Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-01-21
A COppeshead Meeting turned into
n Radical Meeting.

head meeting, called by the rebels and
quasi Union men of Little Rock on the
oath ult, was very surprisingly CONVEX
ted into an Abolition demonstration, II
appears that the meeting had been very
quietly arranged, without the knowl-
edge Of the true Union men, and public
notice of II was not given till the last
moment. The Union men did not under
stand the matter, but concluded that
they had better be on hand in full force
aud acted accordingly. The correspon-
dent says -
cat the appointed hour the crowd was
on hand in the beautifully lighted circus
pavilion, and such crowd you rarely see,
More than two thousand persons were
there. Soldier and citizen, male and fe-
male, Union man and rcbel-all were
there.
The prime movers of the meeting had
previously sent Off to Pine Bluff for Mr..
A. c. Rogers, whom they had supposed
was Copperhead, inasmuch as he was a
large Shareholder He came-he spoke,
and chow the ladies squirmed under it)
he was radical. Pretty soon after he be-
gan, and just as the rebs and Copper
heads had squared themselves to enjoy
the rich feast they thought they had
prepared for themselves 'Hark amt
that man an Mplitionist 2 The broad
grin changes into the stare of amaze
ment Then the contemptuous sneer !;
hn1 ~ no 10
begin to twist and grumble Il won't
stay herer Take me outr I'm mad
enough to fight The dirty Abolition
ist' But their more polite husbands
who had invited the speaker, remonstra-
ted against their going out, and by way
of consoling them, they told them to
Wait till Fishback gets up-they will
call him out, and then all of you leave
and show him contempt
After Mr.. Rogers had finished, Mr..
Fishback was loudly called for, and, as
he went up, the ladies went out
Mr. Fishback said as this meeting was
an entirely unknown affair he would not
speak, but would offer a few resolutions :;
and as he was about to read them, rec
olecting remark of Mr.. Rogers depre-
eating division in public sentiment, he
addressed himself a few. moments to
this division and showed how much and
how long the non-slayeholders had de-
ferred to slavery and Shareholders, and
asked how these men could have the as
surance to ask the non-slayeholders to
re-establish an institution from which
they had so suffered Shall the non
STAKEHOLDER come to the terms of the
STAKEHOLDER after all the concessions he
has made, or shall the thing be re-
yersed p
Mr. Fishback then read q series of
patriotic resolutions eulogiZing the Fed
eral Government, sustaining the war
and the emancipation proclamation, and
declaring in favor of the resumption of
the State government of Arkansas under
constitution prohibiting slavery for
ever.
"After he sat down, Dr. Meador, the
editor of the copperhead sheet published
here, introduced series of resolutions
in which the copperhead doctrine was
carefully but coyertly enunciated. In
one of the resolutions he announced
that the Presidents proclamation was a
.faality on the slavery question. But the
trick wouldn't win. Colonel Fishback
moved to amend. A discussion ensued.
Colonel Caldwell then introduced set
of radical resolutions which were unan-
imously passed as a substitute.
When the vote was taken, it was au-
noupced, with good deal of assurance,
from the stand, that none but eiti=ws
should vote The President then called
all in favor Of the substitute into the
ring of the circus, Now the rebs were
exultant. They felt sure of their case.
They had called the meeting without
letting the Union men know anything
of it, and mustered all their strength.
But when they saw some three hundred
citizens jump and scramble into the ring,
amid the shouts of the multitude, YOU
ought to have seen their faces g You
need not take the negative, Mr.. Presi-
dent, said DR.. Meador But Mr.. Fish
back insisted that it should be taken. 1t
was taken and nary vote dared show it.
self. Never were a set of fellows 50
completely taken in as these fellows.
Copperheadism is dead here; that is, it
has lost its energy for time at least"