Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-03-27
EIA u q G. % 4 p II o
BRANDON, SATURDAY, MARCH %, 1889.

The following strong appeal ought to have ap-
peared in the Telegraph sooner. 1t came to hand,
in the shape Of slip, too late for insertion, week
before last and last week it had fallen out of sight
embrace the earliest opportunity 10 copy it from
another paper.
APP A L
or the American Peace Society to the
Friends OF Peace throughout the United
States.
Brethren and Friends-A crisis has
come which demands our united efforts
for the preservation Of peace between our.
selves and a nation from whose enmity we
have more to iear aud from whose friend
ship more to hope for, than from any 9TH
er nation on the globe. In the present
state OF feeling, we should expect little or
no success from any appeal we could
make to politicians; and we therefore
turn 10 The Intelligent, pious and phIlan-
throplc portion of the community. who
hold in their hands moral power suffi.
Gent TO avert the catastrophe which now
threatens us.
We need not stop 10 review in detail
the steps which have brought US TO cri-
sis so deeply deplorable. The executive
Of Maine, under cover of expeling tres
passers from her soil, has sent an army to
take military possession of lands in dis
i pute between Great Britain and the Unit
ed States; the Governor of New Bruins
wick complains of this act as an encroacb.
ment upon the jurisdiction of his sove-
reign, and says his instructions will oblige
him, unless those troops are Withdrawn,
10 repel them by force; and anon we hear
from Maine an earnest, impatient call for
laid in asserting her claim to the disputed
territory by the sword, and a crv for
blood in the last resort echoed through
the land by class of politicians and
presses that loudly insist on war as the
only means of settling the long -protracted
dispute concerning our northeastern
boundary. The Storm has not yet come
hut we hear the mutterings of the distant
thunder. The dogs of war are still chain
ed; but they are growing in their ken
mel, and waxing fierce for blood. The
canidron of war passions is even now be-
4g.nning TO seethe; and, unless the friends
ot peace rally soon to check this burst of
popular excitement, it may ere long sweep
IN eulph-stream over the country, and
cr'll us into a war fraught with an amount
OF guilt and mischief utterly incalculable.
Such a catastrophe it is nOaO in the pow
or OF good men to prevent There are in
our country about fifteen thousand minis
tcrs Of the gospel, not less than one mill
ion and half protested disciples of the
Prince OF peace, and some fifty religious
papers sending their influence into almost
every neighborhood in the land, besides
millions OF virtuous, philanthropic, reflect.
ing citizens, ready at proper call to raIly
on the side OF peace; and, if only one half
or even one quarter of all these would a
once array themselves firmly against wa,
IN any event Of this controversy, our rul
crs would be held back from bloodshec
long enough for passion to cool, and rea
son TO regain her ascendency, and devise
better means than bullets and bavonet
Tor the settlement ofsuch dispute between
civilized men. The friends of neac,
among US, without leaders or organs
Know not Their own strength but if eve
~ religious press, every minister, and ev
cry Christian, every friend of his countr,
ana his species, would without regard 4
sect or party, take an open, bold, decide
stand against resort to arms in this cas-,
all me war-clouds now in our horizo
would soon be disspated.
We call, then, upon all such norsor
10 bear their So! emn, unflinchiny les,imc
ny against these war-movements. TIL
lowest friends OF peace must regard thel
as utterly, mos! glarngy inconsistc,
with the gospel; and the war-sentimen
now echoed and re,echoed through tt
land, We deem a stigma on our charact,
as a Christian people Not a few polili
al leaders Of each party talk on tn IS sul
ee1 more like heathens and savaqes.
IKE The representatives of a Christia
community; and we beseech not onlv Il
followers of Christ. but all sober vir,no,
PSrsons among US, 10 frown upon the
S'oody sentiments as disgrace not IN,
Oorne IN silence. What are wa ,ac;,
70 acquiesce in The savage demand -
the whole country be de!uced with bloa
aad every field whitened with the hon
OF our citizens sooner than submit
point In dispute to the slow, uncertain
suit oil negotiation or reference III
We spirit. these the doctrines Of that o,
psi which bids US follow peace with
Ien' and love even our enemies. and IN
sae o'her cheek to the smiter. and res
IO' EVIL, but overcome it with good .
ys patient, kind and long-suffering mr.
Ie worst injuries Christianitv ali,
ne wholesale butcheries of war e.. ,
se;'.ement OF national boundaries and :,
r.e',ng claims ofjurisdiction Nc. : :
,sA 1ollar wasted, would be a snsc;s.
'OOOery; every death, a murder and