Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-01-24

art as bIgh as human genus can reach anC
social refinement working for the renovation n
the world. How could our successors nrosacnt,
those noble objects in tie midst Of lrutaliziro
civil conflict? What gtarauti,s with carita
invested for such purf roses have we that wilout.
weigh the premium Offered BY political and mil
tary ambition ? What leisure win the citizen
find for study, or invention, or art, under the
reign Of CONSUMPTION Nay, what interest in
them will society feel when fear and hate shall
have taken possession Of the nauonallnnd?
Let the miner in California take heed far
it's golden wealth will become the prize of the
nation that can command the most iron. Let
the borderer take care for the Indian will
again Turk around his dwelling Let the pio.
neer come back into oul dcnser settlements for
the railroad, the post road and the TELEGRAPH nd
vance not one furlong into the wilderness -.
With standing armies consuming the substance
Of our people on the land and our navy and
our postal steamers withdraw from the ocean
who will protect or respect, or who will even
know by name our petty confederacies The
American man.ol-war is a noble spectacle. /
have seen it enter on ancient port in the Me1i
terranean. All the world wondered at It and
talked of it, Salvos Of artillery, from forts and
shipping in the harbor, saluted its flag Primers
and princesses and merchants paid it homage,
and all the people blessed it as i harbinoor ol
hope for their own ultimate freedom. imagine
now the same noble vessel again enterino the
same haven. The flag Of thirty three stars and
thirteen stripes has been hauled down. and in
its place a sigma is run up, which aaunts the
device Of lone star or IA palmetto tree. Man
ask Who is the stranger that thus steals into
our waters y The answer contemptuouslv
given is. :" She comes from enc Of the obscura
republics Of North America. Lethor pass on. "
LASTLY public liberty, our own peculiar Iih-
erty, must languish for time and tha,, cas-.
to live. And such a liberty free movement
everywhere through our own land and THROUGH
Out the world free speech. free press free sIf.
frage the freedom of every subject to vote on
every law. and Tor or against every agent who
cxpounds, administers, or executes Constables
and jealous conledcracies, constantly aprrehcnd-
ing assaults without and treason within. form
liable only TO each Other and c0ntempthle H. al
beside how long will it be before. on the pea
oil public safety, they viii surrender all this in
estimable and unequacd liberty. and accent the
hateful and intolerable espionage Of military
despotism
Aud now, Mr.. President, wha, is the cause
for this sudden and eterna sacrifice Of So much
safety. greatness. happiness and freedom -
Have foreign nations combined, and are thew
coming in rage upon u. 30. So far from
being enemies, there is not nation on cavfh
that is not an interested, admring friend Even
the London Times, by no means partial to US
saws
i qalto possible that lf- problem of demo. a.ic
republic may be solved ny is overthrow 10 Few DAYS n
-p q ~ folly sela-hness, and short i-hcducssn
Has the Federal government become tyrarni
cal or oppressive, or even rigorous or unsound ?
las The Constitution LOST It's spirit. and all At
once collapsed into a l.elcss lettcrl 10: the
Federal Government smiles more honignantlv
and works to day more benef, iently than ever.
The Constitution is even the chosen model for
the organization Of the newly rising coafcdern-
cics.
Tie occasion is the election Of President of
the United States, who is unacceptable to a
portion of the people state the case accur-
ately. There was no movement of disunion
before the ballots which expressed that choice
were cast. Dsuhion began as soon as the result
ed was that Abraham Lincoln had been elected
while the success of either one of the three other
candidates would have been aequiesced in Was
the election Illegal No; ii is unmpcachabe.
is the candidate personally offensive No, he
Is man Of unbltmishel virtue and amAble
manners Is an election OF President an unlre
quent or extraordinary transaction No, we
never had Chief Magistrate otherwise desis-
mated than by such election, and that form of
choice is renewed every four years
Does any one even propose to change the
mode of appointing Tie Chief Magistrate No ;
election by universal suffrage. as modified by
the Constitution, is the one browning franchise
Of the American people. To save il they would
defy the world Is il apprehended at the
new Presldcnt will u,urp despotic powers No.
while he is Of all m.n the most unam tious,
he is, by the partial success Of those who oppo-
sed his election, subjected to such restraints
that he cannot, without their cons Mt. appoint
minister or even a police agent, negotiate a
treaty, or procure the passage of law and can
hardly draw musket from the public arscnas
to defend his own person.
What, then, is the ground Of discomfort -
1t is that the disuuionists did not ACCEPT as
conclusive the arguments which were urged in
behalf of the successful candidate in thecanyass.
This is all Were their own a, suments against
him more satisfactory to his supporters, OF
course they were not; they could not be. Does
the Constitution, in letter or spirit require or
imply that the arguments Of one party shall be
satisfactory TO the other No; that is impossi.
bic. What is the constitutional remedy for
this inevitable dissatisfaction. Renewed debate
aud ultimate rehearsng in subsequent election
Have the now successful majority perverted
power to purposes of oppression No; they
have never before held power.
Alas how prone We are to underyalue
privileges and blessings. How gladly. boz,
proudly, would the people of any nation in
Europe accept On such terms as we cniov il,
the boon of eectiug a Chief Magistrate every
four years by free, equal and universal sufTnge e.
How thankfully would they cast aside "a their
own systems Of government. and accent this
Republic OF ours, with all lis shortcomings aud
It's dlsappoinmcn's maintain il with their
arms, aud cherish Il in their hearts I,n not
the very boon for which they supplic.le G d
MI Ia. a