Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-03-01
The Rebel Congress to the Rebel People

The Rebel Congress to the Rebel People
he Southern Congress, having just closed its
futile efforts to raise money and an army from
an impoverished and already mercilessly con.
soripted people, have considered /, necessary to
do something to rally the tagging spirits Of
their traitor constituents and, having neither
silver nor gold 10 give them, have made an adj
dress to them, setting forth with much wordness
the unequalled righteousness OF their cause, the
magnificent achievements of the Confederate
arms, and the prospect it they never surrender,
that they may at last secure their independence,
This address is significant in many respects, but
in lone more SO than in its declaration that the
rebel States withdrew from the former Union,
and formed a new Confederate alliance, as an in
/ independent government, based on The proper re-
iatoHs Of ilbor 10 capital" These "relatons "
of course, are that capital shall own instead Of
hiring labor This is what Hunter Of Virginia,
several years ago and while the stockholders were
plotting their treason, called the black marble
cap stone to the arch OF the Federal Union; and
because the stakeholder, could not make the free
North so misolerpret the Constitution, they have
plunged the nation into a terrible war to establish
government which shan rest upon these rela-
tons as base.
And It'll worthy ofnote, and we call to it the at
tenton Of those conservatives who continually as
s9rt that the negro is only fit for slave, thst the
rebel Congressn this declaration Of their purpose
in this rebellion, make no distinction between white
and black labor, but assert, in effect, that their
Confederacy is based upon the grand Southern
idea that the abotor IS mol worthy Of his hire.
Yet while they are announcing Ibis Southern doc.
trine in one paragraph, the, most yehementiy pro.
test against being made slaves themselves While
claiming the right 10 enslays Others, they charge
it as the most gigantic crime in history tor the
United States to attempt to reduce them to sub
juglt.on. They declare, with various and sundry
asseyeralions, that they themselves (meanibg slave
hoders) never will under any circumstances be-
come the yasslls or subjects Of any Lincoln dcspot
ISM and the burden Of their address is an appeal to
the Southern people never to suffer themselves to
be slaves. 1t is most singular indeed that they
shouldn't see from their lifelong associations with
the benign and Christian. type Of civilization for
which hey are fighting that slaves are the most
conten'ed and happy people on the face Of the
eailh AID accept We first opportunity to become
slaves themselves
These congrramen also complain that the South
has been the victim NJ misplaced confidence.
They didn't sin' war, and dido'i expect il. They
say, " We h4d a right to eI sect tina, We would
be permi. cd, without noIestslicp, to cultivate
the &C., .: pa'a AMI nlca,e on our chosen
arena and Nh The selected type Of social char.
acterisu.-, out claim. to civilization" They
hoped " me obvious interests Of the two sections
would prevent war; 10 other words, tta ihe
North would rather st the South alone than lose
is uad'. Bat lLts extremely " reasonable an
ticipations acre doomed to dislpp clntment" And
here occurs lbr FLOWING charming specimen Of
logic, The North va SO strong tat they bad no
ide4 The, SolI tight. Say .nese losicsn,--
The red glare Of tie kindled At Sumter dis
sipllei all bop OF peace, and the two govern
mer i, we're atrsyed 10 hostility .gain,t each 9TH
er. w. chlrlt the responsibility Of This reIr On
The United States They are accountable Tor the
blood and havoc aud ruin il has caused. for
ia "A.
ence iu military resources bttWeen our cntmies
and ow-el'esi th- immense advantages possessed
10 the ol-anilrd machinery % All established gov
ernmenti powerful. navy; the nucleus Of an
army 'r.'ll a5'oid, and hmitabe tclltIes 10
IneehaI. cal anu manufacturing power, p ced them
90 the yantosr ground
Yes, ley we're a Little, feeble, uncommercial
people, without navy, without an army, without
mac hntry totally uuprepared for war without
vantage ground and only desrou, Of being let
alone, while they could ,inlic4ie on their cho
sen arena, with their selected type Of social CHAR
sctersiic, Their claims to CIVILIZATION And 80
they though, they could Ike snarl,u. puppy,
attack the National m4stE With IMMUNITY, be.
liey,as that he was either muAled or too good
natured to bite. They found out their mistake
sometime since.
The rest OF this Congressional address is
taken up with an attempt to " fire the Southern
heart wit II catalogue OF manufactured in.
digni'es to which the rebels have been subjected
IN the Yankee invasion of their soil and the
Contederates are urged to 60 ahead with their
rebellion, even il it leads them through tears,
and suffering and blood, land it very likely will