Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-04-21
President Lincoln ON the War and
tho Fort PILLOW Massacre.

President Lincoln was present, and In
response TO loud calls made brief aid,
dress in which he spoke as follows;
"At the commencement of the war the
soldiers of the Union could not pass
through Baltimore unmolested, and now
we have this large assemblage of people
brought together TO do them honor and
provide for their wants and make them
comfortable. All honor TO the brave
patriots who had wrought the change,
and TO the noble women who aided them,
When this war began scarcely one indi-
vidual supposed IL would have lasted till
now. All thought IL would have ended
i'm some way in much shorter time
Very few at that time thought the insti-
tuition of slavery would be very much
affected by IL, But these expectations
were not realized, and here we are,
(laughtcr) and slavery has been some
what affected Great laughter.) So true
is il. my friends, that man proposes and
God disposes. The world had long been
in want of correct definition OF the
word freedom. Whilst all protested to
advocate liberty, there was in the minds
of many people no opposite view Of
what liberty was With one man lib
erty implied to work for himself and 10
do as he pleased with the proceeds of his
labor with Others liberty meant to do
as you pleased with other men and their
labor One of these two conflicting
ideas would have TO give way to the
other He thought from some occur
rences which had only recently taken
place in Maryland that her people We're
about TO determine which OF these views
of freedom would control her destiny.
The president then passed ON to refer
to matter which he supposed was just
now deeply agitating the minds OF peO-
pie all over the country lie alluded
to the occurrence which is reported 70
have taken place at Fort Pillow, on the
Mississippi river the massacre Of sew
era hundred eolored soldiers by the
coniederates. Many supposed the gov
eminent did not intend to do its duty in
regard to the protection of these color
ed soldiers He desired to say all such
were mistaken.
When the question of employing col
ored men as soldiers was left to the gov
eminent, it rested very much with him
self whether he should make soldiers OF
them or not. He pondered the matter
carefully, and when he became convinced
that it was duty to so employ them, he
did not hesitate to do So He stood before
the American people responsible for the
act responsible before the Christian
world responsible in the eyes OF the
historians responsible before God and
he did not shrink from the decision he
had made, for he believed IL was right.
But when the government determined
to make soldiers of these negroes he
thought it only just that they should
have the same protection as the white
soldiers, tapplause) and he hesitated not
to declare that the government would so
/ protect them TO the utmost of its pow
er. Whenever clear, authenticated
case should be made out, retribution
would follow. IL had hitherto been DIFF
flcult to ascertain with that certainty
which should govern decision in mat
ter SO serious. But in the affair at Fort
Pillow he thought they We're likely 10
find clear case. The government had
no direct evidence to confirm the reports
in existence relative to the massacre, but
he himself feared that the facts as rela-
ted were true. When the government
does know the facts from official sources,
and they snbstantiate the reports, retri-
button will be surely given (Great APP
plause.l But how should that retribu-
tion be administered, was question
still to be settled Would it beright TO
take the lives of prisoners in Washing
ton, in Fort Delaware, or wherever con-
fined, for acts in which they had not
shared Would it be right to take the
prisoner captured, say at Vicksburg,
and shoot him for acts of which he was
not guilty and which it will probably
be found were the ordering of only
few individuals, or possibly of only one
man? No. The president reiterated
that the government would not fail to
visit retribution when the facts were
clearly proved.
Throughout, his remarks were warm
ly applauded, especially his enunciations
of a determination for retribution for
the barbarous deeds of the rebels.
SUCCESSFUL REcrpE,-The Troy Times
says
one OF our city constables was the re-
clpienr of numerous mock eongratuia-
Tons i'm the Justices Court ante room.
this morning, on the result of his labors
as a truit grower. 1t seems that the
officer read in one of the city papers
which keeps q /" farm and garden" de-
partment, that kerosene oil applied TO
trees would kill the bugs on the limos
and branches. As the constable owns q
patch" not many feet from the jail, IN
which were valuable cherry and plum
tree, he concluded to try the newspaper
. recipe for exterminating the critters
He did so and the result was most sue
cessful. He caused the death of every
real bug and hum bug but the trouble
was he killed tie trees, too. ,ef..e.i
y PAYNAsTER IN LIMBo.--A Washington
correspondent says ATS
Some months ago negro servant IN
New Orleans was charged by paymaster
II. X. Lawrence of Wisconsin with rob-
bing him of 100000 The negro was
first numerically logged and subse-
quently sentenced to hard labor at the
Dry Portugas for life. Facts which,
have recently come to the knowledge OF