Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-10-18
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
Felio,o CitiSens Of The Senate
I - r al TI,,aa n ID zs....,

In obedience to the CONSTITUTION or our
State we are again assembled to transact
the public business. By dligebt attention
to various other duties, by enactfng such
avs Us the wants Of Our constituents re-.
qure, by electHg to office such men as arc
capable, faithful and honest, by equaliz'
ing the public burdens and by administer.
ing the government with due regard to
| frugaty and economy, we give good evil
dence hat we entertain proper estimate
Of The responsibilities of our several sto.
tons.
The general prevalence of health, the
benignant smiles Of merciful Providence
on the labors Of the husbandman, and the
prosperity which has attended our citiZehs
IN the varied pursuits. demand a grateful
remembrance of that Being from whom ere
oil our blessings,
| Circumstances, which. few months
since. in q neighboring State, threatened
to disturb the friendly relations subslsting
between this country and Great Bram,
have happily through the wisdom and mod
Grafton of the rulers Oft two countries, been
put in train OF amicable adj ustment. This
result, 10 q nation like ours, whose habits
and pursuits make it at all times their inv
terest to be at peace with the rest of t o
world, and whose lncnatlons correspond
with their interests, 10 u matter OF sincere
congratu|a,on.
The continuance Of the political distur-
bance in the neighboring Province of Can
ada, and the alledged cruelty with which
: the contest had been carried on,was made
the apology fora system Of incendarlsm
of the most reckless and desperate charac-
ter, on ron,ler between this State and
Canada. The design of the perpetra 'ols
Of those mutual acts of aggression, was
) evidently. to provoke and exasperate the
public mind, and thus bring on q statGt&
,, feeling between the inhabitants Of the ~
countries which would ultimately result in
war. The continued succession of these
atrocous acts from December to April,
!; goes far to show that those engaged in
!. them. on both sides of the line. had this
object in view In the progress of this
disgraceIu business, number of the uD-
e offending citizens Of this state have been
= subjected to heavy loss by the destruction
oftheir buildings and other property by fire.
In consequence Of the alarm OF STONED
tby these repeated acts of violence, Briga.
idIer General Mason and the civil author
les in that vicinity deem it necessary, on
S three several occaslons,to call out portions
t of the militia to protect The persons and
!, property of our citizens, and quiet public
o apprehension. was early apprised Of the
:, fact, and without delay assumed the res
: possibility Of ordering the deliverysof arms
'. from the Arsenal for their use. The first
d detachment, called out in February, after
y. rema ming on deity several days, was, at
Il my request, relieved by regular troops mus
}; tered into the service nfthe United States
:. paid and discharged by order of Major
Il General Scott of the Army Application
IS was made to the officer in command at
Pla,tsburgh, to have the same course pur.
e sued with those subsequently called out.
J. | have not ye, been apprIsed of the result.
h In February last, one George Holmes,
It charged with the commission Of an afro
ID cous murder in the Province of Lower
Canada, was arrested in the town of Bur
j. llngion, and there detained to await the
lie result of a demand upon the President of
. the United States for his surrender to the
lie authorities of Canada as fugitive from
a Justice. The President, in the absence of
:. any conventional arrangement on this sub
lect between this country and Great Brit
NJ ain, declined interfering or complying with
N the application upon which the governor
Of Canada addressed me on the subject.
$, and requested that, in accordance with the
n. laws Of nations and the comfy heretofore
t. subsstiDg between the State of Vermont
v. and Province of Canada, the said Holmes
es might be surrendered to the authorities of
er that Province that he might be tried for the
ed crime with which he was charged.
lie Considering the practice which had
ne heretofore prevailed between the authori-
n. ties Of that Province and this State-which
TO so far as ! could ascertain, had been in
a. favor of surrenderng, on application. per-
IT sons charged with atroclous crlmes-and
I'd also the consequences which must inevita
n. bly, result To the inha btanls Of the respec'
n. tive territories from contrary decision,
n | was induced to make an order for the
o delivery of said Holmes to the Agent OF
De the Canadian Government, The execu'
@; ton of this order was prevented by y writ
t. of Habeas Corpus from the Supreme Court
10 of this State. The authority of the Ex'
Sc ecutive to make the surrender, and conse'
I'd quently the obligations of national law on
,g The subject. were by some denied. The
Il legality of the order, understand, is now
ne in a course ofjuditial investigation.
i; This may be proper occasion to remark
IS, that, if the laws Of nations and the comfy
e. which is supposed to subsist between two
ne countries at peace, whose territories are
no cont iguous, do not warrant the exercise Of
d. the power necessary 10 make surrender oil
n. arocious criminals escaping from one gov.
te ernnment 10 the other II the foreign felon
bt can force himself upon Us, claiming Notec
ton under our laws from mellled punish