Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1863-03-06
TIE NEED OF TIE HOUR.

]
THE NEED OF THE HOUR.
/ In setting before our readers what we feel
to be the need in the present hour Of our ma
tons struggle for its existance, a retrospec-
tive view Of affairs we deem proper. The
corner stone Of the American Government is
civil liberty. The Puritan fathers being de-
prived Of it sought the wilderness Of America,
here to establish a commonwealth in which
civil and religious liberty should te the con-
trolling elements Since that time every stale
and colony springiog from these sturdy men
Of virtue and integrity. have made civil lbcr-
~ the main pi.lar in their local government
and their schools, churches, and the press,
were taught TO insull deep into the minds Of
The nation holy love and reverence for the
PRINCIPLES of freedom From the rural cot to
the busy metropolis has gone up the gladden.
ing shout that we are free people, and
while the sources OF freedom were kept pure
and uncorrupted, we were truly free people
and prosperous and enlightened nation
While the idea Of cirR liberty has been the
manspung Of all the public acts of the A.
merican citizen and has remained untram-
meiled by any erroneous ideas Of freedom and
liberty, we have been the envy Of the world
But within few years ciUa liberty has be-
come violated and corrupted,-a licen,ious
personal liberty has gradually sprung up and
81,
has destroyed one after another fits beauties,
rending 1t of its safe suasds until now it is
almost trodden under foot and we stand before
the world nation verging rapidly upon
anarchy and national ruin Civil liberty
should remain unrestrained by personal lib
erty. When men agree to associate them
selves together and form state government
they contract at the same time to give up
portion Of their natural liberty to the state.
The consideration Of the contract being the
protection they arc to receive from their gov
ernment,-they then enjoy civil liberty and
its wholesome regulations and laws protect
them against that personal liberty which c1-
cites mobs and rabbles to set all law at def
ance.
Paley in his Moral and Political Philosophy,
defines civil liberty to be the not eing re-
strained by any law but what conduces in a
great degree to the public welfare This
learned philosopher in his great foresight.
foreshadowed the evils attendant on a demo-
cratic form Of government. He saw the dan
ger Of civil liberty, with its code Of restrain
ing laws and penalties being troddcn down
by licenlious personal liberty, which would
set all rightly constituted authority at def
ance. Civil liberty cannot be enjoyed unless
the laws Of the land be revered and enforc-
ed, and the officers appointed to execute them
also honored and obeyed. The question that
every citizen should ask himself is: What is
my duty to my government; In this rebel
lion the question is the same-What does the
government require Of me; Without stop
ping to expostulate if an individual right has
not been disturbed by some policy Of the
government in its gigantic efforts to preserve
itself, or if their personal liberty has not been
narrowed, by the services of government in
crushing the rebellion, the paramount inqui-
ry Of every citizen should be What dc ore
to my comtryP And the answer Of every
sincere, loyal lover Of his country, if ne
would see its cause prosper, MUST be 1t is
my duty to sustain my government, to strain
every nerve to crush every rebellous arm,
and stand as body-guard to preserve the
institutions Of my country inviolatv!
But how different are the acts and words
of many of our American citizens, to-day
Alas that it is so! Many citizens Of the
Northern States-whero the government re-
clines for support and strength and the brave
soldiers in the field look for encouragement
and sympathy in their priyauons and suffer
ings-are watching from day to day to see if
some little portion Of their real or imagined
rights are not being infringed upon by the
general government; if there is not chance
to abuse OF yiify the President and lessen the
confidence Of the people in the Executive of
the Nation; declaring that be has exceeded
the powers granted him By the Constitution,
in his honest endeayors to preserve the sacred
heritage bequeathed to US by our fathers
some even displaying their animosity to the
government in open resistance to its demands
for military aid and others proclaiming the
yilest ISLANDERS on the Heads of the various
Departments at Washington thus poison
ing the public mind and weakening the arm
of the government in this hour Of its greatest
need, Now this is no new thing. For
number of years past there have been dema-
gogues parading the country and instilling
into the minds of the people resistance to the
mandates Of government, destroying their
respect for our officers and rulers and weak