Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-10-11
The Nomthern Unionists.

The following Is an extract from the
private letter OF a Southern man, now
renting and working by free negro labor
a large cotton plantation in Upper Lou
islana. 1t was written with no thought
that it would ever be given to the pub
lie. 1t will be noted that it was written
before the Vermont aud Maine cleo
tons:
1--WE are anXiously awaiting the re-
suits Of the Northern elections this Fall.
If they go right, we can stay here but
should johnson and the copperheads
triumph, we shall all have to leave be-
fore Spring. In fact, we shall doubtless
be warned that we must CO."
The following is an extract from the
more recent private letter of q Unionist
some twenty years resident in New Or
leans, where he is widely known and re-
spected
"NEw ORLEANS, Sept. "a, 1866,
The recent elections in Vermont aud
Maine, foreshadowing, as they clearly do,
the general results of the elections for
Congress this Fall, have gladdened the
hearts Of all loyal men here. There has,
since those results, been marked abate.
ment of the arrogance and insolence of
our rebel masters. Their confidence in
the success of Johnson has been sue
ceeded by fear of Congress, the views
and purposes OF which they gather from
Mr.. Stevens speech. If the result Of
the coming elections shall realize my
hopes, | think / can continue to live
here until | may be ready to remove.
Had the course Of Congress failed before
the people, |, and many others like me
here, whould have had no other alterna-
tive but to leave this section.
More than one thousand letters Of
similar tenor to the former of the above
have been received in this city alone
from all parts Of the South since the
date of the New Orleans massacre. In
the average, those from Texas give the
most fearful accounts of the malevOlenCe
and bitterness of the reconstructed reb.
els, as more especially as evinCed in out
RACES upon the freedmen but very SINH
lar representations are received from
many quarters. There are many in
stances wherein Northern men have fur
nished capital to Southern for the work
lu- VI IllCLl plahbSALlO otihOAoG 4OL
a specified proportion OF the crop and
in many, if not most cases, the interest
of the Northern men is carefully con-
cealed from fear Of arson and other ma
licious damage if that interest was
known.
Such is the state of facts, in the face
of which we are assured that Northern
Radicals may freely avOw and commend
their convictions at the South TO all who
may choose to hear them. Those who
assert this know better. The fate of
Dostie, Horton, Henderson, and their
cOmpatriOts is too recent aud notorious.
Why was Horton murdered He had
cOmmatted no imaginable offence beyond
making a prayer. But he was a North
eIn man and Radical, and for these he
was butchered The very Journals
North and South, which now pretend
that Radicals may speak freely at the
South, have expressly justified the mas
saCre of the Louisiana COnventiOnists by
quoting what they allege is the sub
stance of speech made by Doste at Il
Radical meeting two or three evenings
previous-a version which the Radicals
who heard it say is not nearly correct
Whether he made this or Il different
speech, the massacre was openly justi-
fed by it-a fact that covers all the
ground in dispute.