Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-08-14

60 backward, therefore you may rest secure
in what has been won. OF this be sure !;
Slavery will never be revived, nor will you
be restrained or limited in any OF these
rights you now enjoy. applause and three
cheers for Sumner.) Most sincerely do l
lagratulate you on these signal triumphs,
so little to be expected when L first became
acquainted with you, and when we consider
the brief period in which they have been
accomplished, am sure you will unite with
me in hope and trust for the future. (Cries
of" We will ~
1t is my duty to remind you that the work
is not yet completed. This will be only by
the enactpe 1T of civil rights bill, which
shall relieve the citizen, whoever he may be,
from any exclusion or discrimination on
account of his color. Only then will be es-
tablished that equality before the law to
which now, for the first time in our history,
all political parties are distinctly pledged.
Here there can be no question. (Applause.)
1t is in the platforms of all. OF the early
passage OF such a law | do not doubt. Then
will you have all of your rights that can be
| found in the constitution and the laws. That
law will be the cap-stone. (Applause.)
| | shall not disguise from you that some
thing more will be needed. There must be a
constant, watchfuI public opinion behind, to
see that these are enforced, letter and spirit.
There then must be no failure in awakening
and invigorating the public opinion. You
can do much-I would almost say you can do
everything. How constantly have | urged,
in public speech and in all my intercourse
with you, that our colored fellow citizens
must insist upon their rights always, by
petition, by speech and by vote. For any
man who is not true to you, make allegiance
to you the measure of support. (Cheers.)
So doing, all parties will seek your votes.
CHEERS You will be felt. and your cause
will be irresistible. Please accept these few
words as my acknowledgment of your kind
ness, this evening. (Cries of &" Go On.")
From long acquaintance you have known
something of my sympathies. Always, from
the beginning, [ have sought to serve you,
and always, to the end, | shall seek to serve
you. To your cause my life is dedicated,
and nothing can turn me from it. Nothing
can tempt me or drive me from it's support.
OF Mr.. Summers honesty in these
expressions there cannot be the slightest
doubt. He has'on so many occasions given
the highest evidence of the sincerity OF his
professions of devotion to the full enfranchise
ment of the colored people, and to the
enactment of laws giving the highest security
aud guaranty of their equal rights, that no
person can have the fa;ntest shadow,of douI t
| that he will remain true to the professions
and the work of a life time.
But it is thoroughly amazing that while
Mr.. Sumner thus puts the rights 0 f the negro
before everything else he can support the
coalition now united upon Mr.. Greeley. OF
this coalition not more than one-tenth, or at
the largest One-eighth, have ever been Re
publicans. Even of this fraction many,
probably majority, do not agree with Mr..
Sumner in putting the rights of the negro
above all other objects Of governm ent. Mr..
Schurz, Mr.. Trumbull, and other Liberals
rights bill
+ While Liberals have such a record as to
that bill, the Democratic record is emphati-
cally worse. The bill was offered in the
House of Representatives about the middle
of the last session of Congress, in the morn.
ing hour of Monday, by Mr.. Frye, of
Maine. Under the rules, if a vote was
not reached on it during the hour, it went
over until the morning hour Of the next
Monday, and so from week to week. Tine dem
ocrats would not even allow a vote upon it,
but fibustered against it every Monday dur
ing the rest of the session. Not a man on
that side of the House received it with the
SIN Hest favor on the contrary the parlia-
mentary tactics only considered iustifable in
cases was resorted to to de-
feat it. Every democrat in the Senat5 resisted
the bill in that body every time it made it's
rights bill which passed the Senate met the
solid negative vote of the Democratic Sena-
tors and tho solid vote Of the democratic
members of the house, one democratic men,
Der, MIR. Potter, of New York, only voting
for it with a proposition Of amendment
reducing the amount of the penalty. Every
Republican in the House voted for it. These
votes were taken after the Cincinnati conven
ton, aud after the Democrats in Congress
had substantially come to the conclusion to
support Mr. Greeley.
What possible hope for his civil rights bill
can Mr.. Sumner see in this coalition If the
coalition has any one distinguishing feature
it is opposition to Mr.. Summers pet project.
If it hates anything it is legislation in behalf
of the negro. If it has consistent record
on any subject it is opposition to this very
bill. And if the coalition should prevail in
the elections, not ooe hand of all those whom
he is now clasping in political fellowship will
be raised to help him lay that % cap stone .
Every democratic face will then be ayerted His
| lofty rhetoric will touch no responsive chord
in Thurman, or Blair, or Baya-d, or Casser-
| ly, or Trumbull, or Schurz Alone of the
new party in the Senate he will still plead
for the negro while the rights of the negro
will then, as heretofore and now, find their
only security in the representatives of the
Republican party.
The Campaign in Vermont.