The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-10-04
Great Speech OF Gen. Sickles.
complete Defence OF Military Govern
mcnts at the south.

|
ed favoring the impeachment of A. ].
, Gen. Sheridan and Sickes were pres
emit, the latter of whom made the fol.
lowing speech:
Comrades am glad to sec Won
one and all, and thank you for these
expressions of attachment and regard
This meeting recalls times when the
country was in peril, when Holt and
Scott were holding Washington for
the inauguration of Lincoln, and Cam
oron was filling the arsenals Floyd
had emptled; when Stanton, the great
war minister of modern times, created
armies that won the day at Antietam,
> hi o h, Gettysburg Chattanooga,
Winchester and Richmond. Cheers.
We recall the day when crouchinr re-
bellion held Sheridans stirrup VIII; g
he mounted for his ride through the
/ Valley. Prolonged cheering We
see Hancock repelling the enemy's last
charge on Cemetery Ridge. We see
Lee surrender mis- sword and his army
to Grant; lnvincible in the field, trust
worthy in council Yet peace has her
victories also. Now The Government
Is engaged in the conservative duty of
organizing loyal civil authority in the
rebel States. OF course this cen only
be done by giving the right to vote TO
all loyal people IN the South. zap
pause and until the loyal State Gov
ernments ar @ established Congress
must retain control, no other means
being possible
Military officers have been sent to
execute the laws Of Congress- preserve
order protect loyal people and super
intend the formation Of the State GOV
ernments. II has been said that Con
gresslonal action and military p otec-
ton were unnecessary. Let us see
about that for n moment. The Legis-
lature of South Coroina in 1865 pass
ed law approved by Mr. Perry, Pro
vislonal Govern II, re- organizing the
militia of the State BY that law any
officer Of the militia was authorized in
the exercise of his own discretion TO
call out his command and shoot down.
dispense, kill and destroy any assem-
bage Of freed people Of color found
anywhere. Under the circumstances
that meant mischief That law was
suspended by military authority and
Congress prohibited all such militia.
Cheers for Congress aud Gen. Sick
les. In North Carolina ia 1864 a law
was passed legalizing all transactions
OF guardians, executors and trustees.
by which property of widow and orph
an children was turned into Confeder
ate bonds, and went to bolster ND the
rebellion and impoyerish women and
children to whom it belonged.
A worthy citizen Of New York.
whose name is Mclaughlin, went to
South Carolina soon after The war and
hired an abandoned plantation from
the Freedmen's Bureau, in whose
charge 1t was placed by law. McLauph
lin planted and raised crop, when
along came a returned rebel. who
claimed the land, had him put in pris-
on until he could find $4,000 bail for
trespass, and took possession of the
land and crops. Cries of SHANE.
shame. That Is specimen Of the
treatment Northern settlers would
have received in the absence of militia.
~ protection, since given by Congress
In Caswell county, n c., dnripo tbe
war, loyal student, while escaping
from the onemy's liucs TO ours. where
be afterwards did good service, took
without leave one night piece of ba-
con Tor his subsistence on the march
When he returned home, after the
war was supposed to BE over, he was
arrested, tried on charge of burglary.
and sentenced to be hung and pay tile
costs. Laughter and cheering. While
he was awaiting his trial, and pend
ing the execution of his sentence. the
prisoner was chained inside an iron
cage and kept there for year, with
out Blanket even in winter. Infor-
nation OF his case was undergoing an
investigation, when the Governor of
North Carolina, in exercise of the pow
er granted to him by the military
commander, pardoned the man.
The costs not having been paid on
account of poverty, he was confined
Tor sometime afterwards in the same
place, until released by military au-
thorty. Here is an illustration of
what must have been the fate of loyal
refugees if the Government had not
afforded them military protection. -
Three thousand schools for the edu-
Gallon of freed people have been estab- |
lished under the protection of our
bayonets, Two hundred and Gfly
thousand colored people attended
these schools; nor has our presence
aided only our loyal friends, whom we
were bound in honor and humanity to
protect. Assured OF Justice, free la
Dor has produced this year 2,5OO,OOO
bales of cotton, and the largest crop
OF grain raised i'll many years. The /
value of this crop in money is more
than 100000, 900 its value to the
population of the South can only be |
measured by the estimate to be mt
upon their lives, for without it they |
must have persisted by famine; and |
yet without military protection would
Lave fled from their old masters, and |
sought security and employment in
the free States. Congress did not send |
us to compel the rebels to pay the ex- |
,f = 49,.