The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-03-14
Hon. John cov,dc,s Report.


Last June Hon. John Covode Of Penn
sylmnia was sent by Secretary Stanton
to New Orleans for the purpts, Of look
ing into the general condi on Of affairs,
and directed to report for the information
Of the President to aid him in dctermin-
ing the true state Of affairs in the South.
When the Senate called for this report
with the reports of Gen. Grant and Gen
Schurg, the President stated that no re.
port had been received. Thus it remain
ed until Wednesday Mr.. Covode wa
called upon to testify before the recon-
struction committee and it transpircd that
he had prepared u report entitled Louis
lana Politically Considered" that he read
part OF it to the President, and finally, at
bis suggestion, filed it with accompanies
documents in the War Office. All these
paper. have siDcc mystcriously disappear.
cd. This report was entitled to consider
alton, not only for its intrinsic worth, but
from the fact that Mr.. Co, ode went South
charged with Al official investigation of
the state Of public feeling, and his opini-
n are entitled to weight from the fact
that he examined deliberately, and weigh
ed carefully. Whatever may have been
the reason of the disappearance of the
o3t pa pcrs, their subject matter has nj
length TRANSFERRED through the testimony
before tho Reconstruction Committee,
which may be summed up and given in
n few words.
lie found Gov. Wells removing Union
men and appointing former rebels to office,
and public s%,ntiincnt rapidly losing its
loyal tone in Louisiana. Mr.. Covodc
says that when he first went there he
found the old politicians and women still
disloyal and bitter in spirit, but the con-
fcderate officers and soldiers generally do
ellie and submissive, fully comprchending
and accepting the situation. lie took
pains to mingle with the late confederate
soldiers, and in nc single instance did he
hear any bitter or unk,nd feelings cx-
pressed toward the government. The
general expression among them was that
they were whipped, and well whipped
that they were glad the war was over,
and ready to come back under the old
flag and submit TO what was required of
them. Many of the more intelligent men
Of the army said their leaders had made
Il great mistake in going into the rebel
lion against the government that they
should have remained in the Union and
endcavored TO accomplish their purpose
by political measures.
After Gov. Wells visited Washington,
in July, he made a speech in New Or
leans, in which he said that President
johnson was a Southern man and n dem
ocrat, and that he would be a bulwark
between the South and the Northern fam
atics. From that time things grew
worse, the old scccsh leaders took cour-
age and showed their heads, and vt some
six or seven thousand recons ructed rebels
who voted in New Orleans, only about
twcniy-tliree hundred took the oath.
Now the Union men OF Louisiana do not
believe they can live there if the troops
are Withdrawn. Mr.. Covole confirms
the general testimony as to the desire of
the freedmen TO learn, and their willing
ness to work for wages. He SAYS the
Union men are generally in favor of
giving suffrage to the intelligent Fl @ Omen.
Judge 1aliafero, a veteran Unionist, who
had his property destroyed and his son
hunted to death by dogs for his loyalty 10
the government, remarked that negro
suffrage might bc n two-edged sword, and
that ,he vote of a negro without educa-
ton might be cont oiled by tho person
who owned the land and employed him (;
that lands being in the hands OF the rebel
element, the loyal freedmen employed by
them might not always give loyal votes.
fle expressed no fears, however, in regard
to those who had intelligence.
There was u time when louisiana was
in loyal hands and might perhaps have
been safely represented in Congress, but
that time is passed. They have had bad
instruction. Di-loyalty has been cncour-
aged by the sympathy Of those high in
authority and has grown vigorously. Let
the authorities beware of encouraging dis
loyalty for political capital lest our land
be again visited with the horrors Of war
sJ The following which we clip from
the n. Y. EUenng Post with reference to
the bill for equal suffrage in the District
| which nnv lics ~sIumherino in thc Senate