The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-11-11
GREEN MOUNrAIN FRIEDMAN NOV II, 1861
The L Financial Agent Economy.

The '>Financial Agent Economy.
SIR In reply to criticism on what L have
said, will now say that one wrong or iawless
net is neither an excuse nor palliation for an
other and the weakest of Gil reasons, If it can
be called reason, for doing an act, is that
somebody Las done similar act before Con-
sderatc and upright men, whose province it
may be to pass their Judgment on the act, will
inquire if tic act be r'gh in Itself, and If it be
in contravention of law, they will aajudgc it to
be wrong and unwarra nted, without respect 80
the number of times, CT the persons by whom
ouch wrongs may have been perpetrated before
Ii the fact that thing has been done by one
man will justify or excuse another for doing the
same thing, no treason is SO foul, no olfense
known to the law is 80 rank, that it may nos
have excuse or justification. The fact that
power is usurped, or law is violated, " i" this
time Of ,cars' does not afford shadow OF pal
liaton instead thereof it makes the wrong yet
more oppressive. The great object Of this wsr
is to prevent and punish lawless assumptions OF
power, and to maintain the laws supremacy
Shall they whose aim is such, first put = beam
in their own eye, and then propose to remove a
mote from their brothers. eye? " In this time
of war, :" for such an object, shall he whose bust
ness it is to see that the law is executed, over
ride it, or shall they whose province it is to
make law wink at, or tscitly acGuiesce in VI
oation of it? They are peculiarly the men who
are to "give to the body OF the times their form
and pressure" and /" in this time of war;" azd
looseness of moral and legal restraint, such men
are bound by much more than ordinary consld-
erations, to be peculiarly circumspect and rigid
in needing and enforcing the supremacy of the
law.
g In this time of war; too. when it il 80
manifest as to need no argument to convince
any man, that the pecuniary burdens of the
people must be enormously increased to attain
the objects of the war and that for many years
to come such burdens will be largely increased
TO maintain more Or less Of the families of those
who will be stricken down in the war, it be-
comes important, in order that tic people shall
cheerfully bear these accommodating burdens, for
the Legislature to look sharply that all useless
public expenses be retrenched, and that no use
less or dispensable officers be entailed Oh the
people. One of the most grievous of the public
curses that have for many ycars afflicted the
country is an inordinstc passion for Office
Multitudes of men who should for their coun-
try's good, and in spirit of true manhood, rely
on their own stout hearts and strong arms Cor
subsistence, voluntarily disarm themselves Of
manhood and seek to live on Office, like new
ling children on their mothers breasts; aud
- this time of war seems wonderfully to have
multiplied the numbers of such Zen, but it has
not at all increased a maternal disposition on
the part Of the people to maintain the sucklings.
Such Offices and officers as the great aim Of this
war imdispensably requires, doubt not the peo-
pie will very chcerfully support. But The day
is passed when they will submit to be phleboto-
missed by useless leeches on the body polite
Never before have partisan ties sat 80 loosely
on the shoulders Of the people Of this country
as at this day. Never before have they required
such such measure Of evidence of The need for
newly created office and Of the adaptation CT
men for office, as they will begin to acquire at
this day. Never before have they felt, in the
present and prospective increase Of their pccu-
mary burdens in the depression of business
in the low and almost unremunerative prices of
labor, and the products of labor, their inability
to maintain useless or dspensablc Offices, as
they feel at this day, and will feel yet more
earnestly six, twelve, eighteen months vet to
come. Ii the same amount Of money now will
bring to the public officer, twice as much Of the
farmers beef or pork, butter o. poultry, or
other means Of ,~stenance. as it would have
brought year ago, then the people will require
such officer to abate a portion of his tax on the
8 sweat of the brow" Of the latter; or what ID
equivalent thereto, they will require Of tho
officer that he render increased service without
increased compensation. If there be need for
Financial Agent there are more official in
cumbcnts ON whom such duty may be cast, and
who would perform it faithfully and acceptsbly
with little or no increase Of compensation.
-
PARsON BRowNLow-This fearless and nntriot