The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-09-21
The Real Question.

now at issue III MS laue speoOh Nv DO'
ton He said:
Ii you ask us what You can do for
your relief ] point, rs your Governor
has pointed, to the example OF Yer.
mont. | point 30 the example OF
Maine, and say, Go you and do like |
wise" (Applausc). My countryme9,
as look upon the present condition
of affairs, l see that the issue of the
times is not,as has been stated Ivy many
people, whether we are to have II IN
ION Of 2G or SO States That question
has long been settled and been made
matter of record by the glorious arms
of our soldiers. loud applause
They bore the flag through more than
600 fights, with 3G stars emblazoned
upon the blue union, and they bore 1T
on to victory (Applause) No star
has been obliterated no lost Plead,
thank God, has escaped from her i'm
perial constellation. Loud applause
That is not the question. Nor Is 1T
the question whether ten of these
States are out or i'll the I'M
ion Not at all. The question is simp-
ly this: who shall administer the af-
fairs of the country? Shall the men
who saved it administer its affairs, or
shall they be turned Away or eontroll-
ed by a combination of Southern reb-
els and their Northern allies, sympa-
thizers and associates? ('No, mo, ="
Never That is the question you
have to determine Eliminate it from
every collateral matter, from every
side issue. That question you will
decide; you cannot help it, because
upon the elections that are now pend
ing will result the one or the other
consequence. Either free government
will be in the hands of its friends OF it
will be turned over and transferred to
the keeping of its enemies. "Neyer. }
/ One or the other of these results will
necessarily follow. You cannot avoid
it, the responsibility is upon you, and
at your peril | charge you to decide it
so that when your children rise up
they shall not denounce you as having
been untrue to that great trust which
was handed down to YOU by your
fathers. applause. Do not suffer
your minds to be led off, l beg Of you,
by questions of the policy of this or
the other functionary, by measures OF
legislation, or matters of detail, with
which you may or may not happen to
coincide. All these things can be adj
justed, provided the friends of the
Government continue to manage Its
affairs; but if you lose the control, il
you let the administration of the ma
ton pass out of your hands, those 9th
er matters will be OF very small con
Germ. The question of demonstrations
we are told, IS the great question OF
the time Well, that is an important
question, | admit; and it is Important
Just III this way. Here are ten State:
in condition that is supposed to re
quire what is termed reconstruction
and the question is, whether you will
reconstruct chem, or whether they
shall reconstruct you. (Nocferoui
and prolonged applause Whether
you who conquered in this fight shall
give the law to the South, or whether
you shall accept 1t at the hands o
those whom you conquered. Ono
Stree. } To us, the loyal men of tn,
South, many of Us living in thos,
States that have been thrown into thii
condition OF distress and disaste
your position is a matter of great mo
ment. If you decide You, the Alneri
, can people-the loyal men, the friend
Of the government, are to keep th,
government in their hands, then GU
situation will be we'll loyalty will b.
respected; treason will be made obi
Gus, and its author will be punished
(Applause.) If, on the other hand
you suffer combination composed, il
the main, of the men who had con
troll of the Government for eight wea
ry years before this war, again to oh
; tain control of public affairs, then, ST
far as we are concerned, it would hav
been better for us had the Southern
|. Confederacy been established, for thel
we could have fled from beyond it
reach; but on the supposition that
have made, to get beyond the reach O
its power we should have to leave tn,
country and the protection of the fac
My countrymen, am not here, my as
sociates are not here, to appeal to you
. fancies to amuse an idle hour. w
5 have not left our homes, so sternly de
I manding our presence, on any sucl
purpose. We have come here becaus
we have a great cause to lay befor
, you We have an appeal to make t.
I you to give us relief, and to give it il
/ the only way that it is possible for yo1
to do ito give it to us at the ballot
box. owe will do it, We will carr
your answer back. 1--WE will do it,
say you. We will carry your answe
: back, and repeat it until it shall re
= vertebrate over the mountain tops ant
{ through the valleys of our land, unit
every dweller in the bosom of on
mountains shall know there is a pow
er in the mighty and populous Nortl
that will again as before come to he
t relief, and protect them from the domi
nation and the despotism of treason
A REBEL OUTBURsT. The Richmon,
I Examiner vents its spite on Genera