Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-07-25

The Johnson Convention.
ATroRNEY-GENKRAL sPEED' LETTER TO Mr. Doc
LITTLE.
WAsHINGToN, July 10, 1866
To the Hon. J. X. Dooiittle, Chairman 3rc.
SIR IL have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your note of the 10 inst, with ..
printed copy of call for National Union
Conven lion, to be held at Philadelphia on the
14th day of August next. You requrs; IN
case the call and the principles enunciated ~
it meet my approval, that l reply at my earll'
est convenience. This lang uage would SEEM
to imply that no answer is desired il | do not
approve the call and the principles avowed ia
1T In other words, than failure 10 reply
may oe interpreted as a dlsapproval 40;
only of the call, but Of each and all OF he
principles announced IN 1t.
This is u position in which | am unwilling
to be placed, when approve Of many oi the
principles set forth lii the call, and yet 40 80
approve of the call itself. | Will briefly state
my reasons: first promising that 1 do noi rec
ognize the very respectable gentlemen wac
have made this call as toe acknow edged Of
gans of the great Union party OF the coun-
try.
from which the country has now emerged.
we have had National Union party ,hAt
have exhibited NJ 3re devou Z, mad greater
sacrifices, and manifested more unseitsh ,ae-
riotism than any party ever did previously ih
the history OF the world
That party ls still in being, with ITS org -
lEatlon intact, and Its organs known aDd a.
that party by Its faith, Its doctrines, and it>
exertlons, has IN the face of the prophecies ol
.E NJ Ill A~H = 81 a
the Government and Republican institutions
of our common country from demotat'zatIon,
and indeed from utter ruin, by vIndicating a,
all hazards the primordIal theory OF the eter-
nal, indissoluable union OF the States throu gh
which only can particle OF the theory o.
State rights ever be maintained and carried
out; it would appear to me to be still the
only one or at aIy rate the most etectu 3
means, as far as party can do 1t, OF finally al
justipg all the remaining minor and unsett ed
matters of reconstruction consistently with
the requirements OF the theory meu TONED.
This party is the same to-day as 1t was IN
the days of its trial the same party now 80
when, but few short months ago, 1t elected
Lincnln and johnson, and the majority OF the
present Congress and as acted witt 1t then,
for paramount reasons, my sense OF duty de-
mands that remain and act with 1t now.
The pIth and marrow OF the present Gail, L
shou la say. tends coward u convention to iorIn
a party for sustaining, not the Government IN
its entirety (as has been the mission OF the
Union party), but a department OF the Gov
ernment. And here L must take the liberty
of adding, that | can hardly conceive OF any
sadder spectacle, under the crisis oi present
circumstances, than that of the tried Union
party becoming dislocated and broken up by
div vlsions, or that of one branch of the Gov
ernment of the country taking ain isolated
position upon questions OF deep and common
interest, aud placing itself In hostile conflicts
with coordinate departments.
For those and other reasons which nigh
be mentioned, cannot join In the call tor the
Convention IN Philadelphia.
l have said that many of the principles
stated In the call are, IN my view. unobJec-
tlonable. | will not stop to criticlse those
which are Objectionable, but content myself
with stating that the cali fails to take any no
tice of one of the great issues now before the
American people. L aliude to the question
whether the several States shall ratify or re-
ject the last amendment proposed by Congress
to the Constitution OF the United Otates.
This a grave and all-important question.
The issue upon 1t cannot be avoided. Ii
should be placed iairly and squareiy before
the people. The failure to take ground upon
80 important and all-absorbing a question
must be attributed either to desire to avert
an issue, or as q declaration OF belief and
polecy against the adoption of the amend
ment. Being myself earnestly and decidedly
in favor of the adoption OF the amendment by
the states, L cannot 20 into an organization
that would either openly oppose that measure
OK that would smother 1t by avoiding It's dis
cussion.
l must also add that no man Is more de-
sirous than l am to attain the entire restora-
ton of the American Union, With its practi-
cal workings in more perfect harmony and
concord than ever, and the surety, as far AZ
moral affairs can be made sure, OF endless per-
petuity in the future. The blessings to flow
from such Union are countless and inestI-
mable. But such Union, consistent with
itself, maintained by the universal consent of
all Glasses and sections, and laughing to scorn
both the assa ults of foes internal and external
and the ravages OF time and change, will only
be obtained by sterniy retracting every de-
parture from, or compromise with, the su-
preme and general idea of the American fun
damental law, the Constitution.
That general idea consists, IL brief, Of po-
litical liberty and equality OF mankind under
the law. Such, and such only, can be the
Union, the nationality that will put in
form the magnificent and lofty dreams of the
American continental mind, and fulfill in the
future the highest efforts of the present and
the past. 1t is not tire vague deluston that
the rights of the states need doctoriDs. The
American theory eliminates properly IN the
sacredness of the ghts of individuals-of each
single individual. That fter all, it was
what Washington carved ous with the sword
and Jefferson, fltering 1t through his subtle
and free mind, drew up and put on record
with the pen.
It is well known IN the political and le-
IL Of he INT tod Iud do
psrtures VI compromises of the kind alluded
| TO have been those in the interest of Slavery
and OF its manifold incidents. do not, o
course, propose to 60 over the thousand times
told tale of the past 80 years. To-day, Slav-
Very, = . confessed legallsy, is, as We all know
lno more. But some Of the most important o.