St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-02
Suppose.

Suppose that in Vermont more than
half the population had been held, from
the settlement of the state, in abiect
slavery, and that, in futile endeavoI
of the master class to break away from
the Union, the slaves had been freed
by the Union and made equal citizens
with their late masters. Suppose the
masters, baffied and ruined, and seeing
in the emancipation and political equal
ity of the slaves proof of a vindictive
triumph of the victors. Suppose the
slaves helpless, homeless, houseless
landless, ignorant, mi-barbarous, and
absolutely dependent. Suppose settlers
coming from other states, some of them
politicians, gaining control of the new
and ignorant voters, and turning theiI
votes to obtain political control of the
state, and finally aIousing the indigna-
ton and hostility of the old master
class, that had lain in sullen torpor
until the control was obtained. In a
word, suppose in Vermont the precise
case of Louisiana, would "intimida-
tiOn," violence, murders, scOurgings,
terrorization, of the new voters by the
old seem to be so utterly incredible and
impossible Grant that the better peo-
pie in Vermont did not personally take
part in such crimes, yet is it not proba-
BILE that the worse people would, and
that the better might remain passive,
leaving the question of repression to
the "usurping" authorities
If such things did take place, and
were found to be systematic, regular,
organized, what would be in Vermont
the obvious and fair conclusion Plain
ly that they were not ebullitions OF
spite and general hatred, but that they
had purpose. And would it be ne
cessary that the purpose should be de-
clared in the Vermont newspapers I
Would it not be perfectly evident that
the purpose was to keep the new voters
from the polls, in order that the old
voters might obtain control of the gov
ernment? Could there be any other
reasonable explanation? Would it not
be most natural for the old voters to
say that they had the intelligence and
the property of the state, that the new
vote was, as a rule, absolutely unintel-
ligent and irresponsible, that it was
turned by Adventures to base uses, and
converted the government of the state
into highway robbery, and that they
would no longer submit And would
not this feeling, being universal in all
classes of the old voters, inevitably
ton of the new voters? Would all this
be extraordinary Would it not be
precisely what might be expected in
Vermont?
Suppose, now, that a state and ma
tional election was held in Vermont
that in certain counties, where the new
voters had always had very large ma
jOrity, they pOlled scarcely any votes
and that there was copious evidence OF
intimidation in those counties, while il
others, where no violence was reported
the new voters increased their vote
could the election in the intimidated
counties be called a fair, full, free elec-
ton? And if the most important re-
suits depended upon the vote of these
counties, could that vote be held by
honorable men to be so fair that Nc
question ought to be raised That is
the case of Louisiana. We do not now
say that the vote ought or ought not tC
stand. We do not now say that there
ought or ought not to be a law which
WOulu pIcNcUJ SuCl d NOtc u0clulug
mOmentOus questions. We do not now
say that such proceedings ought OF
ought not to invalidate the entire vote
of the state. But can any reasonable
man fail to see that the one thing which
is antecedently probable in that state
is intimidation, and that, without re-
fining upon "mental processes" it is
undeniable that violent intimidation
may decide an election? The question
for the state would then be whether ii
would be just and wise to throw out a
poll at which such intimidation had
been proved. For the country the
question would be, first, whether, il
Congress may reject the vote of state,
it might not properly reject that OF
state cast under proved intimidation
and second, how respectable would be
the title of a President elected by in
timidated polls.-Harper's Weekly.
Mr.. Lincoln was one day during the
war called upon by woman, who,
pushing aside other visitors, made Il
very low courtesy to the President, and
as he was rising, began, in loud
voice: "Mr. Lincoln, my grandfather