Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-03-23
Our Washington Correspondence
WASHINGTON, ID. @.
March 10. 1870.
Berlin, March LIST, 1870.


WASHINGTON, d. c.,
March 10, 1870. g
Mr. EDIToR:-The great event of the week
has been the maiden speech Of Mr.. Revsls1
the tawny successor of jefferson Davis in DE
Senate. The Georgia bill has occupied the
attention of the Senate during the whole
week, and seems now no nearer passage than
on Monday. Mr. Revels of course took tht
extreme radical view of affairs, and though
his speech was mostly devoted to the defeesi
of his colored brethren, alleging their no
lection and safety as his reason for oppos o.
Bingham amendment, yet be fairly shoVeC
his colors, and made good argument sgaihst
the amendment. Looking at it from hi.
standpoint, | am not sure but 1T was the les
argument made. 1t is in vain for Sena Or,
to conceal the fact that they oppose Ai.
amendment simply to be able to retain pdit
ical power in their own hands 1t is all YER
well to talk loudly about the absolute impbs
sibility of living South under rebel RIDE
Will farther protracted military rule I'D,
to the security? Has it been thus far pro
ductive of much good, and not rather tendei
every year to overturn more and more all h.
distinctions between good and bad, and Z
give the Southern people an municipalities
sentiment, and to widen the breach so that
cannot be healed this generation. am gh
that Mr.. Revels has spoken, and spoken 5
well, demonstrating at once the ability
the colored man, and evidencing his elevatio
to a point as high as the most radical coul
desire, and a sort of end to hostilities on tina
subject The colored man is now recog
nized power in the country, and the strife
can no longer be carried on with a show o.
success by any party which seeks to accorc
them any other position than one equal T.
any other class Of our people, Th2%P-<<<
true tn it, instinct dot onl, 81 l. *
s~----s--ss s.--is ss-.y, low FiHHics1
ckguardism,- but asserts that Revels never
wrote his speech, that he was only the mouth
piece of Bullock, and declares and insinuates
many charges too mean to appear in that or
any other respectable paper. think no one
but a venomous person could have invented
all this abuse. Certainly did not hear any
except the most notorious secessiOnists who
could say that they were outraged by this
misrepresentation colored speech You might
on that day have heard some of the multitude.
who focked to the Senate to hear this speech
after it was finished. holding up their hand.
and whispering with bloodless lips and trem-
bling voice, " Did you ever hear anything 81
dreadful" And yet who was it So dreadful
that spoke? Had stranger dropped into ID,
Senate that day, unconscious of the intention
of Mr.. Reyels to speak, he would have seen
large, stout, well Drowned man Of forty
eight, with good features, closely cropped
hair with little reddish tinge, moderately
large head set on very broad shoulders, read.
ing carefully written speech, which chained
the attention of every listener he would
have heard and joined in the general verdcr
of &" well done " and venture to say tina
had not such words as a. my race - led hin
to think a colored man was speaking, no sus
picion would have crossed his mind but tina
he had heard one of the great men of th,
Senate, and he would have gone away an,
long remembered the eloquence of the Sena
tor from Mississippi.
Perhaps do wrong to wonder that peopl
are so slow to accept the situation of affairs
and do not recollect the marvellous change o
few short years, in which the slaves hav,
become the equals-nay, in many cases tn,
superiors of their most gifted and honore,
masters 1t is impossible for some men t
forget the past and for those men who viii
till the day of their death be fighting again=
fate. have a most profound pity.
As to the Georgia bill. L hope the Bingham
amendment will pass, and the chances -ser-,
to favor it, though it will be desperatel,
fought The great talents of Mr.. Edmund
and Mr.. Trumbull are interested in behal
of it, and they seem to be growing in strength
daily. Georgia republicans predict the mos
disastrous results from the passage of tn
bill as it now stands, and ask, would you no
protect the lives of the loyal men If Their
is really danger of the lives of these men
if they are not numerous enough to protec
themselves, is it not the greatest conceivabl,
folly to reconstruct the State at all? |
murder and rapine must go UNPUBLISHED there
if rebels are so vindictive and so powerful
there, ought the United States to withdraw
its power at all, and more than all, leay,
the loyal people to the tender mercies OF
murderers, exasperated by having fastened
upon them a government they hate most
intensely? | can see no escape from the
evil, if there is such an evil, than the con-
tinued military rule Of the State, the strong
handed suppression of all kinds of violence
and the sure punishment of every crime.
Bulloek's government can do no good His
enemies hate him, his friends suspect him.
and all but those Immediately in power will
be glad when he is overthrown. No one
pretends that the proposed continuance Of
the term of Office of the state officers is inst
but that it is expedient. Can we afford now
to sacrifice justice to that always doubtful
policy expediency?
The bill for the admission of Texas-in
the same terms as the Virginia and the Mis-