Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-03-23
Soutberu Reconstruction.

Ii is unfortunate for INC Oou90 Va
struction South that the people OF the %" &c
lately in revolt cannot cheerfuHy accept I'd
situat;on in which sney found themseiVe
plsced by the collapse OF the rebellion
Is6, and endeavor in good faith to carr
- !, their true spirit the conditions Brer'
which the federai II res,ora,;on
those States TO tine fquss. ,U I-,;on NJ
uent unwillingness of the s,utb 70 ,ooor
'ne iaet That slavery no longer exists. an
'NH' Tue negro has some rights which a viii,
man must respect, crops out almost dali
III very many places in the Souther
ku Klux outrages and persecu
''on' ana murders of Union men. as well a
negroes are altogether too frequent.
lug result Is what might naturally be ex
Peeeed- The Government at WASHINGTON ba,
and can have but little faith in the sinoo-;..
o. the professions of the South of desire fo,
peace and willing submission to law and
ofuer. It becomes almost an absolute ne.es.
sty that United States troops shouId he s,a
~ various points South. m rrosos :
IS Dei'i tranquility and protect The
81 g. liVIDg there. A duty wbicb
0''e or municipal authorities sbo,ld
m imPartIally, is either not done at.I
Po"els, or 1t done, it is with such
lllIDg ard Of the rfgGtss 81 the coi5red
- and Union men, that it amounts to the
<essest indignity and injustice. Such a
state of affairs is. of course, to be deeply re-
GREETED. and internal broils and feuds, dam
gerous to the peace and prosperity of the
entire South cannot but result tberefrom.
We were especially pleased some days since
at the declarations of Gen Breckenridge,
himself a hard worker and fighter for the
" lost cause y till il went down, that the
people of the South must themselves put
down the Ku Klux Khan. must themselves
repress all outrages upon Union or Northern
men, and he pledged himself to labor and fight
if need be Tor that end, till peace and tran
guilty should be the rule, and not the ex-
ception, in every Southern city. We had
much hope for good from these declarations.
coming from one who had the confidence Of
Southern people, and who had proved himself
an honorable and straightforward opponent
so long opposition was of any avail.
But the events of the week have shown
that the South is not yet fully reconstructed,
and that dissensions spring up in the hot
beds of her cities with marvellous ease, and
without seeming occasion Richmond has
been the scene Of quite an eneute, growing
out of dispute as to the mayoralty of the
city, and Gen. Candy has been compelled to
use the military force under his command to
preserve the peace of the city. Without
discussing which party was right and which
wrong in this contest, it is apparent that
neither party seemed inclined to submit the
question to the decision of law and of the
courts, but at once resorted to armed force.
and compelled the U S. authorities to inter-
pose the military to prevent a general riot
and much bloodshed- The following is an
abstract of the case which we condense from
the telegraphic dispatches relative to the
affair
The municipal oa,cers of Richmond, Va.
appointed by the military authorities refused
to surrender possession to their successors
elected "Wednesday night, holding that the
enabling act declaring the Offices vacant, is
unconstitutional On Thursday morning,
the new mayor, Mr.. Ellison, applied to May |
or CahoOn, for the mayors office, but was
refused, Cahoon claiming that he would not |
yield until elected by process of court Ca |
hOOn swore in $50 special cODstables, includ !
ing 20 colOred men. Ellison. the new mayor
then swore in 2U0 special officers, and at one
clock surrounded the lower station house, |
where Cahoon and his special officers were
If 49, i
water, and forbade that any provisions be
sent to them.
In the afternoon Gen. Candy interfered
by sending squad of soldiers and raising
the siege at the lower Station house and Civ
ing Tree esress and ingress to all having
business there. When the military took
possession OF the State House, Mayor Eli
son s police lett, and being stoned by crowds
OF colored men, the police charged on them.
About fifty shots were fired, and two or
three colored men were wounded.
The next day was comparatively quiet, but
despatch dated at midnight of the 10th,
says:
A dense crowd of blacks who were standing
all day around Cahoon's headquarters at the
third station house, so blocked up the streets
that tonight Mayor Ellison determined to
clear them away. At IL O'Clock he sent
force OF men there, who proceeded to clear
Jefferson street. They were fred upon by
the negroes, and Richard Bush, member OF
the special force, was instantly killed, and
Capt. VIM. Knox wounded. Ellison's police
then fred ON the crowd, who after resisting
the att ick were driven off. The negroes car
rIed their dead and wounded, if there were
any. with them. The police succeeded in
clearing the streets, and at this time all is
ipt Rms bod
Hall.
On the 22d we are informed that Mayor
CahOon's motion for an injunction will be
heard in the United States District Court
tomorrow. Mayor Ellison has issued war
rants for the arrest of the parties concerned
In Ibe shooting of Ben Scott
The conflict between the Mayors is at an
end, so far as force is concerned
Jack Wren, charged with shooting Ben
Scott surrendered himself this afternoon.
and was baiIed.
1n sd5 Legislature resolution censurng
Gen. Candy was reported, but not acted on
In the Senate, Republican member offered
a resolution requesting Gov. Walker to sus-
pend further appointments under the enabling
act until the coustiturionaiity of the law be
decided. The resolution was defeated
The saddest features of this case are the
apparent indisposition of the fre-eaters to
allow the courts to decide the question of
difference between them, or to submit to the
rule OF law over them. There seems de-
termination on the part of many to rely
upon brute force, the arbitrament of arms
on every and all occasions. So long as this
spirit prevails SO extensively at the South, no
real and substial reconstruction can be eff
fected. Neither peace nor prosperity can
come to Or abide with such people.
Illness of Governor Hendee.
The rennle of Vermont LII -s-a=-.