Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1867-08-14


l am reminded, asthe Martyr Presi. /
dent'qsed 70 say, Of an anecdote related Of
Gen. Bertrand. when he visited this coun.
try after the overthrow of his great cap.
tain. the first Napoleon. 1t happened
that the General was iu New York on the
9Th Of July, and he was invited to review !.
the ~ttoops. v Later in the day
he was guest at a dinner given by the
officers, and while he was replying, in bis
brtkcD English, to complimentary SEN
timent. an enthusiastic captain of the
butchers troop interrupted him, asking
his permission to PROFOUND a question.
Certainly, sir" replied the Frenchman.
Then. General" asked the enthusiastic
officer. "may request you to give Jour
opinion of the volunteer soldiers OF the
city o. New York ?" 7'. rd 'iA7
General Bertrand saw at once that be
was in atight place. He wished to please
his hosts, yet. as military man, he could
not praise the undisciplined militia men
that he had reviewed But His Gallo
wit came to his aid, and he promptly re.
sponded "Messieurs have seen the
troops of Napoleon 'ae Grapd---the troops
Of 'Epglaod-the troops of Austria--of
Prussia--of Russia--and to-day | have
seen the troops Of New York. And | can
say, avec sincerite, that have nevare be.
fore seen the troops like the troops of the
city of New York Nevare! Nevare'
by Gar, nevare1
In my thirty years Of newspaper expe-
rrience, it has been my lot to attend a
great many conventions, some Of them
mar ked by pesuiar features. but never
did attend convention lite that which
has just been held here "Novarel" .'
The scene itself was historical. The
convention met under the shadow of the
Capitol. where the Virginia convention
was dragooned into signing the ordinance
of secession, which was hailed with 'j6y
throughout the city. 1t was in that
building that Robert Il. Lee, deserter
from the Ulited States army, wss made
commander in chief Of the Virginia forces,
preparatory to entering the rebel service.
Aud it was ia that building that the reb.
el Congress sat- devising ways and
means to establish their sham govern.
ILent on firm basls, with slavery as its
corner stone. q. ..r.r ..-,
Now, grouped in front of that building
for hours each day, in the brolling sun, [
saw five or six thousand negroes, most of
whom we've slaves in 1861, but who are
now enfranchsed citizens of Virginia,
while their former masters, the secession
lists are now disfranchised.: Never have |
seen more orderly, attentive and enthu-
| E
siastic audience, or one in which all were
more determined to understand what they
were doing Each resolution offered had
to be read again and again, and even then
there we're several upon which the color
Ell men declined TO act .... =,
Anxious 10 obtain a foothold in this
convention, but excluded from any partic.
'ipatien I'd its proceedings, were John Mi
a nor Bolts and his Old Line Wing friends,
who were ready and willing to be the Of
fcers Of the now dominant party. Nc.
Bolts labored. when be obtained hear.
lug after the adjournment, 10 show that
he was willing years ago that q State Of
.he Union composed Of free negroes sh'ld
vote, but, when questioned. he had to ad.
nit that De only desired that they should
vote TO defeat the Democrats, and that he
had said at the same time that he would
also receive the votes Of States composed
Of learned parrots Or IF edlosted mon.
keys. This settled his case. and the au.
] diencc declincl to indorse his uuobjec
9 tionab!e resolutions, although Mr.. Hunni
j. Tcdttturged them to. The successful opp'
J. sition was led BY DR.. Bayne, an irrepIes
!. sibIe and intellipent black man. who one,