Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-03-14
THE COOPER INsTITUTE MEET
ING.

N. T., on Thursday evening oil last "eeA' VI
those opposed to all restoration OF slavery
and in tavor of its destruction in the Union,
was presided over BY Hon. JAMES A. HAxiL-
TON. Among the names Of the eminent men
elected as Vice Presidents, we ind those oil
George Bancroft; Rev. DR.. Tying, Prof. Fran
els Lieber, Isaiah Sherman, David d. Field,
Erastus c. Benedict. VIM. Cullen Bryant,
Prosper NJ. Wetmore, Rev. DR.. Chapin'
George Folsom, VIM. Curtis Noyes, George
P. Putnam, Horace Webster. Charles King,
John W. Edmonds, Rev. Or. Thompson,
Rev. A. Goodman, and many others.
Mr.. Hamilton, in taking the chair, said
" The great principle on which our repre-
sentative democracy is founded is the free
dom of man. 1t is your duty to express
your earnest conviction that slavery Is not
only great crime, but also great social
and political evil that it is the direct aud
immediate cause Of the calamities which so
sOrely afflict the whole country" " Your
military and naval forces with rapid blows
are destroying the military power OF your
enemy but unless the last blow which IS
struck strikes of the letters Of the slaves,
the work Of restoring the Constitution and
the Union will be mockery.''
Letters which had been received by the
committee of arrangements from eminent
men at Washington, were read. The sub
stance of the letter from Hon. NJ. Blair. the
Postmaster General, was TO this effect, that
in his opinion Mr.. ToOmbs was right when
he said slavery could only be maintained IN
the Union by the possession of the govern
ment. No man ever defended such an insti-
tuition except for pay. Slavery has lost the
government and lost the pay forever. The
pay is now on the side Of justice and truth.
A formal act of emancipation by Congress
Mr.. B thinks would be unconstitutional and
would not remove the substantial difficulties
of the case. The repugnance Of race in
such case would endauger the exte-mina-
ton of the colored population in the South.
The non-slave holding whites of the South
would not tolerate the slaves if freed in a
body " The essence Of the contest is, -
he says, " whether the white race shall pos
sess the fertile lands Of the temperate zone,
| or the blacks in the name Of few whites -
their masters. L" The rebellion, like the
Indian outbreaks, is but 4 vain attempt to
stem the tide of civilization and progress
The treachery, falsehcod and cruelty perpe
trated to maintain the negro possession
scarcely less than that Of the sayages, mark
the real nature of the contest.
Mr.. BLAIR goes for providing suitable
homes for the blacks. farther South not t.
force them to go there, or to do them any
Injustice, but to provide facilities tor such {
movement. Enterprising ones would sOor
20, and others would follow. Such policy
if settled upon and declared, he thinks woulC
gradually bring all to unite in it. north anC
south and in few generations it woLlC
put the temperate zone regions Of Americs
in the exclusive occupation Of the white rae,
and secure perpetual union OF the States
Hon. PRESTON KING wrote that perma-
merit security to the existence Of Republican
Government and to the peace Of the country
requires that the cause Of the treason, as
well as the treason itself, should be over
come and extinguished, or put so under the
| laws as to secure its extinction lie went
for the prompt and energetic destruction, by
| the Government forces, Of the armed organl-
cations of the rebels, for the seizure of the
persons Of the ring leaders and their punish
ment for treason.
Hon. CHARLES SUMNER repeated in his lei
ter the doctrine Of the resolutions introduced
into Congress some days ago,-that the re-
hellious States had virtually destroyed their
| Constitutional existence as States-tbat Con-
gress ought 70 organize them into territories
and prohibit slavery in them as it was origl-
nally prohibited in the North west by the
ordinance Of 1857.
Hon. HENRT WILSON wrote " The nation,
Imperilled by slavery, should use every legal
and constitutional power to put it in process
Of ultimate extinction. To that end I would
Immediately abolish slavery in the District
Of Columbia, repeal the BACK code that DIS
honOrs the national Capital. tender to the
loyal slave-holding States the treasure. Of
the Federal Government TO aid them in the
work Of emancipation, deal justly and llber-
ally with the loyal men of the rebel States,
but free the oondmen of the rebels A"
Hon. DAVID WILxOr expressed like senti-
ments TO those Of Hon. Henry Wilson.
A series of resolutions were adopted. to
the effect that genuine love Of liberty and
the rights of human nature can not co-exist
With liberation of slavery-that it is the
right and duty Of the Government to destroy
that which has been the sole cause of all our
disasters-that it is the duty and interest Of
the Government and the people to adopt and
advocate such measures as will insure uni.
versal emancipation, and thus complete the
work which the revolution begun.
Speeches were made by Hon. VI. d. Cox
WAY and Hon. CARL ScuuRz, which were
enthusiastically applauded. The telesraphic
report, just received, of the Presidents late
message, was read and welcomed with loud
cheering The speech Of Mr.. Scburz we
hope to present to our readers in few DAYS.
STEAAERs FITTING OUT IN ENGLAND TO RUN
IuE BLOCK ana IL o.