Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-01-15
Arkansas and the Union.

Gen. CAN'T, late Of the rebel army ad
dressed the people Of Cincinnati few days
since, az follows
In writing my letter to the people Of Arkansas
gave great offence TO the leaders Of the rebellion;
and 1t could not have been otherwise strug-
clei hard not to write that letter, for | am a
southern man. But saw that the rebellion was
only struggle TO extend and perpetuate negro
slavery; ! saw my people, whom love SO well,
groaning beneath the despOtism Of JEFF. Davis
and his minions, and l could not be silent.
desired to retire from the struggle and seek some
corner where I could live in peace, unobseryed.
But with these facts before ne. how could but
speak Then. when spoke through that letter,
there was raised against me- by the copperheads
Of the North. a cry that did it with a view to
office. But told them, as | now tell you, that
would not accept any office or emolument which
1t is in the power Of the people or their President
to give | wanted only TO see peace restored TO
my people. | would that Col would blast all
demagogues and place true men in office. In the
first days Of this Government when the ship Of
State started out on its voyage, our fathers had
ever before them warning that il might be
wrecked on the rock Of Slavery. Il has been 10
the people Of the South the root Of all their evils
this Slavery subject Of continual commo-
uon- IN loDDs hneu the pcol4t were - hBllalel
on the subject did all in my power 10 allay the
excitement. | called upon them to bear in mind
that the Constitution gave them sufficient guar
antics for the safety Of Slavery; but they wanted
new and additional guarantees. Mr.. Lincoln had
truthfully said in Illinois, that Slavery and Free
dom could not exist together, and that It must
be all Slavery or all the other thing; and the
people of the South, fearing it was going to be
all the other thing cried out for more guarantees
Of the safety Of the institution. And when the
blow was struck. we found that the C0nfederacy
was based on negro Savery-established solely
for the perpetuation Of that institution. We had
never divided the Government Of our fathers.
and we found, to our grief, that in our anxiety
for the safety Of Slavery, we had founded Gov
eminent on no principles Of patriotism-merely
as matter Of dollars and cents. We thought
you wanted to drive Slavery in a corner where 1t
would sting itself to death, and we wanted to
protect it. We thought we would have a Gov
eminent all to ourselves, where this institution
would not be interfered with, and we hoped still
further 10 strengthen il, in the course Of time,
by grasping the islands adjacent 10 our States;
by anne1ing Mexico; and by reaching forward,
even, and swallowing some Of the anacondas Of
South America. Laughter This was all be-
fore Liucolns Proclamation. But what was the
result Delaware would not come with Us:
Maryland hesitated and then chung to the old
flag, Kentucky did not respond. She hesitated
in gloom and amid fields of blood, and then,
emerging from the cloud, shone brightly as ever
in the collection of stars. Missouri, too, long a
sceneof bloody conflict, has returned to the Union.
She toppled amid the wreck and disorder. but
again sparkss IN the nations coronet Of stars.
This looked bad to US Slavery seemed worse
hemmed in than ever before, and we feared we
should be forced to abandon il in the struggle
We waited long and patiently for our recognition
by foreign Powers. But, instead OF that came
Lincolns Proclamation Of Emancipation PRO
longed applause | don't think the vast i'm
portance Of that measure was fully understood,
either by the people or the President himself. |
when it was issued. We Of the South certainly |
did not fully or nearly appreciate it, But first |
came his notice, and at this we laughed. What, /
said we, has Lincoln or his Government to do I
with Us, that ne sends US HE notices, Let him .
try it on, and see what good it will do him Sure
enough, the famous Emancipation Proclamation
was issued. But still We laughed. What does his .
Proclamation amount to , said We Our Govern
ment doesn't ratify it; it doesn't affect our Con-
sttution.
But armies had been raised, and under the old
flag the legions Of the North and West bore
down upon us, end they brought with them
the Proclamation (Cheers) We called them
Lincoln's hories ,jbut with their appearance. the
manscles fell from off our slaves, and they were
free. We in the interior saw tins result along
the rivers, and We pited our friends who were
thus feeling the effects of the Proclamation, but
we laughed no more on that subject And here /
let me express my belief that God Almighty in
tended this war TO be the death-blow to Slavery. .
From the first we can trace circumstances and /
signals which point Enthusiastically to this fact |
Every circumstance in this rebellion shows a .
struggle in the nature Of things TO free the ma
ton from the blight of this curse. And we will 1
throw il off and be a more homogeneous and .
united people than ever before The people Of I
the South did not understand this first but they
are beginning TO learn it, and TO see the philos-
ophy of events. Many Of Us see it now, and |
desire the evil uprooted forever. believe this .
war nearly ended. | believe that if certain I
men in the North will stop talking about peace /
and conservation, aud use every effort in sup /
port of the war, that the rebellion will be so |
pushed as to collapse by Spring time. You /
would think, if you visited US in Arkansas, that ]
the seat of Abolitionism had been transferred I
from New England to Arkansas. Our people .
have a right, God knows. to be sick Of Slavery, /
and they are sick Of il. Oh so sick They
can point to desolaied homes, devastated fields,
forsaken hresides, and smoking villages as a
monument of Slavery. They turn from il with
loathing Undesirable. But rhiie toe trho are
so much interested pray for delireraHoe from
this curse there is snedkino party in the
North Inho ioouId force us TO keep this curse
With U.S. We would return to our allegiance
with Slavery blotted from our State Constitu-
ton. Whist sight is here presented. tell
you, my friends, that If you desire to prolong
this war, you have only to continue this talk
about conservatism. There is nothing that has
4 La n han he
peace party Of the North. The work Of that
party. he said. was the first ray Of light he had
perceived and rejoiced at during this whole
struggle Let me appeal to you. then, to drop
this talk of conservatism, aud support the war
measures which are in force. You people Of
Ohio have done glorious work in this war
Your soldiers have bravely represented this State
on many a battlefield glorious 10 the arms Of the
Union. But never did Ohio strike such blow