Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-09-18

when good men are sent to jail for rclusin
to do wrong, il there be any public con
science, there will soon be a change. Jane
!. sent the bishops TO the tower. but to pn
them in the tower was not to put them il
the wrong, and after l:ttle while, til
people Of England drove James |. acros
the sea-
Nor need you fear that men will plea
their conscience falsely to avoid obedienc
to the law because the penalty is alwhy
proportiOncd and always exactcd Ana !
man says, TO escape payment oi tax, tina
his moral sense will not allow him TO plY
his tax will be doubled or trebleI in the
shape Of penalty.
The whole Of patriotism for US seems t
consist at the present moment in the main
tenance Of this public tone. No noise %
-goriieati1n, no c)mplacent congrltu-
lation that we are the greatest, wisest ant
best Of nations. will help our greatness oi
our goodness in the smallest degree. li's'o
ry and mankind do not take men or nations
at their own valuation, and man no Ion
ger secures instant respect and SYM pathy 10y
announcing himself an American. We
raised twelve hundred millions of pounds
of cotton last year Did we, indeed And
also, we allowed our brothers and trIeniS
and fellow citizens to be cruelty murderer
for doing precisely the some thing that we
this yeir build statues on Bunker lhll %
mon for doing eighty years ago. Are we
satisfied that America should have no otHcF
rrus' r,r iui pend MT nltion1l cx,.t'n'r
t.tu q ul'liIr facility for mon y-b'Nl"t '
Should it nave no national qualification 90
the intellect and the heart Does the pr -
duction of twelve hundred million pounds
of cotton fulfill the destiny Of this Cont
nent in the order of Providence n.y.,
though our population were to dolble II
year, and the roar and rush of ou: vast ma
chinery were to silence the muse OF the
spheres and our wealth W re enough to
buy all the world, our population could not
bully history. nor all our riches BRIDE the
eternal Justice not to write ppon us, as
with fiery finger the Autumn IS beginning
even now to write upon the woods and mel ls,
d" lchabod lchabod thy glory is depart
ed :"
There is occasion enough br reminding
you of the solemn necessity If this pubic
morality, because it is upor the class You
represent-upOn the cducl'ed and intedi-
gent men in the country, mat its Just de-
velopement depends. Tie theory OF our
government is, that the masses govern n.-
strictly speaking, this 's never true, except
in those rare instances when masses ot reu
act unde. the inspiration OF moral senu-
ment. In this county the masses vote;
bat few men govern. There Is power be-
hind the throne, SO behind the convention
there Is - caucus: in the caucus there Is
clique, and the clique is controlled by per-
sDual Influence Masses of men are the
hundred hands CT Brilreus-but the hands
are only hundred servants Of one braln.-
As the elemental forces which would c,eayc
the earth, are hut the supple servants OF
science, 50 human action which makes his
tory is the willing minister Of genius or IN
tellectual power. Here is our popular r'-
public tossing through time in consoles
agitation. smtin. a Barrier, now here, now
there, with an overwhelming force as the sen
crushcs obstacles with a towering ninth
wave, but, whether working good or i'll,
that tossing myriad of men never loses Tor
H moment its instructive loyalty to intel
lectual superiority Even 50 the ocean,
numbering with wrath on conunenthl
shores, or rising with soft HOOD up lnirt,
creek ami bay, Its ooIy hnSers t"uchltS All
the banks with irWtiulness ana bio'ih'
whether wrlnkllng the globe with bllioWS or
-heetlng 1t with SILVER calm IS not la"Ias'
IN Its coycst motion, but yields forever To-
the superb and irresistible persuasion %!
'He moon -.
Have we no interest that the cohtroIllhs
force in tins country snail be a moral lortv
that II snail cohsplre with Tue great lH'H
OF Liberty, ana not degrade or uestroy II
The theory OF our institution Is our prI'''
But 1t Is II pltllul truth that our Iu''''
lite has become synonymous with Kha'ery
1t a politician Is introduced you lee' o.
your pockets. 1t Is shameful that II Is uni
versa ly conceded that the best OF men, men
OF intelligence and probity, generally aVola
politics, and that the word Itself has come
to mean something not to be toucnea VIII
out dchement. Consequently what g'oi
men will not touch, bad men VIII. IL Is
understood that bribery carries the elec-
tion and the Presidency Is the hurolt pro
cess Of financial engineering. / have my
self been shown a handful OF bank notes
publicly displayed IN the ante-room oi "A
Legislature, and sagaciously toId, 'ihl' Is
the logic for legislators. Men thlnK tAey
cannot go to Congress, ana pay othe: men
to do their duties to the State-iorgetting
that we can have nothing without paying
for it, and that if we hope to ENJOY the best
government in the world we must pay time
and labor, each one OF us, ana not suppose
that the country will govern ITSELF nor bad
men govern it well.
Remember that the greatness OF our
country is not in its achievement but IN
its promise-a promise which cannot be
fulfilled without that sovereign moral sense
without a sensitive national conscience
If it were question of the mere daily
pleasure of living, the qualification OF taste
opportunity OF cccess to the great lnteliec-
tual ana estnet'c results oil @ @hun'an ,''u'
ana Whatever cihoel'lsues nulna' -'.u' ~,
man eoulu nesi'a'e lor iho:l'". .Loss
the lnIihess Oh IoreiSh lahus III me-
spects' ana .'ie conspicuous PVre'tS VI ,i "u'
own; W nat nave we done W. nave @ sun
dued ana settled a va't uonA'n' WI VIZ NAVY n'
made every ihl@ha river TURN a in'"' %,', a."
wherever on the ann rim Tl I"o Hm
there Is harp'r: we nave ilsu'','
an american SAL We NV Az,
Atlantic 10 the Mississippi 30 ''H' We W II
from the sea 10 the pralrieS ulou
oi Napor' ana we are stretcn'"S o'o '"'
across 'he continent 10 luinu t"u "oi0
Columbus IN shorter way 10 N''u'y, "'
with the other we are SrasphH u"ue' ''
/ sea 10 GASP tnere tne manu- Oh lIlc 'lu '''