Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-11-30

VI tnls amendment IN the discussions in q
newspapers, but, if We would save the UniC
men IN the south, white or black, it behooy
US 10 see that this ameniment becomes part
/ the constitution Of the United States, and as
It's justice and universal proprieiy take it 4
one Will undertake TO contradict It.
Next comes, gentlemen, the amendment j
reference 10 representation.
We ray in this amei imCni 10 the people {
tue South-if you Will let the negro vote 20
will be represented for the whole Of them, Jus
as We represent our people. II you say the ne
gro shall not vote and shall take no part what
ever in your politics, We say iheY shall not b
represented by you. Let the moth aud tn
south be represented alike. They think, an,
say, this is a very hard proposition. I'VE cal
have tue negroes all about US thcy can wait OF
Us and be cur servants and We will treat then
vel they can come in very near proximity L
u In every place sul under all circumstances
except at the ballot box" Aud uc say-very
well,-just let them 20 without voting rs long
as Jou please aud We will rtprcselt them TO-
Cether They claim that tie negroes ia the
south stand upon the same ground as the non-
voting population Oi he nJr;L-the foreigners.
meu, women AMI cLiiisen. Ia this very State
OF Vermont, where, perhaps. the ug.t OF suf-
irage Is more widely extended than IN any other
State IN the Union, only about oLe in i've have
the right of suffrage OCg women and children
DO not vote. BY the ordinary ratio, that Is one
20 hye, We are jus; as much entitled 20 repre-
srl'aii0u for them as you are l1r yJur L0a-y0t-
iug population in the south. If % Is true that
the negroes have bsen our trIe friends during
our struggle then they aIe entitled 20 vote iar
Wha' they have d0Ge. and although lur women
aud children DO not fight they are by DO means
without their influence 10 the campaign. The
voters are made up 0f the fathers. brothers.
sons aul husbands, and il is supposed that
when they vote for any man they are Just as
mindful Of the interests Of the matrous. wives
and daughters, as they are Of Their own even.
and although this community % females are
non-y0ters their interests are lust as carefully
looked AFTER as though t.ey were voters. Nov,
eau Ne apply that rule o. the south Former =
It might be ssii they had kind Of pr5pIi Tory in
terest, but how i % now l. there any identity
l! feeling between tie white -ui black men ol
of tie south Auy interest in common
bct~een the white population ant the
slave Who h4s been freel: Has tle black mad
auy rights ACCORDED 70 him. Except e. Jar as
the general government has lnter.,ili 10 their
teha'f, there has been a genera. disposition 90
grind thcm-th0 hlacks-tJ powder. They are
autago1isiieal 20 each other. How 10 Yen sup
2 sc % would turn out II these people were al
loved 20 vote. Noul they elect 10 o1l.e sucl
men ls Wade Hampton OF Gea Forrest, or would
they take your Charles Summers, The whole
theory, gentlemen, is simply a-cc 90 ;-.A abs ut
their -taaliug in the same relation as DO the
population II the nth. We have
SAID 90 tLgm-iust n soon as you slil let thcs
people have the right Of suffrage, as soon rs ycu
.s e D.
30 soon aud 10 s.0ner, viii sou Dr. .li1w,I 90
represent them. That is the slmg rule that .-
applied 90 Us. Is there anything unjust d bout
IT.
But Il j. said, what utel ), rhFe .f lLs
amendment What have ylu uT..r'e % flr1
On this question Of representation the north
greatly prepcnierates. Do you limit that ygI
arc such crowds ali p0ltroous as 90 fear the iu-
fucacc 4 this increased rcprccuut.at Thu.
