Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1845-04-18
A WORD TO OUR BOYS ABOUT WAR

SATURDAY Evening, April 5.
Boys of America, You and the boys Of Great Br-
tain will determine the character and condition of
mankind, twenty-five years from this evening. The
world is looking forward with earnest expectations
and hope to the time when the ge,ernlnen shall be
your shoulders. All the wealth of science and
the progress of ages inventions. surpa' sing all that
have yet originated in the mind of man, and which
shall bring as were the ends of the earth together
and make ones life and thoughts Ubiquitous and i'm
mortal railroad chariots running 'likc the light
nings through the central regions of Asia and Africa
now hardly explored; commerce with nations and
seaports now scarcely known by name to the civiz.
ed world enterprises Of Christian benevolence, of
wide-reaching philanthropy, TO which the present are
dew drops TO a river; the mora power Of mind,
acting with the attributes Of omniporence upon brute
force and barbarous men-all these elements of NOR
al might viii be put INTO your han1s when you shall
come to be the men OF the Anglo Saxon race.
Now, boys of America, would you be first and fore
most among these men? Would you stand before
the whole the captains Of their salvation from
system Of desposm that have crushed them in the
dust 2 Then let the first act of your administration
be, to abolish old pagan Gu tom that has beqgared
the world and filed it with ignorance, misery and
vice. ! mean the whole War-sysem, especially the
preparations for war in time of yeace. And let your
| charity begin AT home. Look into the ledger of the
| United States, and see how this war breeding system
has swallowed p the revenue Of the country since
the Revolution. From 1871 to 1892, tire aggregate Of
orr expenditures with less than three years OF nctia
warfare was S3i2 25C S9l and S305 0J2 Sii of thi.
sum were worse than thrown away in companc,
with that old heathenish AKIN, In time Of peac
prepare far War; all swallowed up by the Arm,
and Navy. which. during that whole period, did no
save life or aldiln inch to the territory a cen
| to the wealth. the slightest oia 10 the true honor
glory and happiness OF the Union. just think of
for n NOTWITHSTANDING period ofai ont 40 years al
the others expenses of carrying on this Government
| amounted in the whole 10 only S37,l5S0i7 Will
SS0j OOPS Il uere Hrorn into Tie bOttomiess ouif q
nir-prepardfions in time Of peace !!'-Take you
states and see how you could have disposed Of tn
vast sum Of money! wienchcd from the hands IF poo
aborlng people in this and Other countries.
The great Erie Canal extending from Albany
p iihlo, distance Of 363 miles. cost originally 81
li3 7So. 1t was considered almost The wonder of III
age when it opened. The whole country held
Kind ofluhilee at lis completion and cries and town
grew up as in single nigh where few yents h
fore nothing but an uncultivated wilderness
Now how many of such public works as this mg
have been constructed for the which the Unite
States rxprnde upon preparations in 40 years
Mr. Whitney who peti'ioned Congress for pcrmi
sion to build a railroad from Lake Michigan to II
Pacific oceon, affirmed thar the magnificent wor
woald not cost over $50 000 600 How many Of sue
railroads might our Government have built, had it d
voted to their construction what it has appropriate
to the prospective destruction Of human beings?
One more problem in connection with this suhiec
and have done From 1886 to 1913, the Govern
men' expended on the Naval Establishment S45, go!
SIS nearly nine millions more than for the whole ci,
list for forty years Now, boys, will you not t,
those who cal thems Ives men, how many mcrcha
$4,000 year net profits for each ship? f. r..