SLAVES. 



645 





over to any other person : bat the fact of this 

 prohibited employment is made "a full and 

 sufficient answer to such claim." The opera- 

 tion of the statute seems to have been intended 

 to be somewhat analogous to that of the statute 

 of limitation, which does not destroy the debt, 

 but takes away the action for its recovery. 

 The act of Congress simply provides an effect- 

 ual bar to any action on the claim of labor or 

 service. It recognizes and acts upon that claim 

 alone; it does not pretend to act upon the 

 status of the individual, nor admit that there is 

 any such peculiar status, aside from the imme- 

 diate result of the claim. It cuts off the means 

 of enforcing the claim, only when the person 

 against whom it is made has been employed in 

 hostile service ; and it even seems to be the 

 intention of the act that its operation shall be 

 confined to those " required or permitted " by 

 the claimants to render hostile service not ex- 

 tending to such as may be impressed by the 

 Confederate Government in opposition to the 

 will of the claimants. (See DIPLOMATIC COR- 

 RESPONDENCE OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES 

 Letter of the Southern Commissioners to Lord 

 John Russell, dated August 14.) 



Many plans were suggested for the adoption 

 of the Government on this subject, all looking 

 more or less directly to emancipation. The 

 boldest and most startling was that which 

 recommended the arming of the slaves. In a 

 public address made to the regiment of First 

 United States Chasseurs, by its colonel, Coch- 

 ran, he argued the necessity of turning against 

 the enemy their own weapons, and inquired '' if 

 the Government should hesitate to use against 

 the rebels their own guns, and the munitions 

 that it might find in such of their arsenals and 

 magazines as might fall into our possession ? " 

 If it were an unquestionable right to do this, 

 why should it not seize any of their property 

 which they had used against us, and in turn 

 apply it to their own destruction? He believed 

 that the slaves, of whose labors the South had 

 without scruple availed itself, should be made 

 useful by the Government in its effort to put 

 "down a causeless rebellion against its just au- 

 thority. He was in favor of the extremest 

 measures against the rebels, even to their abso- 

 solute ruin, so that the National Government 

 should be preserved, and afford its blessings to 

 generations yet to come." 



The Secretary of War, Mr. Cameron, being 

 present, made a few remarks. He heartily ap- 

 proved every sentiment that had been uttered. 

 They were sentiments which would not only 

 lead our soldiers to victory, but which in the 

 end would reconstruct our Constitution. " It 

 was idle to talk of treating with the rebels upon 

 their own terms. They must be met as enemies, 

 and treated and punished as such, until they 

 should learn to demean themselves as true 

 and loyal citizens. Every means which God 

 has placed in our hands, he said, it was our 

 duty to use for the purpose of protecting our- 

 selves." This proposition met with only a faint 



response among the people, they being at thig 

 time unwilling to adopt extreme measures. 



The final disposition of the negroes driven 

 by the state of affairs at the South into the 

 Federal lines, and temporarily employed in their 

 operations, will remain for future determina- 

 tion, according to the different aspects of the 

 question presented in the cases of slaves belong- 

 ing to loyal and disloyal masters. Colonization 

 was suggested by the President in his Message 

 at the second session of the Thirty-seventh Con- 

 gress. (See PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.) An emigra- 

 tion to Hayti, or some other inter-tropical re- 

 gion, might so provide for the cases of both, 

 that all injurious influences from their emanci- 

 pation would be avoided, while loyal masters 

 could be fully indemnified. 



On the occupation of Beaufort, in South Car- 

 olina, and the adjoining country, by the Fed- 

 eral force under command of General Sherman, 

 the Secretary of the Treasury issued the follow- 

 ing orders respecting the disposal of cotton and 

 other property captured, and also the services 

 of the slaves : 



TREASURY DEPAETMTXT, Saturday, Xov. 80,1861. 



In order to the security and proper disposition of 

 the productions of the soil,"and all other property found 

 within the limits of States, or parts of States, declared 

 to be in insurrection against the United States, and 

 now occupied, or to be hereafter occupied, by the 

 troops and authority of the Union, the following'regu- 

 lations are established : 



There shall be appointed by the Secretary of the 

 Treasury, with the approbation of the President, 

 agents to reside at such points or places as are, or may 

 be, occupied by the forces of the United States, whose 

 duties shall be to secure and prepare for market the 

 cotton and such other products and property as may 

 be found or brought within the lines of the army, or 

 under the control of the Federal authorities. 



To enable such agents to fulfil the duties devolved 

 upon them, the military and naval authorities, under 

 proper instructions, will render such military protec- 

 tion and aid as may be required to carry out the in- 

 tentions of this Department. 



Persons held to service for life under State lawa 

 who may be found within such limits, may be em- 

 ployed b"y the agent, who will prepare lists embracing 

 the" names, sex, and condition of such persons, and as 

 near as may be, their respective ages, together with 

 the name of any person claiming their services; which 

 lists shall be in triplicate, one for the military com- 

 mandant, one for the files of the agent, and one to be 

 immediately forwarded to the Secretary of the Treas- 

 ury. 



The persons so listed will be organized for system- 

 atic labor in securing and preparing for market the 

 cotton, rice, and other products found within the ter- 

 ritory brought under Federal control. Pay rolls will 

 be prepared, and a strict account of the labor daily 

 performed by each person entered thereon, for which 

 a proper compensation shall be allowed and paid to 

 the laborers. The amount of such compensation will 

 be fixed, in proportion to the service rendered, by the 

 agent and approved by the military commandant 

 by the Secretary of the" Treasury. 



An inventory of all horses, mules, and other stock, 

 vehicles of transportation, and other property, will be 

 carefully made, and a copy transmitted to the Secre- 

 tary of the Treasury, signed by such agent. 



A record of all products taken possession of will be 

 made, and those of each plantation kept distinct. 

 When prepared for shipment, the packages from the 

 several plantations will be plainly marked and num- 

 bered, so as to be easily distinguished. 



