Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1861-12-26
Jhe gntlana Nerald.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER &c.
GEN. PHELPS AND THE PEOPLE
OF VERMONT.


hearts of Vermonters." We are not
little surprised to see in paper of the
character and standing of the Journal,
such gross misrepresentation of the feel
ings and sentiments of the people of this |
State. That they are strongly anti-slav-
cry in sentiment there is no doubt. They |
regard slavery as great social, moral
and political EVIL, and would rejoice could
some feasible plan be devised whereby it
might be abolished with the consent
of the States in which it exists. -
And if in the progress of this war it shall
be fairly demonstrated that the way to the
restoration of the Union leads only through
the utter demolition of the system Of slav-
cry, the people of Vermont will not hesi-
tate about putting the axe to the root OF
the accursed tree. But that time has not
yet come. There is no apparent military
necessity for declaring this war of eman-
cipation in order to save the Union. In
deed the military necessity OF the hour
seems to dictate and demand the opposite
policy. 1t should be distinctly understood
that we are not waging a war of emancl-
patton against the people of the South,
but only for the restoration of the Union
and the supremacy of the Constitution
and the laws Such is in e. he ole
object of the contest 1t was 50 declared
by resolution OF Congress in its extra
session in July. 1t is 50 declared by the
President in MS message 1t is 30 under
stood by ninety-nine of every hundred OF
the people of the loyal States. Were the
administration. As a few zealots would
have it do. to declare this war, at the pres
ent iuncture. war of immediate, gener-
al and unqualified emancipation, what
would be the result, Al Of .HdTyL0nd
o.d Western Virginia, al of Kentucky,
and Missouri, ,coud be n, arms against
us tn inio~ armies IN Kentucky and
Missouri ,ro"id melt and disappear Ike
,car IN tie .fro. We should thus defeat
the very object we have most at heart
the speedy conclusion of the war. and the
restoration of the Union.
Now IN the proclamation of General
Phelps not one word Is laid about the res
toration Of the I'nion-not one word about
a Constitution trampled upon by traitors.
H. ,ells the people of the Southwest that
he ha, come to them to abolish their in
stitution Of slavery. He tells them abolition
,the object of the war which is being made
upon them But as if this wer" not
enough to infamr the resentment Of
the people OF the South towards the Fed
eral Government to still higher pitch,
Gen. Phelp, proceed, to lay downscertain
political principles by which he says his
:" command will be governed, the first of
which Is as follows:
We believe that every State that has
been admitted as a slave State into the
Union since the adoption of the Constitu-
ton has been so admitted in direct viola
ton of that Constitution.
This language, be it remembered. is
addressed to the inhabitants Of Mississippi
and Louisiana. both of which States have
:. been admitted into the Union as Slave
States, since the adoption of the Constitu-
ton" What does Gen. Phelps who Is
sent by his Government to restore the su-
premacv of the Constitution in those two
States, tell their people: He gravely ie-
clares to them that they never legally or
constitutionally belonged to the Union!-
He tells them that they came into the
Union as interlopers, in direct violation of
the Constitution, and Of course had no
constitutional right to be, or remain IN the
sister-hood of States. Why, in the name
of common sense, then, does Gen. Phelps
90 down there to force those States back
into the Union, to which they never con-
stitutionally belonged? Would not that
be very pertinent inquiry for the people
of Mississippi and Louisiana to put to
Gen, Phelps? If the Journal thinks the
people of Vermont will adopt such a
:. principle as this, enunciated in the
very foreground of the proclamation, it
sadly mistakes their intelligence. The
people of Vermont believe in no such
principle. they believe that Louisiana
and Mississippi are constitutionally men,