Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-06-30
The FaneuiI Hail Meeting on the Reor-
gsnization OF the Rebel states.

On Wednesday, the 2lst inst. large
meeting was held in Faneuil Hall, Boston,
tn consider the subject Of reconstruction and
suffrage in the rebel States. Hon. IheophI-
lus Parsons presided, and took the ground
that to leave the political power in the rebel
States wholly in the hands OF the whites,
was to insure calamltous results, not only to
the colored race there, but to the entire na-
tion He believed it the right and duty Of
the nation Ito hold those States in our mill
tarv possession until their constitutions pro-
vide that political right shall not depend on
race or color, or until Congress shall pass an
amendment to tnat effect. Then, we may
wait safely, for State after State will be sure
to come up and the work will be DONE
'Let no one SUPPOSE said hel that I'M
deryalue State rights. At no moment Of my
life was my conviction stronger than it Is
now, that the whole prosperity of this coun-
try demand the preservation Of the balance
between the sovereignty Of the nation and
the rights of the States. 1t is because | so
value these rights, that | would not permit
a State which mas renounced them all utter
". to resume and repossess them, until we
have reasonable security that it can exercise
them with safety to itself and to the whole
country"
The most noticeable speech Of the occasion
was that Of Hon. Richard II. Dara. We
give considerable extracts. Ad'erting to the
momentous questions now to be solved by
the American people, he said a;
I'VE wish TO know, l suppose, first, what are
our powers That is the first question. What
are our Just powers Second-What ought we
10 do Thmd-IIow ought we to do II p! With
YOUR leave. propose 10 attempt an answer to
these three questions.
What are cur Just powers Well. my friends,
that depends upon the answer TO one question
Have we been AT war. or have We not In what
have We been engaged for the last four years =
Has ii been war, or mas it been something else
and other than war Now, take it upon my
self 10 assert, and challenge CONTRADICTION, that
We have been in a condition Of public and per-
feet war Il has been 10 mere suppression, by
municipal powers, of an insurreciion for the
redress Of grievances. 1t has been a perfect
public war. The government has right TO ex-
ercise, at its discretion, every beiliger'nt power
(Applause.) We are not bound 10 exercise them;
the enemy e-Inot compel us to do it; but. AZ our
discretion, se may exercise every belligerent
power. Does any ulan doub; il
In the irs, place, the Supreme Court OF the
United States has, by an unanimous decision,
beld that We are in public war, add that the
government can exercise every belligerent pow
err The court differed as to the time xheu we
eutcrei upon snch a war, but that We came 10 it
at lag, Ras their ulAnimous decision The Prize
Courts, like the Temple Of Janus, closed IN
peace, and open only in war. The Prize Courts
have been thrown open, and every prize that
has been condemned in this country Las teen
condemned upon the principle cf public war.
", have condemned the prizfs upoi the sa;::e
rules, and no other. than these BY which We con-
demned them in the war with Great Britain in
1872 This has been sustained by the Supreme
Court, acted upon by the Executive, aud recog-