Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-08-07
VIZ. RIaineS Letter.

States Senator.
DEAR SIR: Your letter, published in the
papers Of this morning, will create profound
pain and regret among your former political
friends throughout New-England Your
power 10 iniure Gen. Grant was exhausted
IN YOUR remarkable speech in the Senate.
Your power to iniure yourself was not fully
exercised until You announced an open alIi-
ance with the Southern Secessionlsts IN their
forts TO destroy the Republican party OF
the nation. | have but recently read with
much interest the circumstantal and minute
account. given by you in the fourth volume
of your works, OF the manner IN which you
were struck down IN the Senate Chamber In
/ 1880 for defending the rights OF the negro.
The Democratic party throughout the South,
and according to your own showing, TO some
extent in the North also, approved thst as
sault upon YOU Mr.. To0mbs OF Georgia
openly announced his approval OF it 10 the
Senate. and Jefferson DAVIS, four months
after its occurrence, wrote letter 70 South
Carolina in fulsOmC culogy of Brooks Tor
having 50 nearly taken your life. lt Is safe
to say that every man IN the South who re-
ilccd over the attempt to murder you was
alJcrward found in the rebel conspiracy 10
murder the nation. Ii is still safer to say
. that every one of them who survives Is to-
day your tcllOw-lab0rcr I'm support of Horace
I
a rash prophet who predicted your fast al
lance. sixteen years alter, with Messrs.
l0mbs and Davis IN their efforts 70 reInstate
their own party IN power. In all the start
/ linz mutations of American politics nothing
, 50 marvellous las ever occurred as the fellow
lshlu Of Robert ToOmbs, jefferson Davis, and
( Charles Sumner IN n i9lut effort TO drive the
| Republican party from power and hand over
the Government u the practical control Of
those who so recently sought u destroy II.
'GBEELEY r5wEBLEss Is TIE HANDS OF THE
DEMOCRATS.
It is %. n1 avail for YOU 70 take refuge
behind the Republican record of Horace
Greeley. Conceding. for the sake % argu.
meut Gas d1 not in fact belleyel, that ii0r-
ace Greeley would remain firm in his Repub-
Ican principles, he would be powerless
against the Congress that would come into
mower with him In the event OF has election
NNe have had II recent and striking illustra-
ti5n In she case OF Andrew johnson of the
inability 81 thc President 10 enforce policy,
OF even measure, against the viii OF Con
grc>s What more power would there be
40 Horace Greeley u en- .Orce Republican
policy against 4 Democratic Congress than
there was in Andrew johnson u enforce a
Democratic policy against a Republican Con
,ress2 And. besides, Horace Greeley has
already, 10 his letter OF acceptance, taken
ground practically against the Republican
doctrine 80 often enforced by yourself, OF the
duty OF the National Government TO secure
the rights oil every citizen u protection of
life. person. and property In Mr. Greeley :
letter accepting the Cincinnati nomination,
be plcises every ku-kluX villain IN the
South by repeating the Democratic can't
about d" local seit-government. and inveISh-
ing in good Rebel parlance against " cen
tra.izttion, 90 and finally declaring that there
shall be no Federal subyersIOn OF the inter
nal policy of the several States and municipal
tiles. but that each shall be left free % enforce
the rights ana promote the well-bsIng of its
lnh4 bltants by such means as the JUDGMENT
OF its own people shall prescribe The
meaning OF all this IN plain English is that
no matter how the colored citizens of the
South may be abused, wrOnged, and Oppress-
ed. Congress shall not Interfere for their
protection. hut leave them to the tender
mercies of the &c local seli-government' ad-
mnlstercd by the white rebels Do YOU as
friend to the colOred man approve this
position of Mr.. Greeley? You cannot forget
Mr.. Sumner, how cttcn during the late see
sion of Congress, YOU conferred with me in
regard to the possibility of having your Civil
Rights hill passed by the House 1t was
introduced by your personal friend, Mr..
Hooper, and nothing prevented its passage
tIous hostility 81 the Democratic members.
1t have correctly examined the Globe, the
Democratic members on seventeen different
occasions resisted the passage OF the Civil
Rights bill by the parliamentary process
known as illibustering. They would not
even allow It to come 10 vote.
Two intelligent c)lored members from
South Carolina, Elliot and Bainey, begged
of the Democratic side OF the House to mere
H. IL, Al, -. 3.
and they were answered with a denial So alb
solute that it amounted 20 scornful ieer of
the rights OF the colOred man And now
you lend your voice and inhueace 10 the re-
election of these Democratic members who
are cooperating with you in the support Of
Mr.. Greeley. Do you not know, Mr.. Sum
ncr, and will you not as a candid man ac-
knowledge, that with these men in power in
Congress the rights Of the colorod men are
absolutely sacrificed 50 far as those rights de
pend on Federal legislation
THE RIGHTS OF THE COLoRED MIN SECURED BY
THE AMENDMENTS.
j Still further the rights of the colo-ed men
in this country are secured, if secured at all
by the three great Constitutional amend
ments, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and
Fifteenth 10 give these amendments full
scope and effect, legislation by Congress is
impeTatlvely required, as you have so often
and 50 eloquently demonstrated But the
Democratic party arc on record in the mos,
conspicuous manner against any legislation
on the subject. 1t was only in the month of
February last that my colleague Mr. Peters.
offered "a resolution in the House of Repre-
sentatives, affirming the - validity of the
constitutional amendment and of such rea-
sonable legislation Of Congress as may be
necessary TO make them in their letter and
spirit most effectual.'
This resoIu tion-very mild and guarded, as
you will see-was adopted by l24 Yeas to
So Nays; only eight OF the Yeas were Dem
ocrats; all the Nays were Democrats The
resolution of Mr.. Peters was followed, a
week later, by one offered by Mr.. Stevenson
of Ohio, as follows:
ResotUed, That we recognize valid and binding
all existing laws passed BY Congress for the enforce
ment OF the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
/ Amendments of the Constitution of the United
states, AMI for the protection OF citizens their
rights under the Constitution as amended