Year: 1861




EDITORS OF TIE TRIBUNE:


This war has been conducted thus far
on the policy of letting only uhite men
fight the rebels. while We have allowed
the rebels to employ black men and In
dians to fight US We have seen the
fruits Of this stupidity and folly a. Bull
Run, Big Bethel, Springfield, Lexington
and Edwards Ferry. Six months of pre-.
cious time has been consumed. We have
put a half million Of men in the field,
and built up and manned great feet,
and are piling up National deb, at the
rate of million of dollars per day, or
thirty millions per month. Now look at
the beggarly results accomplished by this
mighty force aud immense expenditure.
You may say that We have saved Ken
lucky, Missouri, and Maryland, but we
should have had the whole rebellion
crushed out by this time, and could have
had it done, if We had gone to work right
and in earnest ard We never can subdue
the rebellion until we strike at the cause
OF it. As war measure this must be
resorted to sooner or later. We have got
to come to it, or give up our Cuion.


Out Of Difference to the prejudices of
our Democratic friends, we have con
sented to wage the war on pro-slavery
principles. We have striven to qucll the
rebellion aud save slavery. We have al.
lowed traitors to employ the whole slave
population against cur Government -
They are made to feed the rebel armies
aud support the families of the rebel
soldiers in their absence. They are made
to do the druid gerry Of the camps, to erect
Notifications, dig bitches, handle artillery
and army stores, and perform all the
other heavy and disagreeab'e work of the
service. They are compelled to labor in
the workshops, preparing ammunition,
clothing and transportation for the rebel
soldiers and finally, they are being or
ganized into military companies, and
weapons pat into their hands to deal
death on our ranks.


1t is high time to put a stop to this
business, and change the manner of pros
ecuting the war, if we ever expect to
succeed. Having tried the pro slavery
method of fighting the rebels for one
campaign, let the country conduct the
next campaign according to the rules of
common sense, instead Of foolish preju-
dices. Let US teach the rebels that en-
ploying slaves is game that two can
play at. The slaves are loyal Let the
Government accept the services cf all
loyal men able and willing to fight for the
Stars and Stripes, without inspecting
their complexion or hair. A black man
will stop a bullet in the day of battle cx-
actly as well as white man, aud if he is
willing to encounter the risk, VIII, not
let him? | have never been able to see
why We want to monopolize all Of it to
persons of our color. For my part, l
think that loyal colored men should have
a chance to share the honor of being shot
by traitors. Nor do | think that rebels
ought to be killed exclusively by white
men. My idea is, that they do not dc.
serve the honor Of fighting duels with
loyal white citizens, and that they should
be shot by "nigsers. There are half
a million of ablebodied colored men in
this country who would rejoice at the
opportunity, for the sake of obtaining
their freedom: of fighting against the
rebels. Now, l would arm, discipline
and officer these blacks, and steady and
support them with regiments of whites
to act as reserves on the day of battle,
while the darkeys and their former mas
tiers crossed bayoncts. There would be
divine retribution in this mode of con
ducting the war which the rebels richly
deserve. When loyal white man goes
to battle he stakes his life against that of
a wretch who has already forfeited his
life and property by the crime he has
committed. He may kill the loyal citi-
zen and himself escape, thus adding
murder to parricide, in his catalogue of
crimes. | submit that the proper per
son to pit against the villain is 'ni"ger.'
If the black man be killed the life of IA
white man is saved. If the darkey kills
the rebel, the popular verdict will be,
served him right, and as treason has
been caused by slavery, slaves are the
proper instruments to be employed to
punish it,


| look upon it as great wrong to
throw away the lives of our sons and
brothers when their work can be done
and lives saved by permitting colored
men to act as substitutes. Every black
whose service the Government accepted
counts two, and takes one from the side :
of enemy and adds one to our side. \
little reflection will show the tremendous
effect of this process if it is properly ex
tended. The slaves alone, if armed and
are nearly able to combat the
rebels, but united with them, the latter
are able to resist successfully the whole
power of the nation.


Tie Government in my Judgment,
cannot beat the whole South, black and
white, bond and free, united in one CON-
mon defense. We must invade to con-
auer; we must separate the loyal slaves
from their rebel masters, and conduct the
war on the broad principles of receiving
the assistance of all friends of the Union,
regardless of creed, complexion or birth
place. Thus can the Great Republic be
saved and thus only. am rejoiced to
see that the Government is arriving at
the same conclusion as shown by their
instructions to the commander of the
Naval Expedition.


4 PROGRESSIVE FOGY.


PEORIA, Oct -, 1861.


M, HLI,Ja1phia Ennuirer which