Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-10-03

I. OVcupy our attention. ihsttau u uWtiii"b
upon the past, extoling the wisdom bravery
and skill Of our ancestors, we have to prove
to the world that their descendants have not
, degenerated
4 To the casual observer we presented the
. appearance, few months ago, Of perfect
y govt rnment. An these States, extending
& from the Atlantic to the Pacific, living har
\ moniousy together bound By common in
, terest, united under common government.
= True there was at times some ar,-but this
$ was generally conceded to be no more than
r might be expected from the rigorous work
, ing Of this pondcrous scheme-thi' cumplica-
ted machinery Of government. But to the
r more careful observer it was evident that
these throes were not the result Of a healthy
e and vigorous action, but that the scheme was
d not perfect in all It's parts. There has ever
been an unrriendly feeling between she North
and South The inhabitants Of New Eng
land and of the North generally are Of good
old Pilgrim stock, and look upon labor as
+ honorable. But our southern neighbors en-
tortain opinions entirely the reverse ef this.
When years ago that little Dutch vessel lam
dod the first cargo Of slaves upon the Ameri-
s can continent, they eagerly adopted the infer
/. nal system Of human scryitude, as by this
means they would De rlAcvod 51f vulgar toll,
1 and have an opportunity OF exercising their
y domneering spirit The North could not
: countenauce such system Of wrong, and de-
o nounced it in the strongest terms, while the
. South were violent in its support.
This was the first great cause Of difference,
d and il has been the fruitful source from which
e has sprung all our national quarels Altho'
G by our Constitution, adopted by every State
, in the Union. course is pointed out by
e which all differences may be equiaby adj
jnsted, yet our domineering Southern neigh
bors have been willing to abide by the Con
{ stitution only SO long as they could rule.
- We have been dreaming. The South have
q understood their position tar better than we
" have ours. They had consciousness Of
weakness, and therefore have been strength
!. ening themselves in every possible way. We
e had consciousness ofsreugiA and have been
s idle.
But one year ago the 18th of last April,
q the Flag Of our Uniou--the symbol Of all that
is dear to us as a nation, was insulted-fred
r upon not by foreign foe, but from the
shores Of our own America and by Americans
If who had solemnly sworn to support the gov
eminent With the first gun fred at that
T. tme-honoid flag thrill of horror ran thro'
o. the whole North We were then fully awake,
and even while the iron-hail ratified against
:, the walls Of that devoted fort, men we're Of
ferng themselves to vindicate their country's
honor and bring to justice thoee accursed
traitors, who would lay their sacrlegous
hand upon our free institutions, and bring
/. to their own miserable level
T. The South seeded declared themselves
independent. But they had not the first ele-
u ment of independence an intelligent, an en-
r. ligh,ened people. On She contrary they are
entirely dependent, dependent upon the North
:, for everything from they ankee school marin
to whom they are indebted for what little in
telligence they possess, down to the goose
quill with which they make their mark They
r. can produce raw cotton, but they cannot
manufacture it into cloth--and had it not
:, been for the foreign invention of the cotton
gin, they never would have been deceived by
the fancy that Cotton was King They can
produce raw tobacco, and by sending it
away to undergo certain processes Of manu-
y faoture, they can dld persons foolish enough
to buy it. They can raise sugar-cane, but
the juice must be refined by Northern skill
, before it is ofvalue.
i From their birth to their death, it is the
same story Of dependence. In infancy they
y, are wrapped in blanket manufactured at
!. the North. and play with a tin whistle sold
- by Yankee pedder in childhood they are
o amused by top ana rocking-borse made in
~ Boston in youth they sport Northern canes
.. and read northern novels; in manhood they
o wear a coat fitted in New York, linen bleach
o ed in Lowell, and patent leather boots polish
ed in Boston in old age they lean upon
Northern crutch and when they die, they
: are shrouded in Northern linen, placed in a
Northern coffin, carried to the grave in a
IS Northern carriage, lowered by Northern lines,
II covered by Northern spade, and Northern
slab marks their last resting place. And these
s arc the people who declare themselves to be
possessed OF all the requisites for success
These are the people who would substitute
their miserable palmetto rag for our glorious
old banner, But the dye is cast. The Rubi-
. con is crossed. They have severed the limb
d; between themselves and the tree, and must
+ not complain if they fall. ~.
Our land is now delugcd with blood. The
oft repeated legend Of "broiher being arrayed
. against BROTHER is now fearfully realized.
e The battle Of Antietam fresh in our minds,
and our hearts still ache with memory of dear
1t friends sacrificed in the seven days fight at
> Richmond. Yet we say let the war go on
/ even though it takes our last friends, our
j., very life. The war must be prosecuted till
k the rebellion is crushed and its instigators
brought to Justice Until the slaveholdng