Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-02
LETTER FRON COL. H1SKJNS.

LETTER FRON COL. H1ShINS.
Messrs. Edit0rs,-As a general rule do
not believe in making answer to, or noticing
even, any attacks of personal nature having
reference to a mans past or present political
standing or affiliations, especially when they
emanate from Democratic sources, however
scandalous such attacks may be. Newspa-
per editors (at least many of them) assume
the right Of saying what they please in ref
erenco to their political opponents, and often
times with but little regard for the truth.
Any Republican who is active and aggressive
in the advocacy of the principles of his party,
and who hurls stones instead of grass NJ the
Democratic party, cannot well hope to es-
cape abuse from Democratic editors of the
type Of the Roformer l only desire to no.
tice an utterance of the Reformer in its issue
OF June 18th ult., personal to myself, in its
account of what was said and done at the
Garfield and Arthur ratification meeting held
in the town hall the Saturday evening pre-
vious. In its account of that meeting, which
could not have been written hastily. but with
deliberation and for a purpose, after abiding
TO the remarks OF other speakers wrote OF
myself as follows: "Col. EIaskins Haunted
the bloody shirt pretty vigorously, consider
ing that he himself was n copperhead when
he resigned his position in the army" 1t is
not its reference TO the bloody shirt" that
object to, for if it was Haunted by me in the
face of the Reformer editor, it can only thank
the Solid South" which comprises the great
body of his party, for furnishing Republican
speakers with such weapon for campaign
warfare.
1t was the editors assertion that l was at
one time ''copperhead" which object to,
and which ba Epatn loY ba foI. I
understand the word ''copperhead" when used
in political sense to mean one who was either
openly or secretly opposed to the prosecution
of the war for the suppression Of the Southern
rebellion against the national government. 1t
is the first time that such a charge has been
laid at my door, that have any knowledge
of ; and while the older people of this county
know the charge to be wickedly false, yet
many OF the younger ones who have come on
TO the stage of action since the days of the re-
bellion and do not know, / take this oppor-
tunity and manner of pronouncing the Re
formers charge to be false and here chal-
lenge him to produce a single scrap of rcia-
BILE evidence, documentary or otherwise, to
prove that his charge is in the remotest de
gree true.
Now what are the facts? From 1857,
when cast my first vote, up to aud includ-
ing 1860, when voted for the Hon Stephen
A. Douglas for president, | voted the Demo
critic ticket, for which doing have no re-
grets nor no apology TO make. In April 1861,
when the South rose i'll armed rebellion
against the government they had sworn to
protect, | believed it to be the duty of every
man to give his support to the administration
of President Lincoln, and the efforts and
whole resources Of the nation should be Civ
en- to the suppression of the rebellion and the
cementing of the States Of the Union into one
Nation, whose sovereignty and power should
be superior to, above aud over all.
The files Of the VERMONT PHOENIX will
show that was delegate to the Republican
County Convention held at Fayetteville July
2, 1861, that A. N. Swain. d. II. Ranney,
George Forbes, Kittredge Haskins and VIM.
Harris were a committee on resolutions, and
that among others the following resolution
was reported and adopted, viz "Res0lred,
That in this turning point in the Nations
destiny, it is the imperative duty of every cit
izen, without distinction of party or creed, to
support the permanent authority of the Con
stitution and Laws of the United States
against all oppressors, and in every part of
the country"
A further examination of the files of the
haLlt paper viii ulhtlont lAlhl hk lnt htDuOll-
can County convention held August -, 1862,
the committee on resolutions consisted of Z.
b. Campbell, II. f. Stoughton, Kittredge
Haskins. Jacob Estey and Hoyt H. Wheeler,
and that the two following resolutions were
reported and adopted viz. (: "LiesOlced, That
we approve of the recent order of drafting to
swell the ranks of the Union army, and the
orders for the arrest of those who seek to
evade it, and we will lend our utmost aid for
the enforcement Of said orders"
"ResOlced, That we deem it the paramount
duty of all men to sustain the administration
in the present emergency, without ,cAy or
therefore, and we deem it the duty of the
Government to prosecute this war for the
suppression of the rebellion, and if in so do
ing the institution of slavery is blo.ted out of
existence, such result will be attributable to
the cursed rebellion, and we say amen to it,"
Without extending this record evidence, it
is enough to say, that I have been delegate
to every Republican County convention since,
have attended all of them with but one ex-
ception, that of 1876, being at the time alb
sent from the State. That in 1861 voted for
Hon. Frederick Holbrook for Governor, and
have steadily, consistently and conscientious
ly voted for the Republican nominees, Ma
tional, State, District and County without
boiling or scratching to the present time. If
it should be said, that in doing this, have
sometimes voted for men inferior TO the Dem
ocratic candidates, my answer is this, that I
have never seen the time since 1860, but that
1 would prefer any Republican nominated TO
any man it were possible for the Democratic
party to put in nomination, selected from
among their own numbers.
have carefully abstainod in this commun-
ication from making any personal attacks up
on the keformer editor, for do not believe
in that mode of warfare, and l trust shall
not be tempted to flight tho devil with his
own weapons" in anything may hereafter,
during the present campaign, have occasion
to say of and concerning the Democratic par
by, the Reformer or its editor.
KITTREDuE HAsKINs.