Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-06-19

.CO4OEEu race, anu LUtiE uGkcEulQ lQdLlOn 10 con
tinue them in a condition Of serfdom, con
, vinced the Republican party that the onl'
way the race could maintain the freedom
which had been granted them was by invest
ing them with the power of the ballot. Tha
there were very serious objections to thi
nobody denied. That a very large proper
tion Of them were too degraded and ignoran
TO be able to make the best use Of this RICH
all had to confess. But il was seen that i
was intended they should never be in a bette
HdItion, and the only hope Of improvin!
raeu was by giving them this power of in
prOyement. Whatever Of evil there was il
it the South compelled by their own con
duct
Corquering the South did not change theiI
feelings or their opinions they were Ik,
other people - convinced against their Will 3
To all the hate and bitterness which a Ions
and bloody war had engendered were added
the modification and humiliation of defeat
They went to war to strengthen and perpetu
ate slavery. The result had been that slavery
was totally overthrown and their slaves made
free. They undertook by State laws to still
keep them deprived Of all civil rights and iu
Ia practical condition Of slavery The result
was that the cJlored people became then
political equals and entitled to an cqua
voice in the administration Of the Govern
ment They knew perfectly well that dur
ing the whole war the sympathies Of tho
whole colOred race were with the Union. and
that So far as they could they rendered it all
the aid in their power. They knew that the
c0.Ored people Iel0iced in our victories and
in their defeats, and trium phed aloud with
US in the final overthrow Of the rebellion
Their former menials nd property had be
come their political equals, and in States and
municipalities where they were the most
numerous they had become their rulers.
That all this was exceedingly grating, even
revolving, to the feelings Of the people of the
South, can easily he believed And when it
Is remembered that this people possessed all
the haughtIness and contempt Os interiors
naturally possessed BY the ruling class under
a system OF human slavery their utter disgust
can hardly be imagined. The feeling was in
no way sO0thed by the reelection that their
own folly and madness had brought about
the existing condition of things. The former
condition of slavery had produced another
element of large account In the events which
followed a large number of men had lived
IN Idlene>s. and the fruits of idleuess had
Tipencd The country was full OF dissipated
horse racing, c0ck-fghting, registering fel p
lows, many Of whom bv the war had become
desperate and dangerous men The liberia
tion Of the slaves had deprived them of their
means OF living, and they were reduced to the
desperate and disagreeable duty Of earning it
for themselves. That this class. under the
circumstances, could tolerate equal rights
civil and political, in q negro could hardly be
expected.
Again, slavery had produced another effect
upon the people of the South. It had pro-
duced q state of society semi barbar0us, like
that of the Middle Ages, when the noble and
hiEh-b1rn rode rJugh-shJd over the humble
and l9wIy, and ali personal differences among
themselves were settled by personal encoun-
ter. This state of society produced q natural
disregard for human lite and for the sacred
ness Ut the human person. Ii made men
savage and cruel, and, in the condition OF
things existing in the South, produced It's
natural fruit 0t whipp.uEs. t0rtures, murders
and brutalirics Of every kind and degree.
They had loved the negroes well enough as
menIals and property, but now as men and
political equals they hated and despsod
them.
l had last winter "a book sent me written
by SIR. Pollard Of Virginia, which I care
fully read. and in which there are q great
many good things, and / commend the read
ing Ot IL to every gentleman here who may
not have already read it. lie comedies all
that has been alleged Of outrage and cruelty
against the col0rcd race, but he argues that
there is no political significance as all in il,
that Ic grows entirely out of the hatred 0f the
negro as such, and a- a freeman. But there
is more Iu this than Mr. Pollard admits. The
negro would be tolerated as O freeman and
even as voter i BE would give his political
support 70 the ruling class in the South.
This BIZ cannot and Will not Go. The ruling
white class IN the South, the good blood, the
property ty-hJldcTs, were IN the rebellion. They
are Democrats, OF Conservatives. or Liberals
now they support everything and anything
except the Republican party. The c0l0red
man j. in everything political their exact
opposite, and be must be He knows how
ever ignorant and unlettercd he may bc) that
to the Republican party he owes his freedom
and every civil and political right he posses /
scs. He knows but for that party he would
still be but cbattel, and that il the Demo
cratic party had its way he would still lie a
slave
This knowledge and this feeling make every
cOlJred man IN the South a Republican, and !
make it impossible for him to be anything
else. DO not mean TO say there may not
he individual cases where some personal IN /
terest or influence may induce coIorcl man /
to vote the other way, but ] do say that /
every cOIored man who votes bis Judgment /
and honest feelings VIII vote with the Re- /
publican party. And here let me say to my /
friends over the way that you may nominate /
IS many Horace Greeleys or as many other I
men as you please TO be supported by the /
Democracy, you viii get no support from the |
.0lored men OF the South. They are Re /
pubhcans, - baptized by fire, and are sure |
to man for General Grant or whoever may |
carry the Republican banner
Mr. Speaker, after the negroes had received |
their freedom, and thus become entitled TO I
evil rights as lreemen, it was determined by |
their old owners and oppressors that their |
freedom should be nominal merely. They I
attempted this by State laws, 10 which | /
lave already alluded. There might by pos I
iibIlity have been some fear that there /
would be outbreaks and disturbances by /
hem, though there seems never to have been 4
my decent pretext for such fear and do 4
lot believe that 1t existed to any appreclable /
.xtent The whole current OF evidence on /
Ill sides bears uniformly in favor Of the /
luiet and good order observed by the negroes.
L was perfectly clear upon all the evidence
AIKEN by the committee that the secret or
known popularity as the hu hlux,
Jut having really various other names, was
et up for the purpose of keeping the negroes
n a state of subjection to the old southern
ebel element.
After the ballot was given TO the negro
u!l use and scope was found for the organi-
alton. 1t was devised to work not only on
he fears but also on the superstition of
he colored people. The strength OF num-
,ers in which the Klans generally rode,
rmed to the teeth, the bloody work they
lten made, were quite enough to excite the
ears of brayer and less detenseless people
han the poor freedmen of the South, but
,robabIy their horrible and ghostly attire by
Midnight torchlight was as potent OF IN
uence as their lashes or their pistols
10 don
thing as Ku Klux Klans existed. For
-. L. the nemncratic nress denied it.