Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-08-30


grows, aud the more disastrous defeat will be to
him. And defeat may come So, in military
view, should certainly say cur position was
better than yours
As TO money we are richer than you are.
You smile but admit that our paper is worth
nolhing--lt answers as a neutrality-suspicious. (;
and we hold il all ourselves II every dollar of
1t were lost, we should, as we have 90 foreign
debt, be none the poorer. But II is worth some
thing it has the solid basis of large cotton
crop, while yours rests on nothing, and you owe
all the world As to resources we do not lack
for arms or ammunition, and we have still
wide territory from which to gather supplies
So, you see, we are not in extremltles. But If
we were--if we were without money, without
food, without weapons--if our whole country
we're devastated, and our armies crushed and
disbanded-could we, without giving up our
manhood, give up our right to govern ourselves
Would you not rather die, and feel yourself "a
man, than live, and be subject to foreign
power?
From your standpoint there is force IN what
you say replied the Colonel. But we did
not come here 10 argue with you, Mr.. Davis.
We came, hoping to fad some honorable way
to peace and | am grlevei to hear you say
wnat you do. When | have seen your young
men dying on the battlefield, and your old men,
women and children starving in their homes,
have felt could risk my life 70 save them. For
that reason | am here and | am grleved,
grieyed, that there is no hope"
" know your motives, Colonel Jaques and
honor you Tor them but what can | do more
than am doing | would give my poor life,
gladly, il 1t would bring peace and goodwill to
the tgo countries but It would not. lt is with
your own people you should labor. 1t is they
who desoale cur homes, burn our wheat-felds,
break the wheels Of wagons carrying away our
women and children, ana destroy supplies meant
Tor our sick and wounded. At your door lies all
the misery and The crime OF this war--and IT is
a fearful, fearful account"
" Not all Of it, Mr. Davis. admit fearful
account but il Is not all at our door. The pas
sions Oi both sides are aroused Unarmed men
are hanged and prisoners are shot down in cold
blood, by yourselves. Elements Of barbarism
are entering the war on both sides that should
make us-you and me, as Christian men-shud-
der to think Of In Gods name, then, ei Us
stop it. Let US do something, concede something.
to bring about peace. You cannot expect, with
only four and half millions as Mr.. Benjamin
says you have, to hold our forever against twen-
ty millions.
Again Mr.. Davis smiled.
ado you suppose thoIe are twenty millions
at the North determined TO crush US?
81 do-to crush your government. A small
number of our people, very small number, are
your frends-secesslonist The rest differ
about measures and candidates, but are united
in the determination to sustain the Union.
Whoever is elected in November, he must be
committed to a vigorous prosecution OF the
wal"
Mr. DAVIS still loo&ed iucredulous. | re-
marked
:" 1t is 50 sir. Whoever tells you otherwise
decelves you. think | know northern sent.-
ment, aud | assure you it is 30. You know we
have a system of lyceum-lectur IN our large
towns At the close OF there lectures it is the
custom of the people TO come upoa the platform
and talk with the lecturer 1nis gives him an
excellent opportunity Of learning pubic senti.
ment. Last winter | lectured before nearly
hundred OF such associations all over the North
from Dubuque to Bangor-and took pains
to ascertain the feeling OF the people. found
q unanimous determination ~ crush the rebel
lion and save the Union at every sacrifice. The
majority are in favor of Mr.. Lincoln, and near.
ly all OF those opposed to him are opposed to
him because they think he does not fight you
with enough vlgor. The radical Republicans,
who " lOr slave-suHrage ana thorough confs-
cation are those who viii defeat hun, II he is TO
be defeated. But If he is defeated before tue
people the House will elect u worse mani
mean worse for you. 1t ls more radical than
be ls-you can see that from Mr. Ashley y's Re-
construction bill-and the people are more radl-
cal than the House. Mf. Lincoln, know, is
about TO call out five huodred thousand more
men aud | can't SEQ how you can resist much
longer but If you do you will only deepen the
radical feeling OF the northern people. They
will now give you fair, honorable generous
terms but lot them suffer much more, let
there be dead man In every house, Us there is
now in every village, they will give you no
terms-they will insist ON hanging every rebel
south OF -. Pardon my terms. | mean no
offence"
&" You give no offence he renlied, smiling
very pleasantly, | wouldn't have you pick your
words. THIS is frank, Tree talk, aud like
you the better Tor saying wnat you tnlnk. Go
on.
III was merely going 10 say that let the
northern people once really feel the war-they
do not feel it yet-and they wall insist on hang
ing every one OF your leaders
well, admitting all you say, cant see
how it aIsc,s our position. There are sumo
things worse than hanging or determination.
We reckon giving up the right OF sell.gOyern.
ment one OF those Ihngs.
by seli-government you mean disuuion---
southern independence
Yes"
"And slavery, you say, is no long an ele
ment IN the contest.
/ "NO It ~ not lt never was an essential elo,
ment. IL " only u means OF bringing " her
conflicting elements to an earlier elimination.
| Ii fired the musket which was already capped
and loaded. Thero afo essential differences be-
tween the North aud the South that will, how
ever this war may cad, make them two na-
tions"
You ask me 10 sag what think. viii you
allow me ~ say that know the South pretty
we'll, and never Observed those differences
Then you have not used your eyes, My
sight is poorer than yours, but have seen them
for years"
The laugh was upon me, and Mr.. BaujAmin
enjoyed it.
"Well, sir, be that as it may, il understand
you, the dispute between Your goveroment aud
ours il narrowed down u tins tnOn or dis
union.
"Ys; or to put in other words lndepes-
doDoe or subjugation."
Then the two governments are lrreconoia.
bly, apart They have no alternative but to
+ fghtit out. But II Is not 50 with the people.
They are tired OF lighting and want poace; and
as they bear all the burden aod suffering oil the
war Is il not right they should have peace and
have It on such terms us they hke2'
81 don't understand you. BE little more
explicit"