Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-06-29
Ali5rrllAneuu5.
For The Waterman 4 Journal
OLDEN TIMES.---No. 9.
" SEVENTY YEARS IN THE WIN
OOSKI VALLEY

Mn. Enron. Ia pursuing the subject os
the early history Of Vermont, than which no
State in the Union furnishes incidents of
more deep and thrilling interest, | feel IN du-
iy bound TO coniiue myself principally 10 the
beautiful valley of the Winooski. and to the
men who lived and the events which occur
red there IN the olden tines Prominent
among the men who pitched their tents in
this valley at an early day, was Thomas
Chitenden of Jericho, the first Chief Magls.
,raie of this State. II is to be regretted
that no good likeness Of him is extant. [
once made dilIgent enquiry among his de
scendauts for a likeness of him; but was
sorry to learn that none had ever been Ia
ken. lie was plain sensible, farmer and
educated for bis day, and possessed gem
eral fund OF Information in relation TO Yer
mont and TO the country, and brought into
requIsiiIou, in the "times that tried mems
souls" admirable tact and skill, in the man
agement Of public affairs. On the 9th Of
January, 1883, Congress having not only re-
fused to acknowledge the Independence of
Vermont, and to admit her into the Union ns
State, but ordered her to restore property
she had conhscaIed, belonging TO traitors 10
her cause in her own midst, Governor Chit
tenden forwarded a remonstrance to the
President of Congress, drawn up with
force OF reasoning and merited severity of
rebuke which few, even at the present day,
could equal AM none excel. ] will quote
few passages iiom this remonstrance for the
qualification of your readers, and that the
" men Of this generation may know that
Vermont, in her early struggles, had party
of kno,e-someihing5 and DO something's, reso
lutely bent on liberty and independence, and
such men of nerve as Thomas Chluenden
and Ethan Allen to demand and to secure
I it. The following are extracts from the re-
monstrsnce OF the first Governor Of Yer
mont to the President Of Congress.
So certain as the plighted faith OF Con-
gress, IN their said stipulated agreement
with this State, was originally binding on
them, the obligation still remains the same,
which, Of necessary consequence, invalidates
all other resolutions of Congress respecting
this State, until II is ratified by an admit
lance Of this STATE into the confederation of
the United States on their part. have ar
gued thus far, on Congress- own principles;
and proceed, next, to the second part OF the
argument, predicated on the improperly of
the pretenslons o. Congress 20 control the
internal police Of this State. Congress will
not III is presumed) pretend TO unlimited
power. or TO any other than what has been
delegated 10 them from the United States ;
nor will they pretend, that their articles OF
confederation will warrant them in Interfer
ing with, or controlling, the internal police Of
the United States whence, then, did they
obtain a rightful prerogutiye over the inter
nal police Of tins State, from which they
have never received any delegated power ?
This State, ION revolution princplesl has as
good a right TO independence as Congress,
and has an equal night, Tor rather no rlghi'l
to pass resolutions prescribing measures TO
Congress, as Congress has to prescribe to
thir State, 10 receive their banished, and
make restitution TO them and other criminals,
Of the property, which, by a legal process,
has been taken from them, for their enormi-
ties heretofore committed against the laws
and authority OF this State. Formerly, II
has been argued by Congress, and that just
", @That if Great Britain had a right to
tax the" them American Colonists as they
pleased, without representation, the Colo
nsls could not call any part of their cash
their own, since it might be taxed from them
without their consent" The same argu>
ment will apply against the right of Con-
gress TO control the civil authority of this
State for, If they may, in one instance, do
II,
they suppress the whole. But should they
endeayor to Illustrate the independence OF
this State, which has as good a right TO il as
themselves, il would be manifest departure
from their original design Of liberty. Con-
gress opposed the arbitrary, assumed prero-
gative of the British government to make
laws to bind the them colonists, or to con-
troll their internal police. and have brought
| hon IN. -. IL al. Ia -
this State have sgnalized themselves.
"How inconsistent then, is il in Congress,
TO assume the same arbitrary stretch of pre-
rogatiye over Vermont, for which they wag-
ed war against Great Britain? Is the liber-
= " and natural rights of mankind a mere
4 bubble, and the sport Of state politicians P
What ayais II to America to establish one
arbitrary power on the ruins Of another ?
: Congress set up as patriots for liberty; they
: did well,-but pray extend the liberty, fol
which they are contending, to others. The
inhabitants of the territory OF Vermont have
. lived IN state of independence from thell
first settlement to this day. Their FRS
mode of government and management o
their internal police, was very similar to tina
OF the United States, in their FIRST separa
ton from the British government The,
: we're governed by Committees of Safety
= and Conventions which last was their high
: est judicsture for the security Of their jus
r:ghs against the expressions Of the then
province OF New York, THE principal Off
GERS Of the Green Mountain Boys being theI
judges IN the said Territory and which, OF
the 18th day of January, IN, declare,
Slsts, and have, from their FIRST settlement