Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-02-27

years the occupier had said he must have a
bigger and better mill, and the original
donor had made him handsome present
towards the expense Of rebuilding, would it
not be very unjust and ungratciul to quit
the ground when fire had injured the
factory. Montpelier did not burn the State
House, ought she to be punished for the
act Of God
As to the talk about Rutland, Mr. D. said
that every body knew that amounted to
nothing. Rutland was out Of the question
entirely The State House was to remain
at Montpelier or 60 to Burlington. Bur
lington was handsome place-as were |
a great many other places in Nermont-and |
it had fine view Of water; but there was
water enough at Montpelier for man to
drink, or to drown himself in if he became |
mclaucholic. and what more was wanted -
The legislature did not meet to see sights and |
attendparties but to do business. Burlington
was hjectiona BE- f'1m being on the
side of the State and exposed to the enemy in
case Of war. Moreover the public sympathy
OF people was its life blood; that sympathy
clustered around the capital as the heart Of
the body polite, which should be in the
centre Of the State has the heart is in the
centre Of the body. Montpelier was the
centre, and there the State House ought to
remain. In conclusion he would remind the
committee of the old fable Of the fox and the
flies. II any complained that Montpelier
hctel-keepers drew their blood too freely,
was it not better to be easy under the treat
ment Of those whose stomachs were well
filed, than to try fresh and hungry set
/ lie commended to them the example Of the
| fox.
Mr. Edmunds said Rutland had ftlychosen
to present her one Of her case most talent
ed sons--a gentleman who was able from
his personal knowledge to relate the history
of public sentiment on the subject of the
location and construction OF the State House,
and to show how carly the dissatisfaction
with the present location showed itself, and
how it had gone on increasing to .he present
time. Montpelier had been happy in her
selection also, for she had passed by her
own many talented sons and had taken for
her advocated man of distinguished even
of national reputation, for his ability to
keep the true points Of an issue out of sight
and to coluse the eye with false ones
But even he had admitted the entire legal
right of the General Assembly to remove
the seat of government, and had only argued
against the instice and propriety Of 50 doing
in this case, by deceptive representations.
lie talked of the immense loss to the State
if the Capitol should be removed, and sum
med it up by putting together the value Of
land which costs them nothing andwhich they
could not sell, because if not used for the
State houseit would revert to private owners)
- the value of land which they couH sell
overlooking however the money which they
could get for it-anl the value Of the mate
rails left Of the building, overlooking what
they would he worth to the State, either tc
use elsewhere or to sell to other parties
What was destroyed hy fire IVES lost anc
nothing more: and that, Substantially
.
was erected on the old site or in another lora
tons. As to repairing the old building in tn
walls now stauiing, no man who had looked
carefully at them supposed it would be
ever done AMI the smallncss and inconvcn
fence of the old huilding was well known
The argument that the removal would IN
ilict injustice On those who had given some
thing for its erection in l>Oj and ls32, wa
Of a piece with the case which lie had sup
posed to illustrate it. How absurd to say
that because, to induce man t. build
factory where it would benefit unD.hcr. that
other had given lot Of ground to place i
on, to revert if the factory should be re
moved. and again rather than have him re
move had made him q small present o
IN ncy to rebuild it, when the f.ctory wa
burnt down and the owners money ami tia
which had been gwen to it, w.rc both gun,
to the winds therefore he lad NJ right t,
change his location Grever ': on that grounc
it behooved all men to take care how the,
received charity, for there was no breaking
the bond which it created.
As to the inconvenienccs and unfltncs.
of the present location they were notoriou.
in the State and out of it. If the STATE
House had not been here, no man, who wa,
not fit for place in the insane asylum
would believe that its location in Moutpc
lier could be thought Of
As to the terrors VIII ich serv i to fill til,
soul OF the Hon gentleman at the thought
OF the British balls, if he should have to at,
tend the sessions at Burlington, they might
be real with linn, but with most Of the son :.
OF these Green Mountain boys WHO smsled
gun powder in the revolution and on Lake
Champlain in the war of 1872. they would
he thought too ridiculous to speak Of
The gcntleman's fable ofthe fox andli1s had
a nearer application than he thought Of In
his plea for keeping the State House in
Montpelier because the innkecpcrs would be
the losers by its removal he said that those
who mad got rich according to him, by ear.
ming enough in six weeks to keep them the
remaining forty-six and leave a heavy sur
Ilus) had gone, and new parties had taken
their places, who by removal of the State
House would have to bear loss of all they
could gain by its stay. 50 then it seemed
fresh flies were already at work in place OF
the Sorged ones, and IN the gentleman's plea
that the State House must stay here forever
it seemed that there was to be perpetual
succession Of lloodsuckJrs here. Now if
the people are to be bitten any way, tie
question Tor them to determine was,whcthcr
they would prefer to bo bitten by MontIe-
licr or Burlington flies,
Mr. ,Elmunds proceeded briefly 10 show how