Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-05-29
SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS.
nY nm "LEAENEp ELAcKsNITH. y

BY THE LEARNED BLACKSMITH
Bows of America, you and the boys Of
Great Britain 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 government shall be
on your shoulders. All the wealth Of SCI
ence and progress of ages; Inventions, snr-
passing all that have yet originated in the
mind of man, and which shall bring, as il,
we're, the ends Of the earth together; and
make ones life and thoughts ubiquitous and
immortal; railroad chariols, running like
the ligh,nings' through the central regions of
Asia and Africa, now hardly explored; COM
merce with nations and seaports now scarce
ly known by name to the civilized world !;
enterprises of christian benevolence, of wide
reaching philanthropy, to which the present
are mere dew-drops to river; the moral
power of mind, acting with the attributes Of
omnipotcnce upon brute force and barharous
men-all these elements of moral might will
be put into our hands when you shall come
to be the men Of the Anglo Saxon race.
Now, boys Of America, would you be first
and foremost among these men! Would
you stand before the whole race as The cap
,ains of their salvaiions from systems of drs-
potsnl that has crushed them IL the dust 3
Then let the first act Of your administrator
be to abolish an old pagan custom that has
beggared the world and filled it with ,gno-
rance, misery and vice. | mean the whole
war-system, especially the preparations for
war in time of peace. And let your charity
begin at home. Look INTO the ledger Of the
| United States, and see how this warbreed-
ing system has swallowed up the revenue OF
the country since the revolution. From 1871
to 1882, the aggregate Of our expenditures,
with less than three years of actual warfare,
was SSi2, 250, sol; and $500, O02,S44 of
this sum was thrown away in compliance
with tina old heathensh maxim, " In time
of peace prepare for War" all swallowed up
by the army and navy, which, during that
whole period did not save life, or add
an inch to The territory, or cent to the
wealth, or the slightest ioa to the true hon
or, glory and happiness of the Union. -
Just think Of il for a moment-durng PEI
Rod of about II years, all the other ex-
penses of carrying on this Government A.
mounted in the whole to only S31 los, 0H,
while SS05, 002 ,S44 were thrOwn into the
Jotomless galf of war preparations IN
time of peace Take your slate and see
how you could have disposed of this vast
sum of money, wrenchcd from the hands
of poor laboring people in this and other
countries.
The great Eric Canal, extending from
Albany to Buffalo, distance of 1868 miles
cost originally 81, l43,70S. 1t was consid-
cred almost the wonder of the age when il
was opened. The whole country held a
kind OF jubilee at its completion; and cities
and towns grew up as in a single night ,whcrc
"a few years before was nothing bat an un-
cultivated wilderness. Now how many OF
such public works as this might have been
CONSTRUCTED for the sum which the United
States expended upon appropriations in
10 years !
Mr.. Whitney, who peloned Congress FOR
permission to build a railroad from Lake
Michigan to the Pacific ocean, affirmed that
the magnificent work would not cost over
$50, 100000 How many Ofsuch railroads
might our Government have built, had II
devoted TO their construction what II has APP
propriated 10 prospective destruction OF hui
man beinesl
One more problem in connection with this
subicc,. and | have done. From 1896 TO
1913, the Government expanded on the ma
val establishment S45, 900 .54S, nearly nine
millions more than Tor the whole civil list for
40 years. Now. boys, will you not tell
those who call themselves men, how many
merchant ships, of 500 tons, would IL take To
earn this sum al $1,000 year net Prolis Tor
each ships