emancipation be proclaimed,fo -four
millions of slaves would at once leave
their work and begin to 6ght for the
Union. But this idea is To the last de
gree extravagant and visionary. Such
a proclamation would be Of no avail
only so far as followed and enforced by
military power.


1t is as laborers, AMI not as soldiers
that slaves contribute strength to the
rebc,lion--and it IL as laborers that
they can aid tho armies of the Union.-
Congress has conferred upon tho Pres
ident the power to employ persons of
African descent in any manner demand
ell by the exigenccs of the military SER
vice. TO his discretion and patriotism
the whole subject may be safely con
fided But in whatever manner used,
il is certain that, to the crushing of the
rebellion, the service Of negroes can
never occupy prominent leading re-
lation. Whether employed as laborers
or otherwise, their services will be sim
ply auxiliary and not absolutely essen
tial. Tho representations made by
some that our want of success hitherto
is because slaves have not been EN-
ployed id the military service, is de
signed to promote abolition views, and
it is a virtual acknowledgment that the
Government cannot, without their as
sistance, restore its authority over the
rebellious States. All such represen
tations are uncalled for and cxtrsva
giant, and so far as relied upon will
prove delusive.


However unpleasant and humiliating
it may be for us to admit, it is neverthe'
less true, that the rebels have shown a
co urage and skill, and fertility Of re-
source entirely unexpected No one
looked for such bravery in battle, such
resolute and determined perseverance,
To keep the rebels in check and pre-
vent an invasion of the Northern States
has required an active force of 700, ,00C
men. Both Government and people
seem now to have come to the conclu'
sion that il is only by superior numbers
that we can ever hope to crush the re.
bellion and it should be especially re
membered that our armies are compos
ed of men taken from the active pur.
suits of life, accustomed to physical ex
ertion, and whose general intelligence
is superior to that Of any other people
on earth. If then it requires. the com
bined strength and wisdom Of the ma.
ton to prosecute the war successfully,
how ridiculous are the assertions, that
we never can succeed until the Govern.
ment emancipates and arms the negroes.
Let the slaves be used for any service
they are qualified to perform. but never
be it said that our only hope depends
upon the employment of an ignorant,
inferisr rae to fight our battles for us.
Such representations serve to distract
the public mind and to. .crcate hopes
never to be reslized