Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-09-29
Extract from Mr. Elots Speech at the Mas
sachusetts Union Convention.

the recent State Convention in Massachusetts, and
on t,king the chair made an oIc.llent speech,
from which we make the following extract:
We hav, assembled now az period in the bis.
.ory Of our State and Of the Fedora Union when
ve may well pause TO look back upon what has
freshly past, and TO consider what shall be done
10 the near future. During the last yssr reverses
have been borns which weighed down the hearts
Of patriotic men, and successes hays been achieved
which now remove all doubt a. to the speedy tr-
umph Of our Union armies. We care not here
TO speculate upon the causes which resulted in
failure when the heroic bravery Of our men de-
served, aud had seemed to win, victory 1t will
be time enough when peace has been conquered,
and freedom established 4 over the lsnd, to ana.
i.ze some Of the bstIIes which have been fought
bnvely but useeuiy fought; when noble lives
have been sacrificed ana lost in vain. Our homes
have been bereit Of their hope and their strength,
and our hesr,s rent with anguish We cannot
forget the early carnage Of Balls Bluff, or the la
ter mirtyfdoms at ChsncsIoryls.
- Heroes FOR Instant sacrifice prepared,
Yet asd win ardor and triumph bent
mid direst forms Of horrld accident
To you who f.ll, and you whom slaughter spared
To guard The fallen and ooniammats The event,
Tour land will rear a sacred monument"
But since the time when Gen. Lee massed his
army in the mountain regions OF Pennsylvania,
our victories East and West and South have been
overwhelming and decisive. Now, indeed, over
the electric wires We have intelligence OF fearful
battle and bloody carnage beyond Chattanooga
The wsr-worn soldiers from the Army Of Virginia
and the troops Of Johnston, and the whipped
prisoners Of Nicksburg, have been united with the
forces nnder Bragg to crush, il they could by
quick aud desperate attack, the gallant men who
tight under the banner OF Roseerans. We shall
find that they have failed to accomplish what they
designed. Rosecnns will hold hii ground. One
crown Of roses j, not destined yet to fade. His
name and bis life are guaranty Of victory.
But who Of us did not rejoice that the army
Of the Potomac in those first days OF July found
al once its leader and lts opportunity Fl? Who
can reckon up the debt that We owe to Meade,
and to bis valiant generals and heroic men Tor
that weeks work
The planned invasion Of Pennsylvania by
their abest rebel general with hi. army OF
trained veterans, that had learned their Lessons
Of war in the battles before Richmond, at Antie-
tam, near Fredericksburg, and at Chancellors-
vile, had been regarded BY traitors at the North
and rebels at the South and their English friend.
and allies as the probable forerunner Of Union
defeat aud of foreign recognition. When Long
streets division was beaten back on that Friday
| in July, that triple-heided Toe WAS slain. The
rebel hosts were scattered and driven from our
soil. The chances Of foreign recognition were
lost, when the great battle was lost which was
to make recognition possible. And Northern
traitors What became of them The meanest
Of all our foes No matter whether living in
Massachusetts, or New York Thank God they
too were paralyzed BY the great victory at Get
tysburg. What if that battle had been lost and
the conquerlnt hosts Of the soldier OF Arlington
had held in consequence Harrisburg, Phila-
4 delphia and Baltimore Out from every hole
these accursed traitors would have sprung into
life again, and dshonorable peace would have
been counseled, and cowardy submission and
miserable compromise am not speaking now
Of War DemocraIs-they know how to fight
Butler Of Massachusetts, and Logan Of Illinois,
and such as they. They are with US and we
with thom. Such men as they have been inv-
ted to assemble with us here to-day, and with
them we can fraternse and act. Close upon
the victories at Gettysburg have come to us the
decisive successes upon the Mississippi, The
great river flows with her tribute streams proud
y to the Gull, and no rebel stronghold intercepts
the loyal commerce that peacefully vexes her
free waters. Honor to Grant, the hero of Vicks-
burg, and to the brave Porter, his Admiral and
ally, and honor to Banks, the victor OF Port
: Hudson. The West and the East have Joined
hands, and shall not be parted forever more,
Victory has followed victory-Chattanooga
Knoxville, Cumberland Gsp-Roseorsns, Burn
side and Sherman What shall we say of them
: What shall the country not say Of them, and
for them and their hero soldiers And of Gill
, more and Dahlgren on Morris Island and in the
waters near Charleston
But while wu remember our valiant soldiers
D let us never forget the heroism at Port Hudson
9 aud Feruandina, and Fort Wagner, where tht
black soldier FIRST fought for the stars and stripes
All honor TO those men, brothers in arms aud
Tel ow lighters for freedom. Let them fight, ant
!. let them conquer, Who have better right tt
# fight for the Union in South Carolina than thos'
men { II whose oppression South Carolina begaI
- this war for slavery?
y But all these victories are bringing near to u
some questions which Massachusetts, must dis
t CUES and help to answer. After victories com
5, peace, and with peace comes reunion. Blu
y how North Carolina and Tennessee, bone o
her bone, will soon seek in some way t
}. throw off the tyrants yoke and be restored
= again, honored and trusted and beloved as the,
:, were of old. louisiana and Florida, South Car
" olns and Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama
s. Arkansas and Texas, will sl in their turn anC
ls in some way seek to come again under the fold
% of the national flag. BY our recent successe
. the traitor ooniedoracy has been deprived o
70 moro than one half its territorial strength an
I'd more than half its population, If foreign pow
rs do not intervene for slavery, there is no fai
"A. Dom for doubt that in few more months th
Feder,l Government will have overcome the OF
ganlz4d rebellion. Predatory ana guerrilla wa
81 may be for awhile continued. But when tn
II great armies now in the field are destroyed
IL the power of the Government will be confessed
:, and the body Of this great treason will be cor
y trolled,
u What shall be done then, aud how shall it |
d. done ? Our Union must be restored and so re
n. tored that in no future age can such rebellic
be renewed Gu child ems children must NJ
W have to fight over again the battles for tteedo
ng in which our brothers and our sons have falle
lily One generation Of young men is enough 10 raj
be som nation from slavery. We have sinne'