Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-08-18
Views of a Louisiana Rebel.

" Col. A. De Blanc, late Of the rebe
army, on the 18th ult issued an address
to the people of st. Martins. The doc
o ument is published in the Courier of III
a 7eche, and the editor, in introducing il
says "Peace is not even a mere word
e it is farce. 1t is cruel irony spurted il
!, the face of all Southrons." Col. D.
: Blance bewails the defeat of the "sacret
cause" OF the Confederacy, and says sub
D mission TO the Government of the Unit
ed States is not one OF choice, but of un
= avoidable necessity. He then goes OF
s to say:
/, ga proclamation, called the Amnesty
Proclamation, has been sent forth by the
t President of the United States, offering
? to portion of the many engaged in the
late Revolution, pardon for what h
considers as treason against the Govern.
ment; the conditions of that pardon are
that the alleged traitors must swear to
support the Constitution of the United
States, and swear, besides, to support
the laws and proclamations relative to
the emancipation Of those wo held as
slaves. That is neither just nor expedi-
ent. Not just, for the laws and proc
lamations are violation of the Consti-
tuition itself, and to take that oath is to
bind ourselves expressly to disregard
that Constitution which, at the same time,
we expressly swear to support. 1t is not
expedient for the immediate abolition of
slavery is nothing less than the complete
abolition of labor, and will certainly
convert our laborers into hordes of va
grants, useless to themselves, their fam
lilies and the State.
What should we do? We have sur
rendered to the military authorities Of
the United States, and our first duty
is to abide strictly by and to respect,
however harsh they be, the stipulated
conditions of our surrender. But, though
conquered, we still have those indie
structibe rights which we held from our
God, and those rights we must have the
manliness to claim even from chose who
have the power, and who may have a
disposition to disregard and violate them"
In continuation the Colonel declared
that the States were sovereign, and their
crime was their failure, not their seeking
a separation from the Union.
"But we have failed, and we are Grim
inals and traitors Our misfortune is
our crime, our treason; and they have
always been few, and are few now, those
whose naughty hearts have dared to justi- |
fy and to respect great misfortune No
There is nothing Of the past Mat I would
rop4diato. I think now GA ! did on the |
day enlisted as soldier, as did on
the battle field, as | did near the graves
of my fallen comrades, and, before God,
who reads in every heart, think that
our constitutional rights were in peril,
and that it was our interest and our duty
to sever from the United States But
we are vanquished, the government we
had established has ceased to exist, and
we must select another government
that is brutal fate
Shall we leave this country? and if we
do, where shall we go? The whole
world has been against us, and I know
of no land where the Southern exile
could find a shelter and friend. OF all
we once possessed, our pride alone is left
US, and if we can do so without degrad- |
ing ourselves, we should re>enter iato
the Union, but re>enter it as the equals
Of our victims and with the legitimate
pride which is the first element of all the
great nationaities of this Universe, not
otherwise"