The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-12-28

the Government that educated him.
The man there with the New York
Rail Road contractor, cursing and ges-
ticulating, is N. b. Forest, the hero (sic)
of Fort Pillow! He wants to borrow
money with which to build his road and
damns with no faint praise but in crisp
Anglo Saxton the politicians that will
not let by-gones be by-gones."
Ex-Governar, ex- United States Senator,
ex-confederate Senator Henry s. Foote
compecr Of Clay, Webster and Calhoun
meets you, touches his hat, shakes hands
and inquiries with particularly after your
health. He must now be near seventy,
and yet both in mind and body the old
man seems as hale and vigorous as youth
OF sixty, men'S sdao, IN corpore sane. He
tells you that Grant is the right man, in
the right place sir; our people do wrong,
sir, in abusing him , says word of his
son-in-law Senator Stewart of Nevada, of
whom he is proud, though Stewart be a
staunch! Republican, quotes a morsel of Ro-
man History, in Latin, touches his hat
shakes hands again, and is of, spinning
down the street, bowing right and left.
Coming out of Sandy Cantins' saloon,
one Of the old time institutions of Ten
nessee by the way, is crowd of jolly
good fellows ['Southern men ignore politics
in drinking, Of which Jim Brownlow is the
Prince Hal. Jim since the war lin which
he gained fine reputation as a cavalry
officer, rebel bullet through his thighs,
a star on his shoulder, and pension from
uncle Sam, has devoted himself with great
assiduity to the temperance cause, destroy
ing as much Robinson County whisky as
it was possible for young man with linn
tied capacities to pour into himself. He
is the youngest and favorite son Of the
old Parson. Where he gets his taste for the
ardent, | cannot tell, as the old gentle
man has never been a wine bibber His
older brother John Bell Brownlow is
steadier, though he too takes semi-occa-
sional spree He is one of the best posted
politicians This age in the State, great
devourer of newspapers and an endless
tai ker of politics. He accompanies his
father to Washington, prepared to fight
for him if necessary. John told me the
the day before he started for W., some
three weeks since that his father was in
better health than he had been for
two years, and would live to see Andy
johnson in his grave. This event success
sully accomplished | doubt not the Par
son would be willing to say, "nuf sed, !"
and without complaint take his departure
for the next world, where he says he thinks
i tie books hare been correctly Kept, there is
a small balance in his favor.
This much of personals.
The Republican Party, as you are a.
ware, committed political hari-kari in this
State last summer after the most approved
fashion. The party divided on Stokes
and Senter, the more liberal element sup
porting the latter. He was acting Gov
erner at the time and "let" up on the
franchise law in order to secure his own
election, and because he, like Horace
Greeley con6ded in the honesty and good
faith ofthe disfranchised, he was elected by
an immense majority, but along with him
a fercely partizan Legislature. This
Legislature had no sooner assembled than
it began undoing with most indecent haste
all that the preceding Republican Legis-
latures had done. And next month q
Constitutional Convention to alter re-
wise or make a new Constitution for the
State, meets here. 1t is almost certain
that this body will make a clean sweep OF
the Republican Office holders in the State,
including as well Judges of the Supreme
Court, as Judges of the Circuit Criminal
and Chancery Courts. 1t is though hit
however by many, that inasmuch as about
two thirds of this Convention will be
made up ofex-rebel officers and hence dis
qualified under the, Fourteenth Amendment
that the General Government will have
word to say to the gentlemen, before their
work ofproscription is accomplished, this
Convention will, if not restrained by fear
of Federal interference, disfranchise the
colored people Of the State. The passage
of laws and the repeal of others by the
present Legislature from motives of ha-
tired and spite against the loyal men of the
State has already had the effect of driv-
ing from the State many ofour best men g,
and almost wholly diverting into other
channels the tide ofimmigration that had
set in this direction. Sh ould the Conven.
tion remove the Republican officials speak
Of you shall see such an exodus of loyal
men from prejudice cursed State as
was never seen before. Some of the con-
federate officers mentiond above are as
have said liberaly inclined bnt halt
dozen newspapers and as many again po'
liticans take the lead and the people fol.
low like sheep, just as in 1861, they fol.
lowed into rebellion. One can
but think such conduct is ruinous and sui.
cidal cutting off the nose to spite the face.
The State is now almost bankrupt her
bonds at 43 cents on dollar ruin speedy
and inevitable stares her in the face un-
less something is done towards developing
her vast resources of wealth and yet do
her citizens persist in their criminal in
sanity.
We have had no cold weather worth
the mentioning this winter, but great a
mount of rain.
am quite interested in the canvass 90.
ing on in Vermont over the "woman sut.
frage" amendment to the Constitution OF
the State. | would like to have it tried,
if for nothing else, just as an experiment
to see the practical workings would he so
much more satisfactory, than all the al
gument in the world. And there Ger.
tainly is no state where such an expert.
ment might so safely be tried, as among
the virtuous and intelligent women OF
the glorious old Green Mountain State.
am in hopes to see the REGISTER taking
strong grounds in favor of the measure
What say you, Mr.. Editor? " Its com
ing yet for a that, and a that"
Excuse my long letter, and salute with
warmth dear REGISTER, those friends of
tho writers who shall hava ,radad hrn,,ol