Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1870-08-24

time, rose to the exigencies OF the hour,
opposed the naughty ambitions, the mad
dening passions, the cruel prejudices and
the disorganizing theories of the domipat-
ing majority, and, although long overborne
by numbers, still struggled on amid jcers,
insults, mobs, blows and assassinations,
till, under the lead of Abraham Lincoln,
they achieved success and grasped the
sceptre of political power.
Entering upon its second era, appalling
responsibilities at once arose. The slave
masters, in the pride and arrogance of
of power, instantly plunged the nation
into the fire and blood of civil war. But
the Republican party rose with the crisis
1t raised money in unstinted measure, or
ganized vast armies, created powerful ma
vies, fought bloody battles, cru'h he'd the
most gigantic rebellion Of all recorded his
tory, and saved the nations life. 1t was
then, amid the clash of arms, that the
Republican party saw that slavery was
the relentless and unappeasable foe of the
country, was the inspiration, the heart
and the soul of that civil war. and that
its death would be the annihilation of the
rebellion, the unity of the republic and
the development of free institutions. A
gainst cowardly fears, selfish instincts and
unreasoning passions and prejudices, it
pronounced the doom of that hdeous aid
horrid system of human bondage, though
it was upheld by the aggre gated interests
of three thousand millions of dollars,
hedged about by the accumulated passions
and prejudices, prides and ambitions of
seven generations, and intrenched within
the social, political and ecclesiastical or
ganizations and affiliations of life.
BY series of executive and legislative
acts it broke the chains. and lifted, from
f the depth Of chattelhood, four and half
millions of hapless bondsmen up to the
SUBMITS Of manhood, and stood before the
nations with their riven fetters in one
hand and their title deeds to freedom in
, the other. .t Ia. nv
The war ended, the rebellion subdued,
the bondmen emancipated, the Republican
: party entered upon the third era Of its
. eventful history. Though conquered by
arms the rebels did not accept the just,
humane and generous ideas of the victors,
nor did they return to their proper allegi-
aDce and loyalty to the Government, but
still bemoaning the lost cause" they re-
mained unsubdued. in will and unrepent-
ant in spirit and purpose. Though made
free the bondmen were homeless, without
property, without employment, subject to
the cruel laws against free people Of color,
which had always disgraced Southern leg.
islation, and in the midst of a people ex-
: asperated by defeat and maddened by
their loss Of power still longer to hold
: and oppress. Property was swept away,
, industry disorganized, society disintagrat-
ed, and States were without lawful gov.
ernments.. se.lf
, Upon the Republican party deyolyed
the task of reconstruction. To its in;rin-
sic difficulties were added the intense hos.
tility of the e&-41bcls, the lingering pref
udices long engendered by the slave sys.
tcm, the timid counsels of conservatism,
E and the apostacy of the executive. Great
interests and powerful combina tions sought
9 to so reconstruct the South as to place
the power in the hands of the late slave
holding class, and leave the helpless
freedmen 10 the abject condition of prac'
tieal serfdom.I Seldom in history has
there been imposed upon any body of mer
a work of greater magitude or difficulty
q The Republicans might have shrunk from
and avoided it They were sorely tempted
to do SO. But they resisted the temptation
of official power and patronage, the threat
. of executive dictation and all other adverse
= influences, and with sublime fidelity ans
courage addressed themselves to the her
culean task. Tt .rna.f .l''
To aid in recognizing disordered indus
tries, caring for and protecting and iustruc
ting the emancipated bondmen in the new
duties of their changed condition, th'
: Republicans established the Freedmen
Bureau, which, by the wise expenditure
of few millions Of dollars, did an incal
culable work for order, peace and the re
habilitation of Southern society. ifi
To reconstruct rebellious States on tn
. solid basis of equal rights, they gave sui
: suffrage to the freedmen in the reconstruc
: ton measures. To secure citizenship an,
: civil rights to wronged and hated race
i they proposed and adopted the fOurteent
J. amendment, and enacted the bill OF civi
. rights. To establish by irreverible guar
y antees equal political rights and privile
j. ges, they adopted the fifteenth amendment
G. and as crowning act for freedom. the