St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-09-03
zen as surround Lincoln are dead.


the policy of the administration tina
they would not consent to any union
no matter what-they would not con
sent to any peace until they could pu
down the institution of slavery with it
In other words, they would not let the
Southern people come back to their al.
legiance to the Constitution unless they
would consent to absOlve us from ours
They in effect said to them 'What
is required from you on our side, that
must be enforced what is required from
US on yours, that is to be disregarded.'
Now is there any section of the people
in the Anglo Saxon race that is going
to submit to that just turn it around
and suppose what might have been the
case, that the South had been numeri-
cally stronger than ourselves, and this
war had got to going and we found our
selves likely to get the worst of it and
we said to them "Let us make peace
and come back but they should say to
us "YOu may come back, and every
thing that makes for us in the Constitu-
ton shall be enforced the moment it
makes for you, it shall be disregarded."
Now what do you say, gentlemen, would
you stand it? No! rather think not.
When You add to that the manner in
which this war has been fought, not
against the cOmbatants, but the Gov
ernment has directed its strength to-
ward unprotected women and children,
toward desolating a country where there
was not any fighting-that while we
were sending there some two millions of
men, as brave men as ever Gved-an
army has gone down there and laid
down their lives and fought as never
men fought before, and grateful coun-
try will never forget those men-when
they have fought as they have for three
years, yet they have fought in vain.
Here we are, in this fourth year of the
war, almost as far off as we were when
we began, not quite, but almost.
We propose to do now what General
Mcclellan proposed to do in July, 1862,
in the letter to which | have called
your attention. We propose to do that,
and when we do it we don't need any
other assurance than what you saw the
other day by the overtures that were
made at Niagara by the half-agents and
friends of the sO-called Southern Con-
federacy. The moment you put your
selves on this platform, then there is an
end to this war. Those States come
back to the old Union in the old way,
and it is clearer than light, gentlemen
thousands on thousands went OH in
this way. They supported this admin
istratiOn with their votes, and their
money, and their children, and their
blood, and when those men were told,
as they were told, "This is, after all a
war for the abolition of slavery they
said, eve don't fight for him. l hap
pened to lie in the West in the first
year of this war and met man who
had left his pillow in the field and joined
the army. | asked him, "What are
you going to do ?" "By God, sir" said
he, 'I'm going to open the Mississippi
river" Well, the way they went at it
you know, as Fort Donelson and Island
No. 10 and Vicksburg attest. They
were not fighting for the niger. They
did not care anything about him.
Well, now, when the thing has been
brought to a point and the question has
been put, "Will You take us back now
on the terms of the old Union and the
old Constitution that is what the
American people have been fighting for.
What was the answer? ave will take
you back when You come connected
with the abolition of slavery. We will
take you back when you bring with you
OH your return the abolition of slavery
in those States, and we will not take
you back before" Now, when the time
comes that the thing that we are fight
ing for is substantially attained, when
those men are willing to come back,
lay down their arms and come into the
old Union on the old terms, are they
welcomed ? No. 1--WE are going a lit
tie further, now, gentlemen. We are
going to abolish slavery" SIS it not
protected to us by the Constitution
which you are fighting to maintain Z"
"WeIl, yes; but that don't make any
difference Whatever we have been
fighting for before, we are fighting now
for the abolition of slavery. We are
fighting now for what no man up to
two years ago would have proposed, to
turn loose all the niggers. We are
fighting now for the niger and nothing
but the niger" Well, now, gentle
men, so long as we are fighting for the
Union, any administration could carry
the people along with it, but when they
reached the point where every man
can see for himself that that is the OBJ
iect of the contest no longer, they have
reached Il point where, in my judg-
ment, the most of this people are going
to stop. You cannot carry them be-
yond that. Now, then, | say, not to
Democrats merely, but to Republicans,
men who have honestly, periodically,
voted for, paid for, fought for, bled for,
and who have gone on thus far and
supported this administration, but sim
ply because they believed the admins
tration was contending FOR what was
vital and dear to us ALL ask these
men, candidly and dispassionately,
whether or not they have got enough
of this attempt to break down the dls-
tipctieps that the Almighty has set up,
and to whitewash the niger i'll the
tears and blood of millions of our peo-
pie ,? Have yOu got enough of it9
Look at the prospect before you and
answer for yourselves the question. If
you have, you had better use the priv
ilege while yet the day remains to you,
before the way to the ballot box is
hedged up by bayonets here as it is in
Maryland and Kentucky and Missouri.
You had better use your privilege of
helping your cOuntrymen inaugurate
better state of things. But if you
have not got enough of it, then go
straight on in the path which this ad-
ministratiOn proposes to you if they
can acquiresa new lease of power at
your hands. Send the rest of your
children down to the slaughter from
which there are so few returning foot
steps-cary up the expense of living,
of your daily bread until you have a
In iI.,, Of ,,;l,ol, =.