Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1865-08-25

Ststesf Some therefore would add to these
the amnestied rebels. Experiments have
been made in this course, and have shown in
practice, what we should have anticipated,
( that this places the civil power in the hands
: Of those
who, having sworn against their will,
Are ofihe same opinion still i"
and not only Of the same opinion, bat Of the
same traitorous purpose, TO be put in execu-
ton as fast as caution will allow. The oaths
are taken, to a wide extent. with a mental
reservation, like the subscription in England
to the Thrty-nine Articles and, in some
instances, with avowed perjury. This PERU
ry is even justified and recommended by in
Auentisl papers at the South. 1--WE have
right" they say, "to vote aud hold our prop
erty. Any obstacle, therefore, thrown in
the way by an oppressive government at
Washington, whose rightful authority we do
not recognize, is in lite own nature null. We
may then" they distinctly intimate, even if
their expressions are somewhat less bald,
"leap over it in contempt" The determine
ton of the influential classes at the South is
mauifestly to keep just as much as possible
Of slavery, aristoerscy, State sovereignty, and
disloyalty, to make our victory as barren Of
result as they can, and. defeated by arms,
still to conquer by political action and party
intrigue.
To secure a reorganization more favorable
to justice and freedom, others would add to
the loyal and amnestied whites the liberated
, blacks of the South. There are strong rea-
sons in favor of this course. Those TO whom,
in the hour of our peril, we appealed to assist
us by their arms, ought not now, in the hour
of our safety, to be spurned back to serfdom.
! Are national gratitude and national honor
, mere words with us Is there no gulf
, of meanness into whose Shiny and fetid
waters we are not ready to plunge
To sacrifice our friends TO our enemies In
, our obsequiousness to rebels, TO bind our de-
liverers hand and foot, and give them over to
/, infuriate men,who would delight in wreaking
vengeance on them for our success, and for
, that aid of theirs which secured or at least
, fastened this success.
will not say that we could not have con
quered without the friendship of the colored
people Of the South still It is probable that
zoe should not haze conquered and if we had
done so, it must have been at much greater
cost of time, treasure, blood and suffering
{ They were our guides. our spies, our con-
cealers, our nurse. The fugitive from Libby
+ or Florence found food and shelter in their
but accompany him on his way. The darling
Of Northern mother, was afectionately
tended By second mother, who studied eve
ry want, tried to soothe every pain aud,
when nought awaited, wiped off the clammy
T death-sweat and closed the CLASSY eyes. AZ
soon as we permitted il, they became our
comrades on the battle field, and with un-
blenching valor led the forlorn hope. One Of
az F.l. a. ~
could not be a true man, because he would
, not fight; fallacy strange enough in the
, mouths of those who were SO often talking
of tie dangers of a negro Instruction, and
| the horrors of St. Domingo
t The colored man has shown in this war
that he has an intelligence not to be deceived,
virtue not to be seduced, and valor not to
be daunted. Are not these the appropriate
E attributes Of citizen and voter In what
. quality Of manliness does he fall below the
E degraded whites Of the South, the Sandhiil-
1 ers and Crackers of the Carolinas and Geor-
1 gia Or, to compare him with different
class, in the hands of which Robert would
the vote be the safer, Robert Small or Robert
e Lee When, therefore, it is urged that three
is danger in intrusting the ballot to so many
Ignorant blacks, the answer is obvious -
0 True, but the danger is far greater of in
= trusting it to SO many ignorant and disloyal
e whites. Loyal ignorance is, beyond COM
parison, less dangerous than disloyal ignor-
ance. There is a certain instinct in virtue
/ which keeps its possessor from going very
{ far astray. But the instincts of vice are all
4 for wandering. Worst and most perilous OF
h, all is disloyal intelligence. 1t has been this
a in the persons of such as John G. Calhoun,
q and Barnwell Rhett, and Henry A Wise,
4 and James NJ. Mason, and William l.. Yam
e cey, and John C.. Breckenridge, and Jefferson
: Davis, that has brought upon us these indie
r scrlbable woes and still more awful perils."
i The truth is, that there is no course that
can be pursued with the disorganized com
e munities of the South, which is not fraught
- with danger, except as a general government
e shall! hold firm, wise, and kind guardian
f ship over them. Here lies all our security
: and, with this, various methods might be
= pursued and experiments tried without very
n great risk. am not at all disposed to con.
b denim our President, who has given such
= proofs of ability, patriotism, frmness and
Q fidelity for the course which he has seen fit
!, TO adopt. | confess that my own preference
e and Judgment, from the light which have,
: would be in favor of according the right OF
e suffrage TO the loyal and smnestied Of the
9 South, without distinction of color, but with
the requisition Of an ability to read and write.
T cannot see how the ballot is affected by the
. complexion of the hand that throws il but
g do see how it is essentially affected by the
: intelligence and disposition that move the
: hand. This requisition would also furnish a
t most valuable stimulus to ignorant whites
r and blacks, to gain those elements OF knowl-
edge which would lift them to higher plane
: of being. | do not like horses races, and
s still less steamboat races. But here is race
: which should like to witness a race be-
g tween whites and blacks, to see which will
z first win, on these conditions, the elective
: franchise. And, il deemed it right to bet
: on the result, would sooner stake my mon
}. ey on the blacks than on the ignorant whites.
: But such competition would do both ines
+ Unable good.
i Two objections, sometimes urged against
this impartial suffrage, may, think, be safe
: ly left to balance each other. One is--"The
s blacks of the South ought not to vote, because
J. they will be governed at the ballot box by