THE ARMY SPOILING THE SLAVES.—­Whatever may be the policy of the government in regard to the status of the slaves, one thing is certain, that wherever our army goes, it will most effectually spoil all the slaves and render them worthless to their masters.  This will be the necessary result, and we think it perfectly useless to disturb the administration and distract the minds of the people with the everlasting discussion of this topic.  Soon our army will be in Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana, and the soldiers will carry with their successful arms an element of liberty that will infuse itself into every slave in those States.  The only hope for the South, if, indeed, it has not passed away, is to throw down their arms and submit unconditionally to the government.

That is to say, we are to free the slave, only we must not say so!  Rather than take a bold, manly stand, avow what we are actually doing, and adopt a measure which would at once conciliate and harmonize the whole North, we are to suffer a tremendous disorder to spring up and make mischief without end!  Can we never get over this silly dread of worn-out political abuse and grapple fairly with the truth?  Are we really so much afraid of being falsely called abolitionists and negro-lovers that we can not act and think like men! Here we are frightened at names, dilly-dallying and quarreling over idle words, when a tremendous crisis calls for acts.  But this can not last forever.  Something must be done right speedily for the myriad of blacks whom we shall soon have on our hands.  Barracooning contrabands by thousands may do for the present, but how as to the morrow?  Let it be repeated again and again, that they who argue against touching the Negro question at present are putting off from day to day an evil which becomes terrible as it is delayed.  It can not be let alone.  Already those in power at Washington are terrified at its extent, but fear to act, owing to ‘abolition,’ while all the time the foul old political ties and intrigues are gathering closely about.  Let us cut the knot betimes, act bravely and manfully, and settle the difficulty ere it settles us.  Something must be done, and that right early.

But what is to become of the freed blacks?  Again and again does this preposterous bugbear rise up to prove, by the terror which it excites, the vast ignorance of the subject which prevails in this country, and the small amount of deliberate reasoning generally bestowed on matters of the most vital importance.  Reader, if you would answer it, go to facts.  You have probably all your life accepted as true the statement that the black when free promptly becomes an idle, worthless vagabond.  You have believed that a majority of the free blacks in the North are good for nothing.  Now I tell you calmly and deliberately, and challenging inquiry, that this is not true.  Admitting that about one-fifth of them are so, you have but a weak argument.