The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-01-10


North is described as generally hostile
''the soldier Of the Upion il still looked
upon as a stranger, as an intruder, the
'Ynnk e., the enemy"
The situation Of the Unionists is de-
scribed rs distressing, and the opinion is
expressed that they would be compelled
tp 1y il tn, troops were withdrawn. The
spirit in which the recen; southern cleo
tons were conducted is cited IN illustra-
tion Of the general feeling Of hostility to
the original Union men. Numerous facts
are given 10 establish this point.
PaEsESr CONDITION AND PROSPECTS
The report continues:
While the generosity and toleretion
shown 10y the government to the people
lately in rebellion has not met with
corresponding generosity shown hy those
| people to the governments friends, it has
bro:ght forth some results, which, if
properly developed, will become of value.
I 1t has facilitated the re-establishment Of
the fcrlns OF civil government, and led
many OF those who had been active in
the rebellion to take part in the act of
| bringing back the states to their CUnSti-
tutional relations; and it nothing else
were necessary ,hau the mere putting in
operation OF the mere machinery OF gov
ernment in point Of form, and not also
the acceptance Of the results Of the war
and their development in point Of spirit,
these results, although as yet incomplete,
/ might be called a satisfactory advance in
the ight direction There is, at present,
! no danger OF another insurrectiun against
thu authority Of the United States ON "A
large scale. and the people are willing to
reconstruct their state governments and to
send their senators and representatives to
! Congress
But us 20 the moral value of these re-
suits We mus: not indulge in amy delu-
sions. There are two principal points to
which beg 80 call your attention. In
the first place, the rapid return to power
AMI Influence Of so many Of those who
but recently were engaged in bitter
war asains. the lnion, has had ono effect
which was certainly not originally CON
templated by the government. Treason
docs, under existing circumstances, pot
appear odcua in the South. The people
are not Impressed with any sensc OF It's
crininaity Aud secondly, there Is, as
yet among tho southern people an utter
absence OF national feeling.
! some of the speakers may havo been
/ al IN,.h
two arguments they had principally to
rely whenever they wanted to make an
impression upon the popular mini. Ii
! any exception Id to be made to thi. rule
| IT is Louisiana, IN whose metropolis Il
different spirit was cultivated for come
| time. But even there the return in mass
OF those who followed the fortunes Of the
{ Confederate i!ag during the war docs not
/ appear 10 have "A favorable influence upon
the growth of that sentiment
IN speaking above Of the
/ improbabllity Of an in,urrectionarv move
mrnt on a large scale, did not 1!ean to
say that considered resistance IL detail
to III" execution ut tho laws of Congress
and the measures Of the government I'M
possible. OF all subjects connected with
the n gro question, l shall speak in
another part ct this report. But there
Is another matter claiming the attention
and foresight ot the government. 1t is
well known that tre levying OF taxes for
the payment OF the interest on our ma.
tlonal debt IL, and will continue to be.
very unpopular ID the South. II is true
no striking demonstrations have as yet
been made of any decided unwillingness
ON the part OF the people TO contribute to
the discharge Of cur national Obligations
But most Of the conversations | had with
souihcrners upon this subject led me to
apprehend that they, politicians and peo-
pie, are rather inclined to ask money of
the government MS compensation for their
emancipa,ed slaves, for the rebuilding of
the levees on tho Mississippi, and various
kinds of damage done by our armies for
military purposes, than, as the cnrrcnt ex-
preston is, to ''help pay the expenses Of
the whipping they have received" In
fact, there are abundant indications in
newspaper articles, public speeches and
clectioneering documents OF candidates,
which render it enlinently probable that,
on the claim Of compensation for their
emancpaied slaves, the southern states, as
soon as rcadmiitel TO representation IN
Congress, will bs almost unit. In the
Mississippi convention the idea was
broached to have the late slave states re-
lieved from taxation "for years to come"
~ consideration of the .'debt due them"
for the emancipated saves, and this plan
! .iave frequently heard advocated in
private conversations need not 90 in.
TO details rs to the efforts made in some
OF the southern states in favor OF the as-
sumption, by those states, of their debts
contracted during the rebellion
The greater part of the report is ic-
voted 10 Il consideration OF
THE MICRO QUESTION.
The solution Of the social problem in
the South, If left to the free action OF the
southern people, viii depend upon two
things. First: Upon the ideas entertain
ell by tho whitcs, the ''ruling class" of
thc problem, and the manner in which
they act upon their ideas and secondly,
upon the capacity and conduct OF the col
orod people.
I hat the resul. Of the free labor exper-