The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-12-13
orrcspom6rncr of Chr Californian.

G Correspondence of Chr Californian.
KALAMAZOO. Mich, Nov. 80, 1856.
If could minister to your readers tythe
of the pleasure which the weekly visit of the
Caledonian afford me, your Michigan cor
respondent, be assured, would often stake
pen IN hdnd."
Michigan, which few years ago was the
ID" far west" is now almost within sight Of the
Green Mountains, (white suppose they are
now) of on! own dear old Vermont. This
State contains, at the present time, l sup
pose. between six and seven hundred thou
sand inhabitants, of whom, or Of whose
parents, the great majority were from the
New England States and from New York
In this respect Michigan is quite unlike any
o;her State west of Lake Erie,-in institu-
tons, in social habits, in taste. in "e>prh dc
corpse '-Michi.an is "a la New England.
Our Common SchOo! System is, we think, an
Improvement even upon our models, VIZ,
those of Vermont and Massachusetts, We
have fund for this purpose, when it shall
all have become available, of some five mil
lions of dollars. Our State University, has
the princelv endowment of near halt mil
lion, with one of tn" finest ObservatoricS in
the Crion. We have one Theoogical Som
mary. three Colleges. and two largely devcl-
oped germs. which will soon take rank with
our Colleges.
These Colleges are ,.cnominatonal in their
character, and though they are but partially
endowed, and have been blired to struggle
through some of the hard passages incident
to the early history Of all our higher Institu-
tons. yet they possess a vitality, and a hold
on the hearts, and in the confidence of the
people, which are an earnest of their uiti-
mate success. But more Of this, perhaps,
hereafter
You have heard of the result of the Eiec-
ton in our Statr.-a result Of winch we are
Justly proud. We ho'd it as an evidence that
We have the pure New ENGLAND Pilgrim <eej
among Us that we are " bone OF YOUR bone
and flesh Of Your flesh = that our hearts
throb As strong and fresh for freedom, hu-
manity AMI li.ht. As do tao>e of our brethren
and fathers. who still abide in the early hon.c
and haunts of the genius ot Liberty.
Democracy 0al>cly so callrdD has been
tor some years past, in our state. growing
small 10y degrees and beautifully less.
In 1913, t,torc the Democratic party had
abjurcd all regard for freedom, while as
vet II there WIS no r,o.>ci.1ce remaining,
there was at least saluiary sense of shame
our LEGISLATURE " Instructed its senators ans!
requested our congress men, to vote Tor the
Wimot provi>o.
But before the adjournment Of Congress a
change had come over the spirit OF politics -
Gen. Cas-. and that Nicholson letter of his,
the hopes and Authorizations Of his friends,
that he would be chosen President, were all
brought to bear upon the machinery which
the party are such adopts at working. and
another policy had been inau.uratcd here,
before the vote on the WIlm0t proviSo was
cast in Congress, and our good Senators and
Representatives with judIcious forecast to
the i,'oLuiIe future, deemed it most prudcn,
to dls2bry their instructions, and therefore
voted againSf the Wi!mot provi>o, with one
honorable exception-the Hon. Kingsley $
Bingham; who for voting in compliance with
the instructions of Democratic LEGISLATURE
was thrown overheard by :he Democratic
party Consistency, Mou arta jewd :"
For this very magnanimous treatment
Mr.. Bingham took issue with the party before
the people. And the people gave their yer
diet by placing him in their gubrrna,orla
chair
This they did two years ago, by hand.
some majority, and Lave ust now reailirmed
the decision which they then made, by the
overwhelming majority of some 10000 votes
And more than thls,-tOr the last four veal
We have been most grossly represented
in the Senate of the nitcd States,-the
blush OF shame has mantled many an honest
cheek, as We have seen the completely of our
Senators in measures which We believed and
which are fast provlnS themselves to be, sub
versivc OF humane Liberty Our distln.
gulshed Senator, Gen. Ca>s, who, if he be
not the rty4t crm OF the democratic party, is
at least, to change the figure, a main spoke
in the wheel, has served our State, will
not say hor, but quite as long as the people
think he should. Ills term OF office expires
nest March, and in his successor, whoever
he may be, Michigan will have roice and a
tote in the United States Senate
Senator Bright, OF Indiana, in speech
which he made here few weeks before e.
lection, in anticipation OF what Michigan
might 60, declared that if the people of Mich
l.an should be 20 blinded to the high interests
OF tie country, as to deprive the national
council of the eminent abilities and long ex-
perience of Gen. Cass, he (Brisht) would
resign his place, and ask the Legislature Of
Indiana to elect Cass in his place. We are
waiting with some interest to see the fulfill
ment Of this masnanimous proposition.
There was something in this pledge Of po-
Itical sympathy and affection when it was Civ
en-, considered IN connection with the broad