Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-08-20

A Specimen Southern Orator.
Gen" W T. Martin of Mississippi, who
addressed the Democracy of this city Mon
day night, is of small account, per Sc, and
his misrepresentation and perversions OF
truth are SO glaring that as general thing
they carry their corrections with them. But
inasmuch rs the Democratic State Commit
tee have imported Gen" Martin into this
State to plead their cause, as typical South
ern representative, and as he will speak in
number of places in Vermont, we may brief
" examine some of his points.
Mr.. Martin spoke of Dixon as blackleg
and scoundrel, and a man SO disreputable
that gentlemen would not associate with him.
Very well but this same Dixon, it will be
remembered, was presented, by public sub
scriptlon, with silver service bearing the in
| scription ITO the bravest of the brave" as
testimonial of the esteem in which he
was held by his fellow partisans OF lazoo
county. Does this show that Dixon
was such a disreputable fellow-or do the
Southern Democrats admire just such
man? Gen. Martin is welcome 10 whichever
horn of the dilemma he chooses. We may
add in passing, that Gen. Martin defended
Dixon's numberlcss assassinations on the
ground that the victims were deserving OF
condgn punishment-a view OF the crime OF
murder entirely Southern.
IL q. \ nd
his fellow ex-slaveholders and ex-rcbels
were the best friends the negeo ever had !;
and that they carried the State election of
1875 simply by talking in friendly manner
TO the negroes, and showing them that their
interests were identical. Perhaps Southern
ideas and Northern differ as to what consti-
tutes moral suasion. The Congressional
| Committee which investigated the Missis-
sippi election of 1875 reported: That
there was general disposition on the part OF
white employers to compel the laborers to
vote the Democratic ticket that Democrat
ic clubs were organized all over the State,
and generally into military companies, and
furnished with the best arms that could be
procured That for some time previous to
the election it was impossible, in large
number OF the counties, to hold Republican
meetings that Republicans were compelled
TO withdraw their own ticket and vote for
the one named by their opponents that at
several places, on election day, the polls
were surrounded and the vote controlled by
bodies of armed Democrats and that where
intimidation was unsuccessful fraud was re-
sorted TO-" There is vast difference
between such methods and the quiet,
fatietiy talks which Gen. Martin would
have us believe We're the only means EN-
ployed in carrying the election; and the
committees report, sustained us it is iya
cloud of witnesses from all parts of the State,
NAV fairly claim our credence over the I'M
supported statement of single interested
person.
There is no danger, Gen. Martin assured
his hearers, of any attempt 10 force the pay
ment of the rebel debt or of rebel claims,
because forsooth, Confederate currency was
PAYABLE 1.-TWO years after the ratification OF
peace with the United States and because
Southerners having claims against the Govern
ment were regarded in the South the same
rs copperheads are at the North! Was thin
ner argument-more attenuatcd subterfuSe
ever advanced No one supposes that
Confederate bills will ever be redeemed by
the United States Government but does not
the introduction in the last session of
Congress of bills appropriating over
four hundred millions of dollars for the pay
ment of rebel claims, point TO heavy re-
endorsement to the South of its losses as
soon as it gets complete control Of the Gov
eminent. The facts are things which the
sophistry of an ADLER man than Gen. Martin
eau neither explain away nor gloss over !;
and in their face his vaporings are thin in
deed
Finally, Gen. Martins statement that all
the census enumerators at the South were
Republicans, shows that either he is very ILL
informed or supposed that his hearers were
The regulations forbade the restriction
of appointments of enunferators to
members of single party; and
as there were Democratic enumcrators
in Vermont and other Republican States 30
were there Democratic enumerators in every
census district Of the South. Not only so,
but many Of the supervisors of the census
at ,bo Sou,I ,vora nomocrots apd tho rreat