Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-08-08

mastery at the South. Nor is it peril
nent to the occasion to talk of their ''ln-
finite wrongs" now that they are enan-
cipated and enfranchised, supplied with
multitudinous schools and teachers, free
to make their own contracts as indepen-
dent laborers. protected as husbands and
wives. bound together as parents and
children, voting and being voted for,
| pursuing successfully all professional
| employments. steadily augmenting their
home comforts and layiAg up wealth,
occupying stations of trust and emolu-
ment, and having their representatives
in every Southern Legislature and on
the floor of Congress. True, in certain
localities they are still subjected to many
! indignities, and sometimes to horrible
outrages; but these are inflicted by that
class of incorrigible miscreants at the
South who are just now in happy affilia-
ton with yourself to place Horace Gree
lev in the Presidential chair True,
there is still, throughout the country,
strong prejudice against social equality
irrespective Of color; but this is steadily
yielding, and in many cases has ceased
to operate The special time to express
sympathy for the ''infinite wrongs of
the colored race was when they had few
| to interfere for their deliverance from
the auction-bloc< and slaye-coftie, from
the slave-driver's CORY lash, from CALLING
yokes and torturing thumb-screWS, from
| the fangs of pursuing bloOdhounds, from
the clutches of prowling lidnappers,
from incOnceivable agonies at the burn
ing stake and when to remember those
in bonds as bound with them led any
where else than to the high places OF the
country. And | always deeply regret,
too, Gas | am quite sure you now do),
that for so many years after the com
mencement of the struggle to effect that
deliveranee, when the elements were
melting with fervent heat, and mObOCra-
tic violence for the suppression of anti
slavery discussion was everywhere pre-
valent not excepting in your own native
city, you took no active part in that con-
flict, attended no anti-slavery gather
ings, gave no visible sign of lively in
terest sin its success, for your first time
bearing your public testimony against
slavery in opposing the annexation OF
| Texas. When elected to the United
States Senate, in 1851, you sat nearly
eight months in that body speechless IN
respect to the Fugitive Slave bill. elicit
| ing strong remOnstranCes against your
prOtracted silence, seeing that, as the
successor of Mr.. Webster, your election
was regarded as an important gain to the
cause of impartial freedom. Your silence
was the more ineXplicable, and furnished
lust cause for uneaSinesS, because, in
speech made by you before going to
| Washington, you said: ''The subject
will not admit of pOstponement or hest
tation. 1t is the subject of subjects
From this time forward it viii be enter
tanned by Congress it will be, as it were,
one of tie orders Of tie dag =; it cannot be
passed over or forgotten. We
demand. first and foremost, the instant
repeal of the Fugitive Slave bill" You
took your seat in the Senate December
1, 1851; it was not until the 9th OF
July 1852, that you rose to advocate
that repeal, apOlogetically prefacing
your remarks by saying: Had | attempt
ed this duty at an earlier day, it might
have been said that as a newcomer and
inexperienced, in this scene, without de
liberation, hastily, rashly, recklessly, |
pushed this question before the country"
Surely, no true friend of humanity
would have made such fling. and the
possible sneers of its enemies were not
| deserving moments consideration. Be
|
throughout the land ever since the pas
sage of the Fugitive Slave bill, so that
to talk Of pushing the question upon
the public attention was a misapplication
of language.
Nevertheless, once putting your hand
to the pillow, you did not look back;
once breaking the painful silence, you
have not ceased to speak, with great
b0ldness and rare elOQuenCe, for the
complete enfranchisement of the ColOred
race; nor have | failed to stand by you
through evil report and through good
report, cheering you on, and both in
public and in private yindiCating you
from the unjust attacks of your pro-
slavery traducers. My reference to the
early days of auti-slayery trial is not to
tear from your brow one of the laurels
with which it is so hOnOrably bound;
but when-tO mate Y03tr influence pOteR-
tiaE acitb the c0lOred electors to Sec7tre tl6jr
g0tes for mr. Gree}eY-Mr Grecleys
organ, the T'rj61tne, untruthfully pro-
claims you to have been the foremost
enemy of human slavery when 'abOli-
ZIONIST was term of TeprOaCh from one
end of the country to the other THE
best and wisest friend of the freedmen
in the trying years since emancipation
'1Oved and trusted by the COlOred race
above all other men in America Just
ice requires that the deception should
| be exposed. and the whole truth told.
In nothing of courage and vigilance. of
zeal and fidelity in securing equal rights
for the cOlorPd race, has your respected
ex-senator. Henry Wilson, been out
stripped by you; and no member of
Congress has done more for them. Nay,
long before you were seen or known in
opposition to slavery, he was actively
engaged in the noble strife under the
banner of immediate and unconditional
emancipation. During thirty-siX years
of public life he has made the freedom
of the race, so long peeled and trOdden
down, paramount to all other political
considerations. Instead Of persistently
stunning anti-slavery meetings, he was
a frequent attendant upon them. and
freely participated in their proceedings.
Now that he has been deservedly nomin-
ated by the Republican party for the
Vice Presidency of the United States,
and, if elected, may possibly in the turn
of events be the acting President, it
should be mattero of pride and gratitude
on the part of colored voters to. give him
their united suffrages. AS he is Mas
sachusetts Senator Ike yourself. has
been a warm personal friend and faith
full coadjutor, and stood up undauntedly
in your defence when bloody violence
sought your life, think it is discredit-
able to YOU that you have not only
evinced no satisfaction with the choice
of the Republican party in this particu
lar, but have treated it as unworthy of
recognition. To make this slight the
more noticeable, you have taken pains
to eulogize his political rival for the
Vice Presidency, Gratz Brown, as one
whom you ''have known for years as
most determined abolitionist!" 1t is an
immensely exaggerated claim. Put
hundred men like Gratz Brown into one
scale and Henry Wilson into the other,
for anti-slavery service rendered, and
for reliable friendship for our colored