Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-09-09

the Constitution. They desire relief frol
oppressive misrule. Above all they woul
appeal to their countrymen for the reestal
lishment in the Southern States of that whic
: has Justly been regarded az the birthright {
every American-the right of self-goverr
ment. Establish these on firm basis, an
we can safely promise on behalf of the South
; ern people that they will faithfully obey tn
Constitution and laws of the United States
treat the negro with kindness and humanity
and fulfil every duty incumbent on paacefu
citizens. loyal to the Constitution of thei
country.
The purpose of this correspondence
manifest. Since the New York Convention
which declared that the " reconstruction
acts of Congress are unconstitutional, revo
lutionary and void,'' and the state govern
ments created by them 90 usurpations," tht
rebel temper at the South has been man
ifested in such fierce and threatening speech
es, as to seriously prejudice the cause OF
Seymour and Blair. 1t therefore became not
only advisable but necessary that a declara-
ton should be got from some southern source
recognizing something as settled by the war
and accordingly Lee and Beauregard and
these twenty-nine others have published their
platform.
This platform, it will be noticed, varies in
nothing from the one adopted at New York.
1t assails Congressional reconstruction, al
though in somewhat milder terms. 1t denies
that the negro is capable of elfgovernmcnt,
and insists that he should be left to the mer-
cies and compassion of his late masters. 1t
pretends to admit that slavery is abolished,
and that state has not right to secede,
but what does such an admission amount to
Does it prevent a Shareholder in Kentucky
tional amendment abolishing slavery,-Ken-
lucky not having ratified that amendment
Slavery has been abolished, or it has not
and the agreement of Gen. Lee cannot affect
the fact any way. The princip Piles laid down
IN the Democratic platform, and seen in this
letter, carried into practice will upset all the
work of reconstruction, and thus defeat all
the constitutional amendments and then
what poor black man can plead the admis
sion of these thirty-two confederates, against
his former master who claims him as
slave?
What Lee and the others ask for is 90 a res
toration of their rights" to use their own
and that means that they shall
be restored to the same position they occu-
pied before the rebellion. If they are put
back in that condition they " can safely
PROMISE" they say, that the South will be-
have itself. If the wolf can be put back in
to the sheep fold from which he has been
driven for indulging his taste for NUT
ton, he :" can safely PROMISE he will not
taste mutton again. If the traitors who
into condition to get up another, they |
= can safely promise - they will " obey the
Constitution and the laws Is there any
one simple enough to be hoodwinked by SO |
dodge?
But who are these men thus insisting up |
IN their rights as condition of good beha-
Tior Have the loyal people Of the country
orgotten the rebellion already? Have they |
orgotton that Lee and Beauregard com
handed the rebel army, and that Stephens
vas Vice President of the pretended govern
nent that starved Union soldiers at Ander-
onville? Have they forgotten the poor
oval blacks. through whose fidelity, and love
f union soldiers, escape from these prison
ens alone possible? Is there to be no
of these things in the future,
which Democratic victory promises, but,
IsLeaG, ii rush of such men us hosecrans ana
,lair, 80 with their heart in their hands, >
D be the first to eat dirt, under the feet of
zee and Beauregard and Stephens, and " ex-
ress unqualified confidence in their purity
nd patriotism ~
The great Union army, and the great
MON host of the country, under the leader
hip of such men as Grant and Sherman and |
sheridan and Thomas, will look with unut-
cradle Indignation upon this performance of
sosecrans, and will give these Southern reb-
lis to understand in November, that Graut |
lid not surrender to Lee near Appomattox /;
,ut that the traitors who did surrender |
here, will be expected to obey the Consti-
luton and the laws without condition, reser- |
-ation or qualification of any sort.