Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-01-29
Historical Parallels.

|# >ou,hor,, Democrats (so-called), are SO lar .
-. - - .so,;ors,y obstruct the efforts ano
3 .,.o,oss the sacrifices of the patriotic
,,ao,,o for the salvation of the Union.
While awaiting anxiously but hopefully the
bursting of the brewing storm of battle, 1T vii
l., encouraging to those who are not sufficient
10 snstained by the grandeur of the cause II
which we are engaged, who are too prone tt
denres ION at every present unfavorable lndl
cation. who do not look right through the sur
rounding trials to the glorious end in view, ant
who are especially alarmed (and not without
too much apparent reason, it must be confessed
bv the present plottings of Northern consplra-
tors and treas son-sympathizers, valulng the say
orv of traitors above the safety of the Upion
who are unable to see the progress which al
ready has been made--to examine historical
parallels to our present condition, and see that
It is at least, no worse than has been that OF
other countries, which have nevertheless re-
covered, and fully succeeded in the end. The
following extracts from Allison's History o
Europe forcibly show the rumarkable paral-
Iol which exists between the situation of our
country in its acorst features and the condition
of Great Britain in 1907, when it had scarcely
entered upon the twenty years war with
France which involved all Europe. The his
tartan thus describes 1t:
q "The aspect of public affairs in Britain had
rever been so clouded since the commence
m mt Of the war, nor. indeed, during the whole
Of the eighteenth century. as they were at the
opening OF the wear 1877"
- \ "The national burdens were daily
ncrcasing Party spirit ragged with uncommoh
violence in e"'erv i;str ct of the empire. In
surrectlons prevailed IN many stricts of Ire
land discomfort and suffering in all CONNER
1nercrll embrrrassments Were rapl'ly lncreas
iug, and the continued pressure on the ban
threatened Il total dissolution of public crell1
The consequ.nce Of tbs accumulation of dis
a,ers IS a rapid fa1 Of public srcurtl s -
the thr.e pei, cents We're sod as low as u
having "a lei to that from 0S, at which they
stood at the commencement OF the contest
Petitions flr a change of minis erS and an al
teration of government were presented from
almost every city Of note in the empire. and
that gene a dstrust and depression pr"valle I
which is at once the cause aud effect Of public
disaster"
Again the historian records:
"rhe question of continuing the war again
occupied prominen place in the British Par
Lament. On the side of the opposition 1t was
urgel that after four wears OF war, the add
ton of f200,000,00 to the national debt, and
f9OOO00U annually to the taxes, the nation
was further than ever from achieving the OBJ
jects for which it had been undertaken"
As if yet further to deiineate with prophet
c accuracy the domestic opponents Of or own
times, the historian writes, in further record
Of the despair and depression Of the nation,
that
at was rendered incomparabiy more alarm
ing by a calamity of kind and in quarter
where it was least expected. This was the
famous mutiny in the deet, which, at the very
time the enemies Of England were most forn
dable, and her finances most embarrassed,
threatened to deprive her Of her most trusty
defenders, and brought her 10 the verge of
ruin" ''Despar seized on the frnest
hearts, and such was the general panic that
the three per cents were sold as low as ~, af
ter having been nearly 100 before the com
mencement of the war"
Under these circumstances as under the
painful but far less perous ones OF our own
times, we find
"The greater part of the opposition held
back, and seemed rather disposed to turn the
public danger into the means of oyerturnlng
the Administration, and bill for the immedi
ate suppression of the mutiny by the most
stringent measures oaS opposed by a feac of
The mgSt Ujoleat of the opposHj0a, upon the
gr0oead that c0nciliati0H and concession mere
IL. n
IajSSSion"
And if to make the parallel the more
startling, the historian upon another question:
further records in this wonderful delineation of
the affairs of the period:
democratic ambition taking advantage of
national distress, had begun to denounce all
that had been done by patriots"
And still further to complete the picture,
writes:
"Hod these doctrines been c0afued to the
h@stangS, (Stump) on the abuse Of newspapers
they aoo&td hare taiaiShed the subject onIg of
curious specolatian on the grag in arhich q5ril-
eipJes, Just to certain ertent, and TRUTHS IN
deniabLe as they oere originally stated, becom
peroerted aohe1 they agere empJoyed as an en-
gsae for tie purpose Of faction or ambjtioa"
But unhappiy, the evil soon assumed a
much more serious. compleXion-th prevail
ing ideas spread to the Legislature.
From the depths of depression and almost
anarchy thus delineated, the country gradually
recovered, and with constantly increasing re-
sources, became the mainsprIng of the gigan-
tic contest which finally overthrew Napoleon
While the public debt was steadily increasing.
loans were more and more easily obtained, be
cause trad and commerce were unfettered
AMI although much Of the money raise was
expen ell abroad, vet, in the words of Allison
Ut was in Their inexhaustble resources that
England found the means of resoiutely main
tanning the contest, and waiting cam on her
citldal amid the waves the return of a RIGHT
spirit in the surrounding -ations."
Let the people remember then that this great
contest is not, as too many seem 70 regard il.
the mere str fe cf m serable fact on or party
for rule and plunder; that it is the battle for
the preservation Of the rights and lIo"rties net
only Of ourselves bit of the people every
where that the burden, though heavy. is one
which we are entrusted to bear Tor The neonla
of all chrsteni iom " Is not this,'' saws a CO.
temporary, inspiration enough, that we tho
American people, feht this light that the
whole world may be the ga ner7 No noh,er
place in history has ever been held tha, ,b.,
held by us to-day. Tut we must act our mar,
like men, so that those that come after ne