with A--e aj1r.iy iu your lty.T y.u cam
m4i-tl'a your rights. l.ue tAlt 40 answer
% ialt proposition would Dee iE..l.t 90 iul
do. Too, upon til fl igtT history
Has n.t that statement lgen true for forty ears,
Have W. Do bal IS i4r back IS th-, @ large
numerical mai iorlty lvcT tue south And how
l.I it come o. pass that with superiority iu
numbers tAe south has ruled IN most Of the de-
I artmcnts 90 government They have con-
.uyci. hy some means OF other, 90 aiways iui
sufficient help IA the north 10 enable them o. DO
20. and % is extremely probably tllt they can
ind just such help IN the north 3D.. they have
found heretofore. l. there nothing ID our pre-
gous history TO warrant this assertion
Il IS aslll-WhaJ harm can they Do us ",
ll-IsLtl slavery, now what is left them
" hat hsru j. there that they could Do o. us
hat makes it 20 very necessary that We should
guarl against it by adopting these amendments
viii a.lul2 TO but just one th.ug H. clrryias
"a this war We incurred q debt oi three thou
lld millions u llllsrs Nearly al. Il that .
mount is l5w due Iae rrea. ulss u il is .
hell iy che yal people of the n.rti. Al the
money we have got Is founded upon BE- Il j. .
hl foundation ol al. trusts, all chluuls, every
'0liege in the country and Of every hospital /
The funds Of ali the widows AMI orphans IL the I
'luairy are IN this government paper. IJ lies
u ihe very bottom of the business relations o.. /
he country. NoE, how has this debt b-cl in /
.urrJd By putting down the rebellion. All .
The prof. thar these men in the south have re-
,eiycl, from il, is that it has ruined item
They have Lost their thousands of millions Of
l,lllrs IN slaygs-aI their property nearly. 4
much larger population probably has been ost /
10 the south Alu in the north according 10 their
population Their number Of crippled s1ilIT-
widows aud orphans, Is much larger in pioplr-
lou 20 tlt population than ours. They have
IN immense pension roll They have incurred
Yecuniary lo.. altogether beyond what We have
and every one Of their cripples, willows and
orphans goes peEsionless. This immense debt
which we hsye taken upon ourselves has been
rolled up in putting down the southern rebellion
lnl don't care what men they send 90 Congress
r.om the south, do you believe there would be a
sIugle southern representative that would not
prevent by every means in hs power the pay
nent Of a single dollar Of that Lt ? Il is rot ia
human nature that it should be otherwise II
We were in the same serious situation that they
IRE in We would do the very slme thing Do
,ou .hink that the men who went out 20 Chicago
Ia that dark hour in our cUuutry's history, aud
resolved that the war for the Union was a fall
lre and oughth to be stoppel-
10 YOU think it would be impossible for them
10 vote against an appr0priation for paying this
lebt 1t does not look either impossible or
improbable to me. This is reason enough why
We need to guard cur interests by the adoption
IF this amendment.
But should have gone still farther. would
not have been content, myself. with these con-
ditions Il has always seemed TO me that IN a
scheme Of reconstruction 70 bring these states
back into the Union, it vas the most cruel piece
Of injustice to neglect the blacks who aided Us
so effectually during our dark days Of trouble
Out Of the black population in the south We got
more than 200, 900 soldiers to help put down
the rebellion. Throughout all the south, when
our prisoners escaped, they were aided in every
possible way by the blacks. Not an instance
has been found where these people refused aid,
shelter or help Of any kind TO our soldiers and
futnds. Although they were in the power Of
their masters they were loyal in every instance
and true to the flag of the Union, and it did
seem to me to be hard that We should propose
plan Of reunion by which they would be left
ont. | would have adopted the good oil Yer
mont rule, where every man, white or black,
rich or poor, has a right to vote That is the
rule believe in. That is the rule would have
been satisfied with and nothing short Of il tap
plause) had it been deemed practicable. BUTT
was believed by the committee on reconstruction
of which nv friend who last spoke, Mr.. Nor
rill, was a member-impracticable that any
colored man should be allowed to vote. and it
was believed that it would not be adopted by
many Of the northern states. Connecticut and
Wisconsin both have voted against extending
suffrage to colored people in those states. Yet
we do hope that, as time rolls on, this prejudice
against negroes-growing out OF slavery in some
degree-will cease, and the great desire on the
part OF the south for political power, will lead
to the extending Of suffrage to eolored men
word, MIR. President, In refere nee to the
remaining article. We have said to them that
any uerson who has held a position requiring