Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-03-22
Our Washington Correspondence,
WASHINGTON, March 10 1866,

ton, composed of some of the most
eminent and patriotic citizens of the
country, has lately been made the
subject Of severe comment, both North
and South. The President calls it the
Central Directory" Mr.. Seward, in his
speech IN New York, calls it Com
mittee of obstruction" With their
Republican associates in Congress, they
are deemed by the New York World as a
"Rump Congress, which should be put
down by force" A newspaper in this
city which escaped suppression during
the war on account of its dSlOyalty,
only by its insigniicance, says it does
not Counsel violence nor wish to see
the second advent of Cromwell, but
what has been may be, and will be,
again"-that is, Congress should be put
out by military force. The Macon (Ga.)
Telegraph says "let the President put
down the rebellion in Congress and APP
peal to the people Let a regiment Of
U. S. troops be sent to put the Southern
members in the seats" The New York
Times, heretofore regarded as Repub-
lican paper, and the Journal Of Com
merce,- not to mention the New York
News-are loud in their condemnation
of what they call the Radicals" in Con
gress Now what have Congress. and
what have this Committee done to mer-
rit these rebukes?
1t was well known at the commence
ment of the session that many members
had been elected to Congress from the
rebel states who had been prominent in
the rebellion, and that they were elected
in preference to candidates who were set
up as Union men. 1t was known that
in some entire States and in large por-
tions ofOther States, disIoyalty prevailed
as truly as during the progress of the
war; that they must "submit to the de
| mands of the Government and take the
oath in order to get q representation in
Congress and to get rid Of the Freed
mans Bureau" and that the "SOuth
would never consent to pay a debt con-
tracted for the purpose Of subduing
them, that is, for the purpose Of put
ting down the rebellion. 1t was deemed
indispensable, therefore, that enquiry
should be made into their fitness to be
represented in Congress and to share in
the law making power. Accordingly, a
| Committee Of nine from the House and
six from the Senate was appointed, to
whom all papers Credentials of
| Southern members elect were referred,
and they were empowered to send for
papers and persons for the purpose Of
obtaining testimony concerning the &C
tual condition of the people of those
States. They have diligently pursued
their inquiries, calling before them civil
ians and military officers who have lived
or who have travelled extensively in the
South, and who had personal knowledge
Of the sentiments and feelings of the
people, They have reported portion
Of this testimony and it is of q Charac-
ter to demand the gravest consideration
of every man who claims to love the
Republic or to desire its perpetuity,
Gen. Thomas, well known to your
readers as the hero whom Sherman left
in command at Nashville, d Southern
man by birth and of the highest charac-
ter, testified that in Alabama, one of the
Ave States included in his present com
mand, a very bitter feeling exists tow
ard those who favored the Union
cause; that the people would now pre-
fer a Southern Confederacy; that the
successful candidates for Office in the
State elections, were rebels; that if all
| restraint were now removed, the freed
men would be virtually thrown back
into slavery; that he is informed and
believes that a secret organization ex-
lists in the South, hostile to the Govern
ment, whose object is to gain such an
ascendency in Congress by uniting with
Northern saypathisers as to cause the
assumption Of the rebel debt and in case
the country can be involved in for
eign war, to strike again for independ-
enCe.
Gen. Grierson, well known as COM
manding the great cavalry raid across
Alabama and Mississippi and who has
since held an important command in
those States, testifes that the leading
men do not think they have done any,
thing wrong; that their only regret
seems 20 be that they did not succeed in
their rebellion; that their disloyaltv
had been increased by the very leniency
which had been shown them that they
think their property-meaning their
slaves-had been stolen from them and
that they should be paid for it; that it
would be unwise, in his opinion, to
withdraw the military or the Freed
mems Bureau; that he knew instances
in which the negroes were told that
when the troops were removed, they
! would be as much slaves as ever: that