Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-01-29
dhe 6ree press.
Gen. Iiamilion's Address to the Peoplr
of TpNas
BURLINGTON
FRIDAY MORNING JANUARY ~. 1864

The New Orleans Era contains the address
Of zen. Hamilton of Texas, issued bv him on
his late arrival there with authority from the
National Government to organize a Proyis-
ional State Goyernmenment in Texas. Ii is
powerfully written and must have great ef-
feet on those to whom it is addressed. The
scope and tone of it can be seen from the fol-
lowing extracts. He begins as follows
"Cih-eHs Of Teras;
Through the instrumentalitv
Of ambitious aud designing men. you have been
for more than two and half yc-srs, engaged in
rebellion against the Government If the nited
S,atcs Hunted as ielon aud expelled tine State
because | would not join the conspiracy 10 over
throw free government. now, after an exile o.
| eighteen months, return 10 It., charged with the
duty OF organizing such provisional St1fc Gov
ernment as may be best calculated 10 ara IA ~
storing you to the blessings Of civil liberty.
W hen you were forced by d minority, into
rebellion, you were in the cnioyncn, of every
blessing ever conferred by civil government upon
men. Not single wrong had you ever suffered
froI, the Government You bad liberty, peace,
prosperity, and were ia the daily and undisturb-
/ eli .. pursuit of haunincss.' You viii not clil On
remember the promises Of the rebel leaders; nor
the pre- iictian- of loyal men. Amer au expert
ence So sad iu its rcsults-so horrible in its de-
tails-I call upon you to answer, who dealt
truthtuly with you:
o. Wc sail che revolution would soon prove 60
the n0n--la7ehoidcr that it was not "a war iu the
interest # lie class, hut in the interest Of the
sl1ye0wner, and destined TO result iu the dis
. trauchi-cmeut OF the poor, and thus compel them.
. IN sei-delelse, 10 become ihe stern and uucum-
promising opponents of slavery. Wcwumclyo you
/ that the b0asted wealth of the South was uot aud
could not be made available n the Contemplated
struggle, that the institution Of slavery. uuioct-
z Ell by the clash Of arms, would deliver N 'h.n
the lines OF the south, As the Grccian hur-, iii
within the walls of Troy. a hostile Grcc 20 its
/ very citadel that the Government was s,roue
and would exert It's strength Tor the suppression
Of the rebellion; that the issue would 40 last Dee
/ between slave arIstocracy and "a democratic r,-
public.
Sc Citizens Of Texas. let truth Ice between us
Again | cali upon you 10 answer, whose promi>-
es have failed, and whose predictions have been
verhei2 Ii single promise made 10y the lead /
en- has been realized, challenge You TO name ii,
Are you more free, more prosperous. more I
happy than in former years Are You more /
free TO Temain at home IN the enjoyment Of the /
society Of your wives and children-more free 20 |
engage from day to day in such avocations as I
are most congenial to your tastes and conducive .
TO your interests Are you more free To- express I
your own opinions and to listen to those of your
neghb0rs and friends, more free 20 come aud 20 .
at will and devote your time 20 the interests Of .
those YOU love,
" DO you feel As secsre of lifa liberty and .
property rs YOU once did, You know 10 your
hearts that YOU are the victims Of an oli0us des-
pousm--siares 10 the few who would crush tine
brightest hopes Of humanity to perpetuate slave
ry. What has been your realisation Of liberty
under the rebel rule ,-'
Marital law has been visited upon you. and
in every town. and village. and nechborhooi
some petty despot appointed, to whose eiicts YOU
were required TO bow in meek submission lou
have been denied the right to travel through the
community near your homes on ihe most ueccssa-
ry business without the written permission OF
one of those tools oftyranny. u on dare not cos-
vey TO market the products Of your farms and .
labor without permission. our wagons and .
teams nave been seIrei uy government agents az F
home. and ou the roads 20 market, ID order go
compe. you 90 sell 90 them your crops iora nom
iHal price IA worthless paper NJ interest has
been secure and no night sacred LAW and or
der uo longer exist among you Tine
ans OF The country aro banded together ia secret
societies known as sous of the south, and are
from day To day sitting l Judgement upon ,le
lives ot the best citizens of the statc.
''Iarce thousand %. your citizens have pcrsh-
ell because they loved good government, and
peace and order IN sUcicty-fcrlshcl as lrlon-
They have been hung. shot. and literally lutcl-
ereI-they have been tortured. IN many iu>tau-
ces, beyond anything known ln savage warfare.
Uncertainty, aud gloom, and despair arC raSt
iug upon You to-day Ike the frown of Cod Are
you ia love with this, anu do you desire il 20
continue"
''Ia oar own state, during ti4t summer and i,I
Of 1850, according TO the published accounts of
the murIertrs themselves two hundred and fifty
of our free citizens were hung as tclous, and
thousands driven from their homes and compcLl-
ed to leave the state because they were suspected
of ufdeity TO slavery And, finally, gathering
temerity from lis successful war upon the rights
and lives of its citizens, it lifted its unholy hand
to destroy the government to whose protection it
owed lis power. In its efforts 10 accomplish
this you have only been considered Is SO much
material to be usei
If then, you believe, a. ! do, that
the institution Of slavery has meritei and invited
its own destruction, and that It's doom. prouounc-
ed by the sovereign power of the nation, is an
act of iustice-more than human justce-atiest-
ing the presence ofan Omnipotent haui-then
speak and act AS men who deserve freedom for
themselves and their posterlty. The day Is near
at hand when the name abOlitOnist VIII have
ceased TO be a reproach, even in the South; and
when children, now daily the subjects Of attempt
ell insult on account Of its application to their
fathers, will thank God that they were so rcvil-
cd"
Governor Hamilton closes his address as
follows:
Il can and do assert, with the pride Of conscious
truth, that | have never deceived you. Neither
the entreaties of friends, the threats Of enemies,
nor the hope of reward, nor the dread Of danger,
caused me to falter in my duty to my country ,
and her citizens. Discerning the path Of duty
gave up home, and family, ami friends, to
tread it with unialtering step. | now chal-
lenge my enemies, with all their hate and NAL
ice, 10 point to an argument or prediction Of
mine not vindicated by the events of the war, or
one promise of theirs which has been realized by
the people to whom they were made. In the
sight of God and before the civilized world de-
mand the verdict OF your conscences upon the 8
issues made between US.
at is my duty. as it will be my aim, to the
utmost Of my humble ability, to reorganize so l
ciety in distracted state by the restoration of
peace and order under provisional government,
and this only be done by the administration q
Of laws for the protection of innocent and peace
able citizens, and the punishment of the disor-
derry and guilty. And while assure you that
no unnecessary severity is desired by the govern
ment, and that none viii be attempted by me, |
also assure you that the murierers, assassins
and robbers now infesting the country must seek q
some other field in which to ply their trade. or
be brought to answer for their misdeeds"
Fo,-cprss has been disrTSsin- amendments /