Justice not done yet.
To the Editor of the New York Tribune:
Sir,--An impression seems to prevail in the newspapers that the lately published “opinion” of Attorney-General Bates (dated in July last) at length secures justice to the colored soldiers in respect to arrears of pay. This impression is a mistake.
That “opinion” does indeed show that there never was any excuse for refusing them justice; but it does not, of itself, secure justice to them.
It logically covers the whole ground, and was doubtless intended to do so; but technically it can only apply to those soldiers who were free at the commencement of the war. For it was only about these that the Attorney-General was officially consulted.
Under this decision the Northern colored regiments have already got their arrears of pay,--and those few members of the Southern regiments who were free on April 19, 1861.
But in the South Carolina regiments this only increases the dissatisfaction among the remainder, who volunteered under the same pledge of full pay from the War Department, and who do not see how the question of their status at some antecedent period can affect an express contract.
If, in 1862, they were free enough to make a bargain with, they were certainly free enough to claim its fulfilment.
The unfortunate decision of Mr. Solicitor Whiting, under which all our troubles arose, is indeed superseded by the reasoning of the Attorney-General.
But unhappily that does not remedy the evil, which is already embodied in an Act of Congress, making the distinction between those who were and those who were not free on April 19, 1861.
The question is, whether those who were not free at the breaking out of the war are still to be defrauded, after the Attorney-General has shown that there is no excuse for defrauding them?
