Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-01-24

Mr speaker, IL lne Note Oh this 4uo'"O" hNN
bsen taken On Saturday, ! should have saio
nothing, and to day inten only to occupy ie"
minutes 10 what may prove lfult!e@ atsemf
70 obtain something Liore than mere parry Vot'
Ia b half ol d measure which Will prove an or
10 cur history, and should enlls: the corda
favor OF 1yey lover Of the great principles upon
winch our Government was founded, lt IL 40
occasion tor Iassion but the times call Tor o.
rect and un cQuiyCcal action. Every vote will
explain ltseli, with no aid from any other and
viii admit OF no commentary
There 10 reluctance upon the part OF por-
tlon vi this House to even propose, for tho SUD
stquent aotl0n OF the people, this amendment
10 the Consultation OF the United States, that
70 me IL surprising. There IL not the smallest
doubt Of the constitutional power 0f OF the le-
gal regularity OF the proceedings contemplated.
ANY objection must, therefore, apply to the mer-
Its Of the measure, and not to the neasur re tsell
" the end and not 70 the means. How can any
man, educated in any OF the schools OF party to
be louud 10 our country be opposed to the ut
ter aud complete extnguIshmept OF slavery 7
There is NJ party whose creed IL no. iun1a-
mentally thoroughly hostile 10 this most de-
ssryedly hated Institution, and mons which could
not, consistently with oil Us theories Of goodgOv-
ernment, bah with joy Ita fnal oblipr1tioa, IN
less It be within the contracted limits oi the 50
called confederate Statos, Can 1t be that gen
temen are unwilling even 20 allow tho people
Of all the States TO pass upon this proposition
For thlt will be the whole extent OF our action,
or merely to give the people an opportunity to
show whether two thirds gt all the States will
decide tint hera are reasons of sufficient gravl.
ty to induce them 10 adopt tho amendment.
hisquestion will come up 1t IS only gus
tlo1 ol time. When it does come before the peo
pie will gentlemen then be prepared to take the
stump against It? II not, the harmony OF the
record had better now DO progJed for.
] remember party, EXISTING in tn North as
well as the South, Hho were but recently not
afraid to tampar with the Constitution, but
were ciamorous for an opportunity by which
further guarantees were to be secured 70 slavery,
an can such party now logically refuse 70
consade the same opportunity by which further
guarantees 10 liberty shall be secured, and by
whcl tho question Of slavery may be forever
put trcst2 esk shat the people shall have
The right 10 reach this question once and, as |
hope, forever. Let us take the ehsnces even
with all the votes OF the former slave States in
cluied DO gentlemen Of the free North intend
u DO battle tor slavery after the Shareholders
themselves have abandoned OF are ready tn aban-
don u? do nos believe that J.. the attitude
tdeY desire to assume here or on the page Of
that remarkable history We arsnoB maxim
wherein it should oo the ambition OF slI. if
they cannot obtain honorable notice, at least to
t'cApe the scorn OF posterity hy voluntary
Disappearance from the public gaze.
but II is said that this question OF slavery ls
one i the reserved right. Of t.,a States which
we must not touch Il may bl a proved traitor,
pirate, and murderer, butts still too sacred TO
be touched by military or even civil su horily .
! e1ncede that there are many rgh's reserved to
the States, yet i It were the conviction Of two
thirds Of tic States that any one Of these ri hts
would be more safely or moro wisely ex reused
by the General Government, who shall deny
their power to surrender any such right 70 the
control oil the United StAtes7 But slavery is a
rrong 50 recognized By the whole ciyIlz d
world and cannot claim Immunity AZ a right
There is nov practically but one amendment to
the Constitution which we are not az liberty 10
make, and that relates to a wholly different sub
ject, namely. No State without its consent
shall be deprived OF ITS equal suffrage in the
Senate y.hing else than this is as much
an open question as II would be II We were now
at work framing Constitution for the first time
for free people.
In all the agtations which the question oil
slavery has from time to time forced upon the
country, the lustest uphOlders OF the domestic
institutions OF the South while demo uncing
what they styled unconstitutional interference
have claimed for themselves the EXTREMIST doc
tnnes OF democracy, according to the philoso-
ply OF Jefferson and aso that, IL living IN
slave States, they would bs aboltionists and
II ttey could cJnsututlanally reach the questi0r
they would not fail g. maint in the doctrines OF
the Declaration Of lndepsndeoce. Now, the
time has como when the sincerity OF these dec
laratlons will be tested. Now, the time has
come when we shall see how many wear name
having no valid title to It, Here isa chance
ia show whether We are for or against slavery
IA the abstract. feel sure soma At lsasI will
sand the fire and come out like refined gold
There are some who will sei aside party and
vote according to the dictates OF the manhood
with which God endowed them. These will not
keeniy calculate whether little more sacrifice
is necessary In order to endesr them 10 some
party now 10 rebellion by Which ths asoendency
OF their own political associates may be here
alter secured. They may believe that Tor such
an ooleet 10 party in the North is in conli.
ton ta make further expenditure, for such an
object That course has proved q very exhaust
lug process, aud the most extrayssaut demand
ever mad, in this direction, being vote agains,
tins amendment II complied with will prove
booilcss, and may much better be declined Is
Is by no means certain that the dominant party
OF the South, when the repenmnt rehss are
again brought under the old flag, will he of the
malignant States right or secession sttipe. and
IN that case the conciliation proHered here In
behalf Of slavery would prove stale and unprol.
table The true Union men aud the poor whites
OF the South will hereafter prove power that
will he heard from.
A rebellion that fails leaves no plaes for its
leaders. These, il not banished by Govern.
ment, are driven into obscurity by the people
they have unwortbily misguided
However ready gentlemen may b. to welcome
back such chiefs as Davis, Sidell, and Mason
they will never have tho opportunity, for these
and all such as these will bo kent in straitiack
cts at home, or they will more likely skulk away
to some congenial oourts,as that of Macmillan l.
or Pedro II.
II 1t had not been for the disclosure OF the
diaholical purpose Of slavery to destroy our
do'e'nment, the people Of tho United States
would doubtless have tolerated tho institution
wherever States chose TO coa.inue and shield it,
until the density OF population should have
made the soil too valuable to support anything
but ifeemen.
bus since this disclosure we should be COW.
nus' al'er having witnessed its power for evil,
at'et the countless treasure and priceless blood
we nave expended in the struggle, lor our own
nuae'tAlon, II We were 10 surrender our grin
spUu sna throat OF the monster, and thus permit
If 49, - ,oSoser strength to repeat the atrocile.
go '0'' % ,our years upon tnose who will sue.
A ~. 4