Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-08-11

ments, by the southern domination which
will inevitably follow the election of General
Hancock. NI
THE AMENDMENTS. t.-
Starting at the time the rebellion ended,
what was done2 We said TO the south
ave will clasp hands across the bloody
chasm. You have been defeated and you
acknowledge it. You say you want peace
You say you want to live in alliance and
good fellowship with us. We accept your
Offer We will trust you and re-admit you
under the old flag and allow you again to
enjoy the protection of the laws and the
constitution; only we make three conditions,
which you must accept and solemnly agree
to observe forever" And they said they
would, and were taken back. What were
these conditions
They are embodied in the immortal thir-
teenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
to the Constitution. The thirteenth amend
ment is, "Neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude, except for punishment for crime,
whereof the party shall have been duly con-
victed, shall exist within the United States
or any place subject to their jurisdiction"
The fourteenth amendment, among other
things, says that "The validity of the pub.
lie debt of the United States, authorized by
law, including debts incurred for payment
of pensions and bounties for services in sup
pressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not
be questioned. But neither the United
States nor any state shall assume or pay any
debt or obligation incurred in aid of insur-
rection or rebellion against the United
States, or any claim for the loss or emanci-
patton of any slave; but all such debts, OBJ
legations and claims shall be held illegal
and void" The fifteenth amendment says
"The right of citizens of the United States
to vote shall not be denied, or abridged, by
the United States, or by any state, on ac-
count of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude."
We said, " If we shake hands with you
across the bloody chasm, forget the past,
and restore you to the free enjoyment OF the
blessings of the Union which you have at
tempted to destroy, will you submit to these
amendments ?" They promised that they
would. We forgave the treason we con-
doned the rebellion, and took them back uu-
der the old flag, upon the promise of these
things. These amendments were ratified
by the votes of the legislatures of three
fourths of the states, and they became a
part of the organic law of the land.
THE SOUTH FAIrBLEss TO ITS PROMISES.
Now, propose to trace the course of the
south since that time not to talk about the
rebellion, nor its causes. | will inquire
whether those southern states have kept
good faith with the country since that time !;
whether they have honestly fulfilled the
promises they made to us upon condition that
we would condone their treachery to the gov
eminent and forget the rebellion, which cost
so many lives and so much money. Because
if they have mott if they have been untrue to
their promises, broken their engagements (;
then, as | said before, no one, whether
Democrat or Republican, will say that they
ought again to be trusted with the care of
this government
How have they kept these engagements !?
For some years after the rebellion there was
peace in the south. The negroes had the
right to vote, and exercised it alongside of
the white men. The consequence was that
we had large Republican majority in the
southern states. In 1865, when General
Grant was elected president, the Republican
party received fifty-seven electoral votes from
the Southern states. Almost onehalf Of the
entire South was Republican. In 1872,
when General Grant was elected second
time, he had fifty-fve electoral votes from
the south. At about this time the south
erners, who had been at peace, and recover
ing from the rebellion, conceived the general
idea that they were not having things just as
they wanted them. They looked back with re-
greet to the good old times when they control
led affairs at Washington. They sighed for
the ancien regime, when they dominated
over this government, and they resolved that
they must in some way--by cunning, since
they could not by force--regain their former
sway. They forgot the pledges they had
made to us when the rebellion was ended.
They forgot the good faith which they told
us they would keep, and they entered into a
gigantic scheme to get control of this gov
eminent, as they had it just before the war,
when the last Democratic president was at
the head of the nation.
They said to themselves, 9" We must have
solid south, because, if we get solid
south and get small fraction of the cleo
toral vote OF the northern states, we can OBJ
tain majority of the electoral college, and
get president OF our own choosing" Now
the only way to create solid south was by
suppressing the negro vote. They immedi-
ately set themselves to work TO secure that
end, and all over the south scenes OF ntmi
dation, scenes of blood-shed and carnage
took place which have not been witnessed
in any country possessing claims to civiliza-
ton since the Spanish lnquisition or the
reign OF terror in France. BY means OF
the Ku Klux, the White Leaguers, the Red
Leaguers-by the shotgun policy, the ne
groes were intimidated and driven from the
polls. How well they accomplished their
purpose is shown by the fact that while in
lS72-as | have said-General Grant re
ceived fiity-tive electoral votes from the
south out of the one hundred and thirty
eight which she throws in 1876, Mr.. Hayes
only got nineteen, and in 1878, when an
election of representatives to congress took
place, the black vote was substantially wiped
out. Every congressman elected by the
south in 1873 was Democrat except six
What had become of the great Republican
majority that existed in 1868, aud which as
late as 1872 gave General Grant nearly one