Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-11-07

and husbands, and it 10 supposed that when
they vote for any man they are Just - minofui
Of the interests of the matrons, wives ana
daughters ~ they are of their own even, ana
although this community Of females are non.
voters their interests are just as carefully looked
after ~ though they were voters NOW. can
We apply that rule to the South? Formerly
it might be said they had kind OF proprieta-
ry interest but how is it nows Is there any
identity of feeling between the white and
black man in the southp Any interest IN
common between the white population and the
slave who has been fresdP Has the black had
any rights accorded to him? Except so far a.
the general government has interiered IN 1neir
behalf, there has been q gene raj disposition 10
grind them-the blacks-to powder. iney
are antaRonstical to each other. How 90 you
suppose Il would turn out if they were allowed
to votee Would they elect to office sucn
men ~ Wade Hampton, or General Foster, or
Charles Sumner The whole theory, gentle
men, 10 simply farce to talk ABOUT tneir
standing in the same relation as do the nom
voting population Of the north. we nave
said to thsm-just as soon as you will let THESE
people have the right OF suffrage, as soon as
you will allow them to have power IN the
south, just 90 soon and no sooner will you De
allowed to represent them. That is the same
rule that is applied to Us. IL their anything
unjust about it9
| But, it is said what need is the-e OF this
amendment? What have you people to fear
On this question of representation the north
greatly prsponderates Do you admit that
you are such towards and polroons as to fear
the influence of this increased representation
That with large majority IN your favor you
cannot maintain your rights? oplne thas an
answer to that proposition would be difhculs
TO find dad not look upon 1t an the hight 81
history Has not that statement been true tor
forty years? Have we not had as far back as
that large numerical majority over the
south And how did it como to pass that
with superiority in numbers the south has
ruled in most of the departments OF this uos-
srnmens? They have contrived, by some
means or other, to always ind suthclan. heip
in the north TO ena BILE them to do it. Anc 1t
is extremely probable that they csn hnd Just
such help IN the north as they have found
heretofore IL there nothing In our recent
history TO warrant this assertion
When the rebellion FIRST broke out. for q
moment political creeds were forgotten and
the people all seemed 10 rise without regard
to political difereoces. But before the war
20, through, while We were in the very deep
est peril of the war, when the country was
as it were, IN the very agoniss Of death;
while Sherman and his gallant army had
struck of in to the very heart OF the rebellion
and is was not known whether he and his
brave men would ever emerge again, oO,OOU
men met In convention ut Chicago and resoIV-
cd that the war for she Union was a failure
and ought to be stopped W nile ans coun-
try In its death struggle and Is seemed as
!, if the death throes were on she country, meo
we're found, who, for the sake OF getln2 I)-
ticsl power, coul< say that ID. war Was
, failure and oux IN - - stopped
4 leading gentieiAa0-i would not call hi,
uame--said 10 N. a verv few day. before that
Chicago convention, while SAerman's hosts
, were beleaEurng Aslante-sou talk about
taking Atlanta You might just as well talk
. about taking - Tine wish was fa'h r :
she thought with him. lie desired 1t TO be 90
know of . very great many men who bellev
, ed it In their hearts and reJo'ced at 1t. Had
the war proved failure anu had 's'a south
gained the ascendeucy, do you ihink Is wou lc
have troubled these gentlemen much' ID
4, you think 1t would 60 very much against th'
stomaohs of these gentlemen, And shall w
, now extend still greater iavoTs! Ny charity
does not run 20 quite that length
f, Ii is askei-wkat harm can they do us7 W
, have abolished slavery now what IS eft shem
: What harm tn re that they c.uld do Il
: that makes 1t so very necessary tha we ch al
i, guard against it by ad optIng these amend
:, ments? | will allude 10 but just one hing
Il In carry ing on this war incurred debt o
|, + thirty thousand millions of dollars. y arl
= all of that amount Is now due. The grea
!, mass Of 1t is held by the loyal people of tn
y North. All the money We have got is found
, ed upon it. 1t is the foundation OF all trusts
try and of every hospital. The funds OF a
j, the widows and orphans in the country are i
10 this Government paper. lt lies at the yer
"a bottom of the business relations of the cour
Ia try. Now. how has this debt been incurred
nj By putting down this rebellion ali the prof
ID that these men 10 the South have receive
ID from it, is that 1t has ruined them. The
:. have loet their thousands Of millions of do
70 lars in slaves-all their property nearly.
10 much larger population probably has bee
Ia los: In the South than IN the North accordin
IN TO their population Their number Of criI
. plej soldiers, widows and orphans, Is nuc
lie larger IN proportion to the population ths
' ours. They have an immense p-nsion rol
m They have incurred pecuniarv loss eltoSeth,
y. beyond what we have, and every of the
e, cripples, widows and orphans goes pension
in less. This immense debt which we have take
n upon ourselves has been rolled up in pu
n, ting down the Southern Rebellion and don
care whdt men they PEND 10 Congress from IL
n South, do you believe there would be sing
no Southern representative that would not pr
.e vent By every means in his power vote #
y the paymens of 8 single dollar Of that debt
hx 1t is not in human nature that it should
of otherwise 1t we were In the same sarlo
"a situation that they are in would do Il
.ts very same thing Do you think that the M
n. who went out to Chicago 10 that dark hoI
la. in our country's hlssory-io you think
Nv would be impossible for them to vote again
= an appropriation for paying this debt?
a. does not look either impossible or improbab
o. to me. This is reason enough why We ne
it'll to guard our int, ests by the adoption Of II
an amendment.
If Bot should have gon, still far her.
I'VE would nos,have been content myself with the
:, conditions 1t has always seemed to me to
of unjust in itself that in a scheme of repr'
vs. entatIon to bring these States back into t
lob Union, it was the most cruel piece of injustl
NJ 20 neglect the blacks who aided so effectu
Ia. lily during our dark days of trouble. Out
to the black population in the South We 8
NO more than 200 900 soldiers to help put do,
the rebellion. Throughout all the south, VIII
in our prisoners es capped, they were aided in eve
possible way by the blacks. Not an instar
~, has been found where these people refu:
rs aid, shelter or help of any kind to our sold
ON. and friends. Although they were in the pow
"A of their masters they were loyal in every
g.. stance and true to the Flag of the Union, a
-. it had seemed to me to be hard that we sho'
provide q plaa of reunion by which Il
~. were to be left out. l would have adop
~. the good old Vermont rule, where every nj
~, white or black. rich or poor, has right
Wv vote. That Is the rule l believe in. T.
" il the rule l would have been satisfied with 6
~. nothing short of it (applause) had it b.
49,, deemed practicable. But it was believed
~" the committee on Reconstruction-of VIII
III .'o my friend who last spoke, Mr.. Morrill,, wa
'.r. member-impracticab that any colored n