The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1841-03-12

g he sacrificed, or the honor of the nation furnished
by any admission on The part of their Chief Alugis
e ira,c unworthy of their former glory.
c In our intercourse with our Aboriginal neishbors
G the same ibcraliiy and justice, which marked TIT
course prescribed 10 me by two of my illusriou
, predecessors, when acting under their direction il
the discharge OF the duties of Superintendent an,
Commissioner, shall he strictly observed. | cal
conceive OF no more sublime Spectacle NOR,
likely to propi,iate an impartial and common Gre
aor, than Il rigid adherence to the principles o.
justice on the part of powerful nation in its trans
actions with weaker and uncviized people Whom
circumstances have placed at lis disposal
Before concluding, fellow citizens, ! must say
something to you on the subject of the parties at
this time existing in our country. To me il appears
perfectly clear that the interest of That country re-
CURES that the violence Of The spirit by which those
parties are AT this time governed, must be greatly
mitigated, if not entirely extingnished, OF conse-
quences will ensue which are appalling to be tho I
Of If parties in republic are necessary to Sc
cure a degree of vigilance sufficient to keep the
public lunclionaries within the bounds of law and
duty, at that point their usefulness ends Beyond
that, they become destructive of public virtue, the
parents of spirit antagonist 10 that of liberty, and
eventually, lis e,ilabe conqueror. We have ex-
aupes of Republics, where the love of country
and of liberty, at one time, were the dominant pas
sons of the whole mass of citizens And vet, with
the continuance of the name and forms of free GOV
eminent, not vestige of these qualities remaining
in the bosom of any one of its citizens. 1t was the
beautiful remark Of distinguished English writer
that, " in the Roman Senate, Octavius had party
and Anthony party, but the Commonwealth had
none" Yet the Senate continued to meet in the
Tempe Of Liberty, to talk of the sacredness and
beauty of the Commonwealth, aud gaze at the stat
ues of the elder Bruus and of the Curlii and Decii
And the people assembled in the forum, not as in
the days of CamiIlus and the Scpos, to cast their
free votes for annual Magistrates, or pass upon the
acts of The Senate, hut 10 receive from the hands
Of tic leaders of the respective parties their share
of the spOs, and to shout for one OF the other as
those collected in Gaul, or Egypt, and the Lesser
Asa, would furnish the larger div iderd. The spir-
il of liberty had fed, and, avoiding the ahodcS of
civilized man, had sought protection III the wi'ds Of
scylhla or Scandinavia and so, under the oprra-
ton of the same causes and Influences it viii 4,
from our Capitol and our forums. calamity 50
awful, rot on y to our country but TO the world,
must be deprecated by every true patriot and
every tendency TO state of things likely To pro-
duce it, immediately checked. Such tendency
has cSlsted-dneS exist. Always the friend Of my
cOunr,mcn, never their 1uitercr, it becomes MY
duty 10 say to them from Ills high place 10 whirh
their pnraliIy has exalted me- that there exists in
the land spirit hoslicto their best iulcrrs's-hos
tile 10 liberty Itself. II is split contracted in lis
views, selfish III its OBJECT 1t looks to the nggrun
OlscmGn Of few, even TO the destruction Of the
whole. The entire remedy is with the People
Something, however, may 10 effected by the means
which they have placed in NY haudS, Il, il union
that we want, not of party for the sake cf that
party, but union olthe whole country for the sake
Of the whole coun,ry-for the defence Of its inter.
es,s md its hcnor against foreign aggression, for
the defence Of those principles for which our anccs-
tors so g'oriously commended AS far as it depends
upon ne, ii shall be nccon plishcd. All the in!lu-
cncc that possess, shall be eNrrted TO prevent the
formation ut least ofan Executive party in the halls
Of the Legislative body, wish for the supper, of
no member of that body 10 amy measure Of mine
ilN does not satisfy his judgement and his sense
of duty 10 those from whom he holds his appoint
mCnt nor any confidence in advance from the |
People, but that asked for by M Jefferson, "to
give irnncss ard effect TO the legal administration
of their affairs"
] deem the present occasion sufficiently impor-
tant md solemn to justify me in expressing to my
fellow citizens profound reverence for the Christ
ian Religion, and thorough conviction that sound
morals religious liberty, and Just sense Of rc'ig-
lous responsibility, are essentially connected with
all true and lasting happiness and to that good
BEING who has blessed us by the gifts of civil and
religious freedom, who watched over and prosper
ed the labors Of our Fathers and has hitherto pre-
served TO US, institutions FAR exceeding in excel
cnre those ofany other people, let unite in fer
vcntly commencing every interest Of our beloved
country in all future time.
Fellow citizens Being fully invested with that
ligll office 10 vhich the nntiin,ity of NV cnun,,y