The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-03-16
State Peace Convention at Pittsford.

Vcrsal interest.
State Peace Convention at Pittsford.
At meeting preparatory to the State
Convention of the Friends OF Peace held
at Pittsford on Monday, Jan. oath, Rev.
DIR. Walker in the chair, the following
gentlemen were appointed a committee
to call said Convention, viz Rev. DR..
Merrill, M%iddlebury Carlos Coolidge,
Windsor Professor Carr, Castleton
Rev. Alvah Sabin, Georgia Lawrence
Brainerd, St. Adams j. p. Fairbanks,
st. Johnsbury w. G. Kittredge, Fair.
haven. Mr.. Thomas III. Palmer was then
appointed Corresponding Secretary, and
requested to inform the members of the
committee of their appointment, and ask
leave to append their names to the call,
and also to invite influential gentlemen
from abroad 10 attend the Convention.
or to favor it with a brief statement of
their views on the important matters to
be discussed. All the above-named gen.
tlemcn responded favorably- two of
them however too late to be inserted in
the call.
Proceedings of the Convention.
PlrTsFoRD, Feb. %, 1858.
MoRNING. The Convention was called
to order by DR.. Merrill. S. W. Board.
man was appointed chairman pro tenn.
Prayer was offered by DR.. Merrill.
Messrs. S. Penfeld, T. A. Hitchcock,
S. II. Kellogg, being appointed a com
mittee to nominate officers, reported the
following gentlemen. who were unani-
mously appointed, viz:
Prcsidcnt-Rev. DR.. Merrill.
Vice Presidents--Rcv. A c. Hand
and Rev. ID. Ii. Loveland.
Sccrctary-Rev. D. w. Dayton.
Corresponding Sccretary- Thomas
III. Palmer.
Mr.. Thomas ii. Palmer, and the Rev.
Drs. Merrill and Bcckwith were then
appointed a committee to report business
for the Convention. During their alb
sence, remarks were made by Messrs
Sampson and Hand.
The business committee reported tue
following resolutions, which, after consid-
cradle separate discussion, were each u
unanimously adopted
Resolved, That we contemplate with
gratitude to Him from whom cometh ev-
cry good gift, ,he successful effort to pro-
mote the cause of peace, by introducing
the principle of Stipulated Arbitration
into national treaties and that we have
great satisfaction in recording the fact,
that our Vermont Legislature have sane
toned the sentiment, having unanimous
IN passed a resolution. with a very appro-
pirate preamble which closed with the
following woids Now, a substitute for
war. so simple, SO feasible, and so likely
to prove effective to a greater or less ex-
tent. seems to your Committee worthy
of a fair and full experiment 1t is in
accordance, not only with the obvious
dictates of common sense aud sound pol
icy, but with the established principles
of international law. 1t has often been
adopted, in substance. by our own Gov
eminent from its origin, but more espcc-
tally within the last third of a century.
1t has also gradually been working it.
self, during the same period, into the
practice of nearly all civilized nations ;
and thus the way is. in some measure,
prepared for its formal adoption as a part
of their common and settled policy
Some nation, however, must take the lead
in introducing it and since it is so pc
culiarly accordant with the genius of our
own government and with the general
course of its policy from the first, so con-
genial with the habits Of on people, and
so likely to subserve their highest per-
manent welfare, more especially the fast
accumulating interests of peaceful indus
try, enterprise and skill, we think we
shall only give utterance to the very gen.
eral, if not universal sentiment of the
people of Vermont, by recommending,
as we do, the adoption of the following
resolution, viz;
"Resolved by the Senate and House OF
Representatives, That our Senators in
Congress be instructed, and our Repre-
sentatives be requested, to use their in
fuencc III such ways as they may deem
most e~ffectual, to secure, wherever prac
ticable, a provision in the treaties Of
our Government with other nations, for
referring to the decision of uMPREs all
misunderstanding that cannot be salts
factorily adjusted by amicable negotia-
ton"
Resolved, That we are encouraged in
the hope that the good sense of Chris
tian nations will soon accord in the prin-
ciple of STIPULATED ARBITRATION, from
the circumstance, hat the Premier Of
the one most powerful. at least on the
ocean, has published the sentiment
" If the United States should see fit to
propose such a measure as stipulated ar
bitration, the British Government would
take il into their most serious consider.
alton"
Adjourned to meet at | l-2 o'clock
AFTERNOON SESSION. The Conveu-
ton was called to order by A. G. Hand.
Mr.. Palmer then read letters from scve.
raj distinguished gentlemen, expressive
Of their views on the Peace question.
A committee was appointed to select a
few of them for publication. Some of
these letters may be published in a flu
ture number.
The committe on business presented
a report, which was read, and after some
| discusaion WAS racommittcd m tho same