The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-04-05


" white man who has any respect for the
rights Of bis own race. II this continues, it
must become worse and worse, until all or.
der will be suhvcrtcd, all industry cease and
the fertile fields of the South grow into a
wilderness. OF all dangers which our 1a-
ton has yet encountered, none are equal to
those which must result from the success Of
the effort now making TO Africanizo the half
Of our country. | would not put consldcra-
tions Of money in competition with justice
and right but the expenses incident to re-
under the system adopted by
Congress, aggravate what regard as the in
trinsic wrong of he measure itself IL has
cost amounted millions already, and, if per-
sisted in, will add largely to the weight Of
taxation already too oppressive to be borne
without Just complaint, and may finally re
duce the treasury Of the nation to a cOndl-
ton of bankruptcy We must not deude
ourselvos,-it will require a strong standing
army, and probably more than two hundred
millions dollars per annum TO maintain the
supremacy OF negro governments after they
are established The sum thus thrown away
would, if properly used, form sinking fund
large enough to pay the whole National debt
in less than fifteen years. 1t is vain to hope |
that negroes will maintain their ascendency |
themselves without military power they |
arc wholly incapable Of holding in subsection |
the white people of the South. | submit to |
the Judgment of Congress whether the pub |
lie credit may not be injuriously affected by
a system Of measures like this. With our
debt, aud the vast private interests which arc
complicated with it. we cannot be too eau
tious Of policy which might by possibility
impair the confidence of the world in our
government. That confidence can only be
retained by carefully inculcating the princi-
pies Of justice and honor on the popular
mind and by the most scrupulous fidelity to
all our engagements Of every sort Any Sc
/ riOue breach of the organic law persisted in
/ for considerable time cannot but create
/ fears for the stability OF our institutions
/ llahitual violations OF prescribed rules which
we bind ourselves 10 observe, must democrat
ize the people. Our only standard Of civil
duty being set at nought, the sheet anchor
Of our political morality Is lost, the public
| conscience swings from its moOrings and
yields to every impulse Of passion and inter
ests. Ii we repudlate the Constitution we
will not be expected to care much for mere
peouniary obligation The violation Of such
a pledge as we made on the 22l day Of July,
1861, will assuredly diminish the market
value Of our promises besides if we now
acknowledge that the national debt was ere
ated, not to hold the States in the Union, az
the taxpayers were led to suppose, but 70
expel them from it and hand them over to
be governed by negroes, the moral duty to
pay 1t may seem much less clear. say it
may seem so, for do not admit that this or
any other argument in favor Of reputation
can be entertained as sound, but its influence
90 some classes Of minds may well be appre-
hended. The financial honor Of a great COM
mcrcial nation largely indebted and with a
republican form OF government administered
by agents Of the popular choice, is a thing Of
such delicate texture and the destruction Of
it would be followed by such unspeakabe
calamity, that every true patroImust desire
to avoid whatever might expose it to the
slightest danger. The great interests OF the
RELIEF DEMANDED.
country require immediate relief from these
cnactments. Business in the South is par
alyzed by a sense Of general insecurity, by a
terror of eonhscation and the dread Of negro
supremacy. The Southern trade from which
the North would have derived so great
; profit under a government Of law still Ian.
} guishos and can never be revived until it cea
, ses to be fcttered by the arbitrary power
Z which makes all its operations unsafe Tha
rich country. the richest in natural resour
ces the world ever saw is worse than lost il
it be not soon placed under the protection OF
a free constitution instead Of being as u
} ought to be a source of wealth and power, il
will become an intolerable burden upon the
rest OF the nation. Another reason for re
} tracing our steps will doubtless be seen b.
2 Congress in the late manifestations Of publ,
2 opinion upon this subject We live in
( country where the popular will always en-
{ forces obedience to itself sooner or later.
is vain TO think Of opposing it with anythin.
short Of legislation backed by 0yerwhelmin,
force !, cannot have escaped your attention
r that from the day on which Congress fairl
and formally presented the proposition {
' govern the southern States by military fore
e with view to the ultimate establishment o
e negro supremacy, every expression of th
G general sentiment has been more OF less ad
verse to it. The affections Of this generation
o cannot be detached from the institutions o
= their ancestors. Their determination to pre-
{ serve the inheritance Of free government il
; their own hands, and transmit it undiyide
y and unimpaIed to their own posterity, is to-
strong to be successfully opposed Ever
, weaker passion will disappear before tina
5 love OF liberty and law for which the Ameri
T. can people are distinguished above all Their
c in the world
: How far the duty Of the President ST
c preserve, protect and defend the Constitu
. ton, requires him to 60 in opposing al
e unconstitutional act Of Congress, is a YER
n serious and important question on which
. have deliberated much, and felt extremel
j anxious TO reach proper conclusion
j Where an act has been passed according &
c the forms OF the constitution by the suprem,
# legislative authority. and regularly enrolle,
c among the public statutes of the country, Tx
F ecutiYe resistance to it especially in times o
e high party excitement would be likely L
d produce violent collision between the respect
I I've adhorents Of the two branches of the
J., Government. This would be simply ciyi
! war, and civil war must be res0rted to onl,
Y as the last remedy tor the worst Of evils
: Whatever might tend to provoke 1t shout,
b be most carefully avoided. 4 faithful an,
: conscientious magistrate will concede yer,
2 much 20 honest error. and something even &
, personal malice before he will endanger th,
G public peace and he will not adopt fOrcib.,
n measures or such as might lead to force a
/ long as those which are peaceable remain
= open 10 him or 10 his constituents. tits trut
= cases may occur in which the Executiy,
- would be compelled TO stand on his rights
/ to maintain them regardless of all consequen
ets Ii Congress should pass an act which il
d not only IN palpable conflict with the Con
t sttution but vii. certainly if carried Out
, produce immediate irreparable injury to tn,
! organic structure of the Government and /
a there be neither Judicial remedy for In,
wrongs it inlicts nor power 10 the people I,
!. protect themselves without the Official aid o
! their elected defender it, for instance tb,
{ legislative department should pass an act ev
en- through all the lorms OF Inv m ahnliah q