The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-03-05
V o l.. VII. n q 81.

"hV'e oe n"'eu 1S NHe DhIolhger and The
: promise Of pence.
1t is the desire and The policy of The
people of this Government TO malnrnin
: peace with all nations. They do no, de>
; sire war. They do not believe there ia
any occasion for wal; and, above all, thew
dcpreca'e that fully land foolhardness
which would incuIcale spirit of war in
the public mind; which would "prepare
the hears of the people for war" The
sentiment is more worthy of past and
tarbarous age, than Of this enlightened re.
public. Will not stop 10 eXpatiate upon
The evils and The horrors Of war, however
inviting theme for defamation, nor 10
speak of its influences upon national char
acter and the public morals. |, is enough
TO say that the spirit of war is, in its very
nature, hostile TO the spiri, of Republican
Liberty. II is spirit which bu, TOO often
( dcgenerates into an unbridIed luat for blood
and rapne, and plunder. We have read
in vain the history Of other nations, if we
have not learned that i: was kindred
spirit which bloued out of being The re-
| publlcs of Golden time which have s!ert
in the tomb Of night these two thousand
years, and "Ihe morning Ct whose rtsur-
| tecIion has not yet dawned uCon the
I worId;' that ii was kindred spirit which
filled with rapine and blood the modern
republics OF Venice and Florence. The
teachings of history have been in vain TO
US, il we have not learned lha, il was a
kindred spirit which infuriated 10 its black
est deeds Of otrocity the Jacooin factions,
and the sanscuotes democracy OF revc-
u!ionary France, and which built up, up.
on the fail of liberty there, tina. imperial
and military despoism, before whose COL
osa power the world itself stood ,oehasl;
that it was kindred spirit which lore 10
sunder the later republics Of South Amer.
lea, and struck down 10 the dust The flag
of liberty which had been reored from The
summit Of her Andes Let this spirit be.
come he predominant spirit OF our coun-
trymen, and it needs not the ken of pro.
phetic vision 10 adm cnish usthut.ths young
republic has a.read y Reached the years of
its decline. Let this spirit prevail here,
aud | sand uIon the authority OF The
worlds history, aud proclaim 10 The A
mercan people that 'heir destiny ifs fore
Swallowed il the fate OF those other repub-
lies that have fallen before us.
The spirit of war, thanks to God, has
slumbered upon the earth for he last quar-
ter of century. G,uued with the srois,
and exhausted by the raVages Of Ihous-
and years, i; haled in its march OF death,
and reposed from its work OF desolaion,
on that dread light when the sun went
down 10 blood on tie field of Waerloo.-
Heaven grant that the slunbering gian,
be undislurbed in his repose for other nges
10 come. The world has had time to take
breath, The spirit OF Peace-a peerless,
and godIike form rose erect, and with
steady and triumphant step advancing over
The earth, has dispensed, with an aLuuI.
ant hand, blessings and honor, and glory
and happiness. 10 the nations. In what
age OF century of NE world have the pin
cipes Of civil and religious liberty, The ars
and sciences, civilization and christianity;
AID all !ha! elevales, and all that odorts S,
and all that ennobes AMI digni6es the
character aud condition OF man, made such
advances as within he last thirty yrars2
which may be truly denominaiet the age
Of peace. |! has been an age of progress.
1t has been an age of glorious achieve
ment; Of intellectual and moral triumph.
such as the world has never before seen.
ST. I cannot longer deeIl upon this
theme. II is, indeed, ri,h ard exhaust
Icas and sublime theme, wouhy Of the
contemplation, not Of the poet aud The OF,
ntoT only. but OF the civilian oAd states.
man, OF the phianlhropis, and patriot.
Mr.. Chairman, know lha. war is somc-
times necessary sometimes unavoidable.
1t furnishes tn, meal CHI, " evidence of
the depravity Of man, that war is ever JUS
tfiublt. The fearful alterna i've OF war
may te forced uron Us, either by ill,ad>
ySed coupseIs al home, or by aggression
aud wrong from abroad 1.-THE LONG PEACE
We have enjoyed is to be Interrupted, we
shall DO well 10 see 10 1t that there be no
occasion for laying the provccaon 10 our
charge. Far better that aggression aid
provocation come from tie other side
Let US, II possible, in the judgment Of the
world be in the nigh, aud our adversary
in the wrong. lu su, h contest The vic-
tory will be half won in the outset.
would yield much to the spirit OF peace aud
buI itIl dtIu ~ VIC oN WIN ilibol w NV ",
It. it be in o just aud necessary war; lei it
BE- in defence o! The invaded rights ard
horror Of the country. Aud Nhtn that
crisis comes, if come il mus it will te net
by the American people with enc voice
and with one heart. 1t war TO brought
upon US by the rash and rec kcss couusels
Of those " HON the people have placed in
The highest seas Of power. " hile hey viii
BE- held 10 fearful account before The su>
preme appellate tribunal cf public senli~
meni, our lalismanic walchword will sill