Year: 1864

ours


But it may be- said that they would not be formed
into separate regiments snd brigades, bu. would be
sent to fill up depleted regiments. So it is not
to be supposed for moment that our brave and
high minded soldiers, who have been a thousand
times assured that they were fighting against an
attempt on the part Of the Yankees to place
them on the same level with the negro, would
thus submit to be placed on that same level by the
action of the Confederate government know but
little OF them if they would. The consequence
then would be, that our army would become thor
oughly demoralized conflict between our white
and black soldiers might at any moment, be ex-
pected. These reasons would seem to be sufficient
to cause statesneu to recoil from the PROPOSE.
tim with horror. But there still other very
powerful reasons Why it should be rejected Even
Ii none of the consequences mentioned above should
be realized there be doubt that thousands of
them, headed by some desperate white characters,
which will always be found in armies as large as
ours, especially when such armies are created by
compulsory conscrpton ours are, will DESERT
and every where infest our country as armed BAN
ditti Then neither life, nor property, nor female
honor would be safe. Such scenes as VIC may an.
ticpate in that event beggars all description.


Vice President Stephens, who is, without doubt,
one of the abest statesman and purest patriots in the
Confederacy assured US in his great speech before
the Legislature of Georgia, that no nation could
place permanently in the army more than one.thlrd
OF It's arms.hearlng population without eventually
being suhjuga,ed and in this opinion he is sustain
ed by all great writers on political economy. On
that occasion ne also assured that if the coDscrpt
law OF the last Congress executed then, in his
opinion, the country would he ruined. That law
has been vigorously executed and most of the State
troops are in the field. In fact ALL the white labor
ers have been taken permanently, and now it ,s
eravey proposed to take at least one half if not two
thirds of the slave population capable OF bearing
Ii ittls IuS chnul1 ho
into fleet. it must be apparent to every thinking
aan, that il we should even be so fortunate as to
escape horrors of servle war, the Yankees could
sut]ng~te us BY starvation within the next year
without any further aggressive movements, but by
simply acting the defensive themselves. just
Imagine the war ending in that way. Such scenes
of suffering, distress and anarchy as have seldom
curs ed any country, would transpire among us.-
The civil authorities, already greatly weakened,
would be completely Overawed and mob law would
reign supreme. Then wo be to the authors Of such
fatal measure They would do well to remember
: that they may be heaping up wrath against day
wrath.


But there is another important point in the case
which ought to be considered and that is the effect
the measure would have in Europe candidy
tess that approach this point with great d6idence
The great senSitiveness of Southern gentlemen on
the subject of slavery is well known. The almost
universal opposition to the institution among the
Christian nations of Europe is also we'll known 1t
may be doubted whether the course pursued by
Southern statesmen, Southern writer's and Southern
divines, has been polite and prudent Instead
of discussing the question in the abstract thew
were. always doing, endeavorng to convince all
Christendom that slavery was divine institution,
and morally justifable per sc, they should always
have treated it solely as practical question. This
they should have done, If for no other reason. out
OF respect to the opinions of the civilized world
IhGV ShOuI0 hat vvh atpvpr
wrong, If any, that attached to the institution be-
longed not to US, but to the generation that intro
duced it here; that it was an inheritance, good
bad that had descended to US from remote anccs-
try; that finding the institution here, we saw no
way of Kidding ourselves of it withon ruin to the
gr" This they could have demonstrated by
nierouS arguments not necessary to be repeated
here Such course-such a respect shown to
their opinions would undoubtedly have averted
much OF that indifference, if not hatred with which
we are now regarded by the great mass of the peo-
pe'of Christian Europe. But so it is, we Ger
ta'nly not high in favor with any of the great pow
ers Of Europe All that We have been able to OBJ
tain at their hands thus far, has been not too i'm
partial neutrality. Adopt this fatal measure, and
it is by no means certain that we can retain even
such neutrality as has thus far been observed be-
tween the two beligerents now warning against each
other on this continent. Nay is it not almost GER
tsn that from neutrality their course will be
changed 10 hostility towards US?


We cannot justify our course to them by pointing
to the course of Mr.. Lincoln in using our slaves
against u.s. They see that transaction in very diff
ferent light from what We do Their feelings being
all against the institution of slavery, and against
for fooishly justying it per without necessity for
our doing SO, they probably regard with great COM
placency, the course of Lincoln in berating part
of our slaves, and using them as soldiers to fight
for the liberation of the remainder. But that we
| honIH pcn 1orpo 0f ella
they uin 6elie@e-to perpetuate the slavery Of the
remainder is an idea at which they will be horror
stricken. and which will most probably make them
change their course towards US on the grounds'of-
what they may believe to be-humanity.


But suppoSing them not to- be actuated by any
snch motives, is it not highly probable nay, almost
certain, that they will regard the measure as afford
ing conclusive evidence that are exhausted, that
is hopeless, and that it il, therefore, their
duty 10 in,erposc at mediators, and sag to
US, II. is self evident fact that you must fail
in this struggle and in the name Of humanity, of
civilization and Christianity, we feel it to be our
duty to interpose to stop this unnecessary effuson
of blood Return again to your former allegiance
to the Federal government Of the United States.
Having commenced this struggle to perpetuate the
institution of slavery, and having failed, you are
now required 10 place it upon basis of ultimate,
if not immediate, extincton."S


And If they should take this latter view of the
case and of their duty therein, what will there be
surprising about it Surely, those persons who
propose this measure, have confidence in our
ability to succeed without the aid of the negro
soldier. This conclusion is drawn from the fact,
that no such proposition was ever made at q time
when We had sufficient number of soldiers to
make headway against the enemy and from the
further fact that from the time when Mr.. Lincoln
first commenced using them soldiers, we have
constantly ridicued the idea, that the negro possess
sed any fighting qualities whatever, or that it was
possible to make soldier out of him. If they are
correct in their opinion that we cannot succeed
without the aid Of the negro as soalier-and
have no objection to using him for any other service
then do not hesitate to say that our cause IL
lost and that should oper negotiations for terms
ofrestoration possible cannot possibly