Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-08-28
Respect to the Memory of Col. Roberts
Patriotism of our Irish Citizens !!

An immense concourse OF people assembled
Yesterday on the east front OF the Rutland
Depot, to listen to Gen. Wilcox, who 1t was
understood had kindly consented to make a
brief speech on the arrival Of the train from
Brandon, The train arrived at about half
past eleven o'clock, Immediately after which
Gen. Wilcox was conducted to the stand
provided for him, and was introduced to the
audience in few appropriate and eloquent
remarks by W. T. Nichols, Esq
As Gen. Wilcox arose he was received
with the most vociferous cheering from the
men, while the women waved their handker-
chiefs in welcome to the distinguished soldier.
Gen. Wilcox addressed the assembly for
nearly half an hour, in speech brim full OF
patriotism, which we regret not TO be able to
give TO our readers in full, as it fell from the
eloquent and burning lips Of the speaker
As it is we can only present brief synopsis
of his remarks.
After abiding in very complimentary
terms to Vermont, he said he considered 1t
the duty Of officers to 90 about their work
and strike and not talk. He was on his way
TO his work, and had consented to say few
words while delaying for the departure OF the
train, in the hope that he might be able %
do something to aid the great cause. lie
declared that his whole heart and soul were
in the war. He did not think the people OF
the North we're fully awake to the magnitude
of the crisis He could not help contrasting
the picture which be saw before BIN, with
that which imagination brought before his
vision when the pioneers OF this country
were met on similar occasions at time when
our infant country was passing through the
trials of the Indian Wars, and the War OF
the Revolution. These men met to Take
counsel together, clothed in buckskins, with
fox tails on their heads, and the rifle on their
shoulders, some on foot, and others coming IN
rude carts, and vehicles. They came not as
now in omnbusses and carriages, in splendid
dress and equippage, but every man in coarse
homespun, and having upon his person some
emblem of war, indicating his readiness to
fight for his country That condition Of
hings must be revived Fine clothes and
o4ling ease must be put off and we must
come together with swords and muskets and
strike for our liberties or they are forever
lost. While you are talking here, and hest
tating, Vermonters are spiling their blood
on the field of deadly strife, and are crying
to you to come to their rescue and their aid.
You have the same interests at stake as they
You must make up your minds that every
man in New England has got something to
do, connected Immediately with this war
Our Government, the boast of our people
and the pride of the world, is in danger
That wonderful system of government which
secures so much individual freedom, and
which imbues all with such love for it, that
when twenty Americans find themselves met
together in any part of the unoccupied world
the first thing they do is TO organize free
government, came from the brain of New
England, and New England is called upon
more than all other sections to fly to the pro-
lection and defence of her own offspring
This spirit of freedom, said Gen. Wilcox, is
in the West but it was not born there. 1t
springs from these grand New England hills.
1t flows over the Middle States in an uninter-
rupted stream, but so soon as it gets TO the
line of Virginia it is interrupted and imped-
ed, until it reaches the cotton States, where
it becomes sluggish, dreary and dismal, and
is blown back in black and suffocating gusts
of despotism in your faces. Gen. Wilcox de-
clared that he spoke from personal knowl-
edge of what he had seen and heard during
his Imprisonment when he declared that the
Southerners hate New England, and each
individual inhabitant of New England, with
unappeasable hatred. They hate our schools,
our Industry, our originality, our inventive
genius,-but more than all cur spirit of free
dom, which is destined to pulverizA despotism
and all forms of slavery to powder. He had
conversed with the leading nen of the South
and they freely told him that we had too
much freedom here at the North, that they
wanted stronger government in which the
many should be ruled BY the few. And they
have set up the vllest despotism the world
ever saw, with JEFF. Davis their Arson King
at its head. Unless you crush them out, they
will crush you out. There can be no peace
upon the basis of separation. The South
would at once begin to intrigue with the West
for its trade-bsd men would rule, and we
should break and crumble in pieces. We
must resolve upon nothing short OF complete