Year: 1864

We PuoilSn oeloW some extracts from the recent
message of the Governor of Virginia in relation to
the employment of slaves as soldiers and also,
sailing the Courts and Bar Of the country.


1t will be seen that Gov. Smith recommends the
employment Of slaves soldiers, and he does this
to escape suhjugation. The recommendation is
confession Of subjugation. In the language of Mr..
Phillips, of Orange, - il the Southern Whits man
cannot obtain independence in the employment of
constitutional methods of vinicating that indepen-
dence and, we may ada by his own valor on the
Held of battle-then ''it is because Heaven has de-
MED to him the boon" President Lincoln adopts
one course to emancipate our slaves, and Gov.
Smith recommends another mode which would lead
to the same result Extremes have met The enemies
and the friends nf slavery yeing with each other
in the work of destroying the institution. The
greatest and most fatal blow ever received by the
institution ofslavery given by the cotton States,
when, for no good or sufficient cause, they seeded
from the Union. The same men who gave that
blow are still in power and if the institution should
be cut up and destroyed as we very much fear it
will be, it destruction will be Justly chargeabe, in
great degree, to its peculiar friends and cham.
pons The abolitionists of the North are primarily
responsible for the destruction of the institution
but they would never have been able to accomplish
the result without the active cooperation of the
abolitionists of the South. The two extremes have
played INTO each others hands for years, and the
result of this game of fanaticsm on one side and
unchastened ambition on, the other, is before u.s.
The Conservative men Of the two sections are
blamecsS in all this matter. They are not justly
anSuarahla N God Or offh fha
now upon US,


Gov. Smith misrepresents the Courts Of this State
when he says they have claimed the right to decide
who shall be exempted from service. Our Judges
have expressly said that the matter of exemptions
belongs to the Legislature.


The following extracts show what Destructive
is, Gov. Smith may be regarded as a pattern by
which all other DestructVes should be moulded
If any Of our readers should be asked who or what
is Destructive : let them point 20 these extracts
and to their author, Gov. Smith, of Virginia. -


"When this war began, it was confidently be-
lieved by our enemy that it would be of short dura-
ton. Relying upon his vast superiority in numbers
and material of war, he expected to overrun us
with facility and ease. But the result of single
years operations corrected this expectation, and
impressed him with the conclusion that he had on
manu- u COulcSI Vi RTcdL udRElIuue-luIl OF DANGER
and difficulty. Having Son exhausted his floating
population, he openly recruited his armies on the
continent Of Europe. Not satisfied with this, he
seized slaves, and, in violation of all civilized
war, armed them against Under every disad-
vantage, the war has been protracted deep into its
fourth year, and we find ourselves looking around
for material to enlarge our mics Whence is it TO
Gomez The laws IF natural accretion will not
furnish sufficient supply of men. Foreign coun-
tries are, in effect closed against US. Recruiting
from the prisoners capture will not except to a
limited extent supply our wants: and the public
attention naturally turns to our own slaves as q
ready and abundant stock from which to draw
This policy however, has given rise to great diver
slty of opinion. Some consider it as giving up the
institution of slavery. Others declare that to put
our slaves in the ranks will drive our fellow citizens
from them, and ditfuse dissatisfaction throughout
the country. In reply, it is SAID that this policy
will etfectually silence the clamor of the poor men
about this being the rich mans war; that there rs
no purpose to mingle the two races in the same
ranks and that there cannot be reasonable obiec-
tion to fighting the enemy'S negroes with our own :;
that as to abandonment Of slavery, it is already
proclaimed to be at an end by the enemy, and will
undoubtedly be so if We subjugated, and that
by makingit aid in defence, will improve the
chance of preserving it.


This is grave and important question, and full
of difficulty. All agree in the propriety of using
our slaves in the various menia emplOyments of the
army and as sappers and miners and pioneers !; but
much diversity exists as to the proprety of using
them as soldiers All agree that when the
question becomes one of liberty and independence
on the one hand, or subjugatiOn on the other that
every means within our reach should be used to aid
in our struggle and TO battle and thwart our enemy
l say every man will agree to this; no man would
hesitate. Even if the result were TO enancipate
our slaves, there is not man that would not cheer
fully put the negro into the army rather than be-
cloua fn hafa ap1 ~, Aiof,,a
foe.S 1t is, then, simply question of time. Has
the time arrived when the issue is fairly before
Is It indeed, liberty and independence or subjuga-
ton, which Is presented to US? A man must be
blind to current events-to the gigantic proportions
Of this war-to the proclamatOns Of the enemy
who does not that the issue above referred to is
presented ROso. Ard, repeat the only question is
has the time arrivedI Are we able, beyond queS-
ton, to wage successful war against power three
times our own in numbers with all Europe from
which to recruit, and who unheStatingly put arms
in the hands of our own negroes for our destruc-
tion will not say, that under the Providence Of
God, we may not be able to triumph, but do say
that we should not from any mawksh senSibty,
refuse any means within our reach which will tend
to enable work out our deliverauce. For my
part standing before God and my country, | do not
hesitate to say that would such portion of
able bodied slave population as may be necessary,
and put them in the field, as to have them ready
for the spring campaign, even if it resulted in tile
freedom Of those tkUs organized Will not EN- :
ploy them to tight the negro force OF the enemy :
aye, the Yankees themselves, who already boast
that they have two hundred thousand of our slaves
in arms against usP Can we hesitate-can We
doubt-when the question is, whether our enemy
shall use our slaves against US, or We use them
against him-wheu the question may be between
liberty and independence on the one hand, or our
Subjugation and utter ruin on the other?


In the meeting of the Governors the following
resolutions upon this subject were unanimously
adopted: 'F


"And Whereas the public enemy having pro.