The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-03-11
Washington's Birthday IN London.

Washingtons Birthday IN London
From our late foreign advices We lind very
little of interest to us at this moment except
the brief report of the public breakfast In hon
or of Washiugton's Birthday, celebrated by
the Americans in London. We give the lollo"-
ing sketch of the ceremonies of the occasion i:
DR.. McIlvain, Bishop of Ohio, presided MIN.
,ster Adams, Consul Morse, two Secretaries OF
Legation, &. W Field, DR.. MCGOWAN and others
were present. Mr.. Adams, in patriotic speech
to the memory of Washington, said 1t was wen
for Americans to think on his course at this
time, The country was in the midst OF crlsis
dong foreseen and feared. but by initiating Wash,
lneton's great virtues they would conquer and
subdue the malign power which has sought TO
rule and ruin. -,
The struggle Is fearful, but there is no alter
native me assault upon the Government of
the United States carries with it an aggressive
principle which if not defeated must IN the emu
he fatal to freedom. 1t involves the ackno"l-
edcement OF prescriptlye right of some men TO
sule over their fellows, and the Government
must therefore re.establish it's fundamental doc
trine at every hazard. He concluded BY again
calling for that patience and perseverance, shown
hv W ashington as the sure road to success Inc
health Of the Queen and President Lincoln were
drank with enthusiasm. DR.. McGowan. IN
spcakina to the latter eulogized President LIN
coins administration, and expressed lnll CONN.,
dencc that he would prove equal TO the task.
George Thompson asserted that the e1lofts 10
create in England hostility to the North had TO-
tally failed.
Consul Morse denounced the curse of slavery
AZ the sole cause of the trouble.
Cyrus W. Field proposed toast OF England
and of America, and spoke strongly IN favor ol
She maintenance of friendly relations. he eA-
blamed away many irritating subjects, ana as
serted that it was the most earnest desire OF tne
Washington government to maintain amicable
relations He did not believe England could for
:, moment recognize the Southern Confederacy,
the cornerstone of which is slavery.
The spirit and temper Of the speeches, as IN
Dictated by this brief report, will lind abundant
confirmation in the recent message of President
Lincoln, which SO Enthusiastically commits our
Government to Freedom. In the face of the Of
fetal declaration of our Executive, that Slavery
is the only hope Of the rebels, and that with its
extinction in the Border States dies out their
only expectation of establishing separate pow
er. coupled with the express determination OF
the President to work for that end and by that
instrumentali,y, it will be impossible fol- rebel
sympathizers to make much capital in England.
And the timely annunclaton OF such Truth ny
Minister Adams coming as it did from the first
foreign minister from this Government, will car
ry with it an official weight which will in some
measure prepare the English mind for the news
which they will receive month later.
There has been, hitherto, too little difference
between the official conduct of our Government
either at home or abroad, and that OF its prede
cessor on this engrossing subject of slavery, tt
get the new administration much credit for oc
cupying different position in that respect from
those whom it had ousted from power. Foreigr
raations might, in view of the foreign and DO
nestic policy of the country nave been incred
ulous of the success of free principles in the las
campaign, and have believed that the mission 0
Repubicanism was political, looking only t.
the spols Of Office, instead of broad and natlona
as it claimed to be, with the purpose of raising
Freedom to its National supremacy in the Re
public, and driving slavery from its seat of power
back to its limited domain of authority within
the States where it existed. While the admin
stration was reticent it was liable to this mis
construction. But it has now spoken out, an
hencetorth, we believe that our home minister
and our foreign ambassadors will be allowed
speak freely Of the evils Of slavery, and wor
diligently and vigorously to1put the Nations
Government in the old highway in which
started its existence, and make it the champio
once more, as of old, of the " fundamental do
trine" that no man has "prescriptivc right
to rule over his fellow.