Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-03-09
Esccl Is ST. vyNaon

E.sectt So NJ Wilson
Senator N1oa 81 Massachusetts made
n sove... ia 'ha senaleo1 Friday on the
affairs of the country, which We copy en-
tire, as follows =
Mr.. Wilson said that a stranger unac-
qnainted with American affairs might, at.
ter listening to Senators, come to the con-
clusion that eleven erring sisters, clothed
in the robes Of repentance and humility
were supplicating for admission into the
sislerhood of free Commonwealth, and
that their supplications were sterniy re-
PEELED by other members of the family.
| But strangers would soon learn thai
these erring sisters were members of the
family, completely subject to the rules aud
| regulations Of the household. This was
not contest for the restoration OF the
Union; that Union was now one and ndi-
visible. The country was divided into
two classes. One class demanded the i'm
mediate and unconditional admission of
the rebelous States into Congress, rebel
end foremost The other class desired
the admission Of the rebellious States into
Congress, loyal end foremost.
A loyal people. with the clear instincts
of intelligent patriotism, saw. amid all the
exciiements of the present, that this was
not struggle for the restoration of rebel
States into the Union, but struggle for
the admission of rebels into the legislative
branches Of the government of the United
States; not struggle to put rebels under
the laws, but to enable rebels to frame the
laws Of the country. Politicians might de-
ceiye themselves, but the people, who had
given two and half millions of men, The
| blood of six hundred thousand heroes and
| three thousand millions Of dollars, CON-
pretended the issues. These were, indeed,
eventual, exciting and sad times. The
| men who had stained their hands with the
defenders at Andersonvillr, plotted with
the secret lodges of the Knights of the
I Golden Circle, and the Sons of Liberty
for The overthrow of the country, lighted
the fires of riot and arson in the city Of
| New York, and plotted the assassination
| 81 Abraham Lincoln, were shouting with
exultation over the present inspect Of ma
uonal affairs. The poor freedmen, who a
4 few months ago were laughing with the
| joy of new found liberty and invoking the
blessing of Heaven upon thecouniry that
had stricken the calling miracles from
their limbs were trembling with sppre-
hension. In hundreds of thousand Of
the h mes Of the loyal people who daily
offered prayers in 1864 for tho triumph o.
their c. nntry and for the election of Abra
ham Lincoln and Andrew johnson, there
are hearis lhrobbing heavily with ankle
ties and forebodiDes. Noble men md nos
Bile wonr n, through many a wear Ayeak
have prayed and labored for the cause 81
liberty, Justice and humanity They hop
ed when the Shareholders rebellion was
crushed, when twenty-three out Of TWEEN
! ty-fve States were supporting The caus,
their hearts loved and their judgment ap
proved, that the Administration they hat
entrusted with power would give ihes,
four years to patriotism and liberty, jus
lice and humanity. Their hearts were nov
throbbing heavily with a great sorrow, fol
they saw that instead Of spending the com
ing three years in strengthening the "a
trio!ism, securing the liberties, and extend
4 ing The justice of their country, these
years were worse than squandrred il
/ wicked wrangles and in the possible use
of the corrupt and corrupting patronage o
the Government, TO debauch The publ;
morals and to degrade the nation in ihs
face of the earth and OF heaven. TIL,
spectacle was enough TO make The peopl,
hang their heads with modification ant
4 shame. and they would hold the men, n,
matter what positions they might occupy
to stern responsibility.
The Republican or great Union part,
Il of The country, embracing in its ranks NOR
of moral and intellectual worth than wa
ever comprised 10 any political party o.
the globe made up of the best of III
rank and file of the old Wing party, ono
led by Adams and Clay, and Webster; Q
the liberty loving and Union loving mel
OF the old Democratic party; of the trie,
veterans of the anti-slavery cause, and o
The young men trained up during The dis
cHssions and storms of the last flteel
years-procIaimed as its living faith lib
sublime creed of the equal rig hts Of mar
and the bro herhood of al humanity en-
boiled in the new Testament, and the dec
laration of Independence. Brought .int
being in 1854 to resist the repeal Of. tn
prohibition Of slavery in Kansas, the fur
h y 4