Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-10-07
Green st. freeman
MONTPELIER, VT.
Tuesday Morning, October 2, 1852.
Plain Talk from a Southerner.


The Hon. Andrew Jackson Hamilton, one {
the representatives in Congress from Texas in tn
las, Congress, and now Union refugee, addresset
an immense audience in Brook lyn, Thursday eve
nins Col. Hamilton was opposed to seces
sion, and bias maintained his Loyalty to the Repub
lie. mid the danger, which have coutinua
surrounded every one who dared utter Unoi
sent.men, IN his State. He recently escaped
from New Orleans, and from there came to New
YORK. We regre. that the length Of the speecl
forbids our publishing it entire. It's earnest anC
penetrated with the convictions Of one who ha
seen and knows what the inspiration Of the rebel
lion IS. Respecting d, cause, CoI j. ,aid
tits, perhaps wei enough to inquire why this
happened. cannot better deyeIope to you my
own views OF the causes that led to this, than by
calling YOUR attention to what ne OF the leading
spirit, engaged in this grea, rebellion against the
authority OF the government s-ld-a Mr.. Sprdtt,
Of South CarolDa-who addressed communCa'
ton a; great length and with consummate ability,
with ali the argument which the school OF philos-
opher. 70 which he belongs could bring to bear,
On .he question Of the proprely Of essentially
changing he principles on which the government
OF the Southern States was thereafter TO be based,
a, contrast. with the government OF the United
State, lie said he was very much ashamed Of
20. Southern statesman--indeed, there was no
man who deserved that name--who would pre-.
tend that the secession or revolution was caused
by any aggression on the part OF the people of the
nonslavedoiding States on he rights and inter.
est, D. the people o. the South in regard to Save
property He said it was childlke to talk about
It's being the cause. He said it was still les, be-
cause OF any act Of aggression on the part Of the
United States government. What, then, was the
reason lie said it was because OF the difference
in tie organization OF society North and Souta.
In TIE non.savsholding States every man beng
a freeman, it resulted that the laborng classes
had power IN the government, and it required but
little argument he said, To prove that, when that
was he case, the government was "in the heels"
OF society. He said that when on the other
hanL government was in the hands Of those who
directed aUor,i was then =" in the head" OF society,
where !, properly belonged. And now, said he,
after having cut loose from the North, after eradi-
eating the evil, have we succeeded in achieving
the object No, at ALL He was complaining in
thi, letter that the Montgomery Convention had
failed to meet the object desired by those who in
auguraied the revolution, because it had not pre-.
vldel athirmatIyely for reopenlng the African
slave trace. lie said it would involve the neceS
Sity Of another revolutions that the evil was still
in their midst, as the laboring man would still
WELD the power in the new government, and, SaiC
he, From the premises d. have laid down yol
will perceive that slavery and democracy are in
compatible (Applause) He paid high com
plimenl TO the great New York statesman, no,
Secretary OF State MIR. Seword). and said that h
never uttered greater truth than when he de
clarod there was ian irrepressible conflict" be
tween slave labor and free labor. Applause.
He said that in this additional, this second revo
luton that would be forced upon them, and whic
might be boodler than the present one, the
would get rid OF the last and least remains {
democracy, and that his plan emphatlcally was
slave arislocracy Now, il that was but the sent
ment of one Southern man, addressed to truste
agent OF the State OF LOUISIANA, then sittiu
member in the Convention, there might be b.
little practical significance in II. If II had bet
reprobated by the public press in that section,
condemned by the public voice, there might
little significance in the fact that such sentmen
were promulgated to the world. But when "
bear in mind that thal letter was reproduced
the leading prints OF the South, and spoken OF
terms OF commentator, and that up TO this ho
no man has lifted his voice in criticism agaic
any OF the positions there assumed, then it Is 81
nifcani. | have heard the echoes OF those sen
menls IN the streets, in the hotels, in the patlc
and at the festive board. Men who, two yea
ago, were regarded as loyal are heard now saliu
"Well, republlcanism is Il failure. We are rea
astonished at ourselves for ever thinking that
could succeed. We now realize the fact that
mus; have stronger government
Ii thus it be true that slavery is the cause
TIL, rebellion; if the object OF the Slaveholde
he distrust OF leaving power in the hands of /
non.slaveholders il the danger OF slavery was
great as to justify them in theiI devotion to t
institution to destroy the United States, Their
say that have changed my views in regard
that institution, aud have sundered my allegiant
If | ever had any, to slavery. loud and CO
tinued applause) Fellow citizens, have had
70 through no gradatons in this change. n
will the men who compelled me to leave my ST.
be at all disappointed when they hear wha
have said here and will say elsewhere. adv
them in advance that il they would force upon
the issue OF disloyal,y to the government that b
always blessed me, has blessed my father beiC
me, and which have never known but in conn,
ton with blessings, If they bring into question |
loyalty to that government with my loyalty
slavery, my choice is easily made, (ApphuS,
1t they compel mt to elect between my childr
and their negroes, oil would tell az wo,
he found. (Aplause,) That issue % .pou ,
tonight, upon me and upon every man rt
Maine to Mexico. Sairk i; il you can.
If you knew all tnis as do, you would feel Il
there was more involved in this revolution Il
desire to get rid OF the hated Yankee. ltN
no, because the men who inaugumted it hated
people of the North it was not because man,
you differed rom them in opinion, but it WI
deliberate purpose on their part to be the cont
ling spirits in a new and different order OF gov,