Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-01-13
UceItln free })rcss.
BURLINGTON, FRIDAY, JAN. 13, 1854.
President Pierce and the Principles of 1908

our general fNNlcW OF inc IrCSlucnt 4 Mes
sag, we have somc to offer on few parti-
cular passages IN it.
TO help him in sustaining /" the immense
responsibility which rests upon him in the
conduct of the public BUSINESS he says he
relies upon two things. The first is " the
wisdom and patriotism Of the two Houses of
Congress- Whether that is to be looked
upon az mere complimentary phrase, or as
the expression Of sincere and earnest feel
ing of CONFIDENCE in their judgements made
known in the regular manner by the acts
which they shall send up for his approval, is
ofno consequence. 1t is plainly only an in
PRODUCTION to what follows,-that is, his
% sccond' reliance.
This second reliance rs 81 in the directions
afforded me by the principles of public polity,
affirmed by our fathers Of the epoch of 1903.
sanctioned by long experience, and consc-
Grated anew by the overwhelming voice Of
the people of the United States That has
II very oracular sound aud We doubt net that
many an admirer of it's author has taken it
for granted, when he read it or heard it read
in good full voice, That nothing could be
more satisfactory to show just what the Pre-
sdcnt might be relied upon for that y more
exalted democratic sentiment could not be
uttered by any one.
But let us loo'< Il little. Our fathers
has quite Il 4th of July sound. 1t carries us
back at once to l77G. We begin to think
over Bunker Hill, and Saratoga and York
town. John lIancock's Iourshing signature
to the Declaration of Independence, and tie
. long list Of revolutionary worthless names
which follow his on that immortal document
come INTO view in the picture before
our mind. Bat there is qualification
= our fathers OF the epoch of l79S." Who
We're they! 1t was in John Adams Prcsi-
dcncy, when the French Revolution was in
full blast, and Il war with France was SO
feared that Congress called General Wash
ington from his home to organize an army to
repal an invasion, if the French Directory
should send troops to make one. What with
the United States goycrnment then only ten
or eleven years old, and the several State
governments, there were good many father,
on the stage Of political action, and as it was
Il very - exciting time. and greater diver
!! sity Of opinions was prevalent about domestic
and foreign affairs than was over known be-
fore in this country, it is difficult to pick out
what particular " fathers were intended
r as no one is named, and Of course no type o
, Il class is held up to our notice.
Was Washington one of them was Jef1cr
} son,--was Hamilton, WAS Adams IVA,
Madison,-was Monroe, --wls Marshall -
was Patrick Henry In short, who Of all til,
men who in 1898 were on the stage, and had
any thing to slyabout principles. are on rho
list of d" fathers which President Pierce s
vcneratcs Can any body tell Nhatprin
ciplos does he mean that have bren " sane
: toned by long cxpcriencc,' what principles
have been L" consccratcd nnc;r by the over
whelming voice of the pcoIl, of the UnitcC
! States" Can any body tell that Docs
that high sounding sentence mean anything
or is tia mere Jingle of words to please the ear
That some more important effect than TINT
was intended by them is plain from what fol
= c,Ilo,., T,o ..a,,, 80, . l. T.
49,, -....,,., ..,,.e, ..:.., 49,, &c
p .;.hyoia a',,o;".'r. :, r,.,,.
, did President Pierce study metaphysics o.
learn thc mconinr Of tbc words which he I'm
= used u From that heoinninc and from who
t. follows directly after, one might SUPPOSE h
I was t,lk;pc IF tho formation ,r n.a r.;4,,
l c+o+os Cone,;.,,;.. n,'
I-e- ,..,:, .
f. ''"o Wv '''"'c ,,'''' - -
to clear ont tho tbou.,ht. v,;cb r,,h,rl,
yoro ,;mod ot and 70 ov,r,.. t,,o;r .nhs+ono
in a few word. INIT WE cannot do It pbros,
which son,o to ho lo,l;nc 70 . distinct +hou,.bt
ava stran,o,,. c,,l,wnJ H., ,,,,r. 81 ont;p,I
- dir,rou+ ,,,r,I,.t NV 9, th,,r,r,,h,,. o,s,.,,.,
5 NV ouolif,in', cI,usns winch hnyo po I;nito
d MEANING whatever. that thc mara ono stud;o
tho sorto,,o. film c,r+,or ,e L,,s Lo e,d ,,;,,,
" self rrom - cloor upIcrSt,,,Iin, Of +hon
-