Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-02-03
s p % a @ m

At the Liberty State COnoeqtion, holden at Bos-
ton, January u, IS48

f4iy Friends and FtllOlc- CtiSenS,
Ladies and Gentlemen
! Thanking you for the cordial and enthusiastic greet
ing with which you have received me- without the van
Aty to attribute it to any thing personal to myself, but
Rather to the cause with which my humble name has
been identified proceed this evening In answer TO
request, which has been made to me- to offer you some
considerations upon subject which is and should be
of engrossng interest to all in this Commonwealth
And shall come to it my friends without apology and
without preface.
1t has always struck my mind, that when physical
or moral evil is to be encountered and overcome Tue
first inquiry that is to be made is into the effects OF e
evil Go into any of the streets and lanes and by-pa
ces of this metropolis, Into any OF the large clues
and towns of this country, and you will ind IN all
those places the miserable victims OF lntemperance-
physical mental and moral decay IN full operation up
on them, and they are walking about living deaths
but they do not know what is the matter And they
continue daily to pour down draughs of liquid fire, re-
ducng their minds to idocy and their bodies to pure
faction, and yet are constantly nqulrng what Is the
matter They have coughs and colds, levers and
agues, but they sadly at loss to know what is the
cause of them ALL
1t has struck me that the situation Of the United
States at the present moment, is not entirely unlike
that condition which | have pictured Our resources
and our credit are being exhaused-our fair fame
withered--our hopes blasted, and the keenest vision
cannot discover the distant future the day star Of
hope that is to dawn upon our destiny. And yet our
wisest statesmen are looking hther and thither to
know what is the cause of 1t all? We are engaged
IN war-a war that marks the nation as savage and
the age as barbarous, and we do not know how got
there and we do not know who is responsible for it
Says one, go yes. 1t was the march of General
Taylor from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande." No"
says one, it was the Mexican debt. This is the cause
Of it." No." says a third :" it because the Ad
ministration wished to supplan one general and putt
another, and that Is the cause of IT," and so they go
around to these secondary causes to find out what ais
us, when there is not child in the nlon that does
not know it. You cannot 20 into church and hear
sermon without seeing it in the face Of the clergyman.
You cannot 90 anywhere without reading it in the lin
eaments of slavery and every body knows it, and
body dares say 50.
Now, my friends, this evening propose to suggest
my own IDEAS upon this subject and to do it, to say the
least, plainly. And when say thai, my friends, you
know do not design to hutor you. have no latter-
ing tale TO tell. | have nothing at all hlttcring upon
this subject. propose to speak plainly, and do not
know that have any thing new to say. | have ad-
dressed public assemblies in this state and in many
Others and it would be very strange if there any
thing new upon it. While the same great disturbing
element is in operation-the same causes are at work,
how can one, if he speaks freely, have any thing
new?
No, my friends the truths which speak are old and
/
familiar as could have desired them to be. These
truths propose to speak upon and in doing let me
say word or two upon some difficulties which are in
the way Of right dscernment of the truth upon this
subject. And it seems to me that it lies here. We
are unwilling to look upon the truth Individuals
We are unwilling to acknowledge and confess that to
every individual there is an individual responsibility
aud we are constantly endeayorng to :hrow OFF that
responsibility upon some else looking at in eve
ry light except that Of individual duty One of the
most palpable ways OF doing this, is to throw the
sponslbry upon the government
When a man has found out this plan--thc casting Of
the responsibility upon the government-he declares
that the government causes the wrong, and the govern
ment has done this and that. Now, my friends let us
look at this moment, and see what this government
is And now let me ask man that wants to throw
the responsibility upon the government if he ever saw
the government? (Cheers1 DO you know where the
government lives? Tremendous aPplause.) 90 yes
says one; at Washington" have been to Wash.
ngton and | assure you you might search for the COY
eminent there with as little effect as Diogoncs search
ed with candle for an honest man. Great ap
plause)
You will meet some persons there, who have beer
elected representatives and senators who will be very
much shocked the suggestion that they are the GOV
eminent. And true ii Is idle to say so. That Is moi
the my friends. The Government is here, and
never have SEEM and never expect TO see a more liv
ing embodiment Of the government than see here to
Eght before me. Tremendous applause.)
When you wish to look for those who are RESPONSE
Bile for the evils that in the land you will find then
in the people. The government is Just as coed as the
people, just as bad as the people, and worse. 1t is
the consent the will, the action Of the different parties
Of the people that give form and vitality and energy Il
the action Of the government, and without that there il
no government at ALL And it is idle for those persons
who have the power in their own hands to talk of 9th
ers than themselves the government, Such Ian
guago is, to say the least OF it, ridiculous and alb
surd.
No, my friends, the responsibility lies with the poo
pie, and the government do just exactly what the PEG
pie want them to do. Have our government sent thei
armies to Mexico? Have they bombarded her cities
and when the deenceless women and children, de
sparing Of help from any earthly arm, are beseechn
for succOr there and we have soWn our bullets there
} painting their houses with the blood of women ant
: children why my friends, who have donel? You
agents have done it, and they have done it because thu
popular taste would not be satisfied with anything
short of it. And Just soon the public sentimen
gets much advanced that the government thinks tina
will not be sustained in its atrocious conduct, the
and not till then, will these exhibitions cease
| think heard solitary voice since came into TN
hail. say that this responsibility belonged to Mr. PolE
, WelS my friends, have heard the same said else
where. have heard within the last two months gray
and hQnored persons in the American Senate, speak
SO voting as to throw all the responsibility upon tn
President 1t is the very thin he wants. by the way
Throw the responsibility upon the President? 1t
impossible. 1t is every duty that is called upo
to perform that he is responsible for and the respons
bility must rest on individuals. And here is one
the great difficulties that lie in the way of the pcrceG
ton of truth and the right performance of duty grow
ing out of it, that the responsibility of individuals
shifted to the responsibility of party majortles
!, We remember that we are Wings. WeemembC
S that are Democrats. But we forget that AZ
. something higher and nobler than either Wings
Democrats that immortal beings, with respoI
= sibIlity that we cannot put Of. We forget that "
are the common children of our Almighty parent, VII
makes men and women, but does not make Wings an
. Democrats. (Cheors
If then my friends the responsibility belongs to tn
people, the people have duty to perform, and until
come to the perception of that truth it is idle to talk
the responsibility of the government because right az
l. ton must begin where responsibility belongs and til
o government will be nothing more nor less than an il
deX of the popular WILL and it is perfectly idle for hos
that make and those that constitute popular sentime
Il to quarrel with index that they themselves have
II up.
If The remedy then is with the people, and here
must begin and here it will end Because when tt