Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-15
d. uaugman" Feote Regenerated.

Lees surrender, ana YET tnat S"04 -
one of extraordinary change IN the pun
cal attitude and opinions OF many men "AO
at the close of the rebellion were supposeu
to be irreclaimable malecontents' uenei"i
Longstreet, Lees right arm IN oat'ie' Is "
aav a faithful and earnest supporter oil the
Republican party against the Lost cause
f.ct;on Of the South, and is denounced
bv Gen. D. II. Hill. of the Southern Home
as one to be execrated by all his OLD COM
-.nions in arms. General Beauregard has
enrolled himself among those Southern cltl-
zens. who frankly declare that hencetorth
thew will have no political fellowship with
auy party that attempts to enforce insult
inp distinctions of color and race, IN puplie
places and lines Of travel, against the ne
gro. saving that this battle has once been
fairly fought out in the National Leglsla-
ture, and it is unjust to longer refuse to the
negro the same public rights that the grant
of suffrage carries with it to every other
man In this declaration General Beaure-
card is clear advanced in political tolera-
ton beyond the entire Democratic party oil
the North, and, we are sorry to y,beyond
very respectable Republican minority Inc
late James L. Orr was the ablest man IN
the Confederate Congress during the war;
and yet seven years after the rebellion emu
ed found him our honored and trusted
repr sentative at St. Petersburg Col
John 5. Mosby, the ableSt partisan otheer oil
the rebellion. helped carry Virginia Tor
Grant at the last election, and Is to-day IN
oueStionably an honest supporter OF the
President. and a man of no small influence
when he chooses TO exercise 1t. And no"
among the changes which time hath wrought
TO he added to these Is that Of Hon. H. >
Foote. formerly the fre-eatmg Senator IRON
Mississippi, who in a recent letter written
to the Washington Chronicle expresses IN
the following terms his regret for the Ian
guage that earned him, years ago, the title
of g" Hangman Foote';
In 1915 several OF the unfortunate sons
and daughters Off race, whom a selfish ana
semi-harharous policy. originating IN the
Old World. and darkening with Its gloomy
shadow the beautiful hills and valleys OF
our own natal land for more than two sau
centuries Of shame and sorrow, were
prompted by that love of freedom, Whlch l.
everywhere inherent in the human Do>om'
to project a scheme for their own enlrah-
chisement, and it was understood that some
OF them Lad sought concealment ana refuge
in the fee States of the North, whittier
they Rad been counselled to 20 by several
members of Congress of much and deserved
prominence at the time. When | reached
my seat in the Senate on the morning alter
the night Of these poor children OF bond
age had occurred. found Mr.. Calhoun on
his feet, and denOuneing, with feryld We
hemence of tone and manner, very unusual
with this grave and solemn Senator, what
he depietured as a fearful outrage upon the
whole body of Southern saye-holders-an
outrage, he said, which, if tamely submit
ted to, would IN @ short time bring about
the entire overthrow Of a system OF labor
alike indispensable to the enjoyment and
prosperity of the cotton and tobacco grow
ing region as to the wealth and greatness
of other portions of the Republic. When
he closed his remarks, not without striking
indications of exhaustiOn-he came to my
seat and said Il now leave this matter
in the hands Of my younger friends from
the South. | have stood here long IN the
front of battle, almost single-hanGed and
alone, defending the rights OF our slave
holding constituents, and begin to feel it
to be high time that such men as your col
league. Mr. Davis, and yourself, should
come forward 10 my relief. This was an
appeal which | found it almost impossible
to resist, though really | had never seen
the time when | would have either gone or
sert an agent in quest of runaway slave,
and had always been disposed TO recognize
the fact that one whose acuteness and in
telligence were such as to enable him TO
achieve his own deliyerance from thraldom,
might be well presumed to be altogether
capable of enjoying a state of freedom and
of creditably maintaining his new-tound
rights. Waiting a few minutes for that
BOanerges of debate. John p. Hale of New
Hampshire to close a most stormy and in
dignant harangue. in which his facility in
the application of potential and striking
epithets had been fully displayed, | leaped
to my feet and made, as must frankly
confess, under the overwhelming excitement
of the moment, one of the most funny, rabld,
and insulting speeches that has ever dish0n-
ored a grave and dignifed parliamentary
body in which | told Mr.. Hale, in plain
terms, that were he to visit any thickly- |
use such language as that which he had |
just uttered, | did not at all doubt that he |
would incur the hazard of being strung up |
ON one of the loftiest trees of the forest
and that in such case, should there be any
want of willing exeeutioner, | would my
self turn hangman for his bCne1t. These !
frantic and indecent words had scarcely |
been enunciated ere ! become painfully SEN |
sible of the stupid and unbecoming nature |
of my conduct, and ! would have really |
given worlds TO recall all the nonsense had |
uttered.
In less than forty-eight hours ! received |
hundreds OF anonymous letters, filed with |
the most caustic revilement. and others in |
closing the most hideous caricatures of |
person whom these same caricatures de |
nominated /" Hangman Foote" positive
ly Hrlthed IN agony. Never had my self |
respect felt such severe humiliation. | felt |
that the tabled shirt of Nessus was actually |
enyeloping my limbs.
Really it is pleasant to think that human |
errors and prejudices that once seemed
ineradicable in our time hive been 50 effect
ually extirpated from the minds Of the very
men whose lives were pc ssed in unfolding
these destructive opinions with tongue and
pen and sword.
General Paul o. Hebert, who was gradu-
ated al West Point at the head Of a class
that included Sherman and Thomas, and
was once Governor of the State of L6uisi-
ana has just published a very able letter in
support of Gen. Beauregard's views. Gen.
Hehert was distinguished for valor and abili- |
by in every great battle of the war, being /
wounded, we believe, at Gettysburg.
The ex-rebel Generals join hands " it'll |
Sumner, Phillips, Douglass and Garrison
against any further support of the aristo-
cracy of skin, and 1t becomes the North to |
follow, where the ex-slave holder leads the |
way.
4 correspondent of the Rochester Demo
Graf says that jesse BoOrn, W no figured in
the supposed Colvin murder at Manchester.
years ago, Is still living, his home being
lonely cabin in swamp in the town of
Clyde, \. y. He has daughter. who. with
her husband, occupies the cabin. and the
strange looking old mar is much of the
time absent on visits of unknown import.
but when he is at Clyde he sells medicinal
roots and herbs, and is knowna as the HermT
OF the Clyde. The Democrat corresponds ~
ntimates that the eonsci ence Of the !. or mi.
may trouble him aitet all, for he ay ers that
several aged peop'.e who remember the, trial
oil the Boorn b. Others have alwf.ys believed
that the ku sell Colvin who Turned up inst
IN the me- K Of time, was a hireling represen.
taatiF'- of the actually murdered owner of |
tlat name.
a great New England Temperance Mass
Meeting was held at Rocky Point, R. l.. on
Tuesday of last week. About 1000 people /