Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-08-18
The Administration not the Govern.
ment.

y
and yolubly assured us. So we long
ago united with those OF our city in
formally proclaiming. A good citizen
may seek TO reform the government or
to amend its Constitution, but not to
overthrow the former while any one is
at perfect liberty to oppose and seek to
supersede the administration, The lat
ter Is, In its nature, subject TO frequent |
and radical changes, while the govern |
ment is londly designed TO last forever |
You say that you are only opposing |
u e administration, which you have a !
perfect right TO do; and that you do this |
Intending to sustain, uphold and per- |
petuate the government These be fair
words let us contrast them with your
acts;
The rebels are lighting to overthrow,
not the administration but the govern
ment, You frequently tell US that they
prefer Lincoln as our President, and
want him reelected, You know that
they deliberately opened and cleared the
way for his former election by dividing
and breaking up the democratic con-
vention and party at Charleston in
1860.
They are fighting, then, not to sub
vert the administration which you hate,
but the government which you profess
to love. How, then, is it that they COM
mand so much Of your love and IA
vor
How is it that they aeDer can do any
thing that incites your reprohation 3
How is it that in your speeches, your
addresses, your resolves, your editorials,
the deadly, fighting enemies Of the gov
eminent never figure as g0Hy enemies,
while the administrations thing OF
the moments constantly assailed with
the most intense, absorbing malignity2
Why is it that nothing that is or can
be done to sustain the government ever
commands your approval.
Money in large amounts must be had;
yet it is notorious thatevery loan that is
offered, every plan for replenishing the
Treasury, encounters your deadly hos
Utility. Two of the ablest and best men
in the country have appealed to it, each
| as Secretary Of the Treasury, for loans
| in this, that, and the other shape-have
tried every conceivable device for at
| tracing capital into the public Golfers;
/ Bub IGllIACL HAS btNu uOlC LDi yeas ~
| command your hearty cooperation:
while most Of you have done your ut
most to discredit the government and
bankrupt its finances.
Men in thousands must be had but
! no plan ever devised or conceived could
secure your hearty cooperation in rails
ing them. While it was possible to
raise them in suiliciency by volunteering
YOU demanded & draft as more Just and
more equal and when it became nee
essary to draft, YOU raised a fierce howl
against CONSUMPTION, and insisted that
| enough might have been had without.
! OF the million last raised not two
hundred thousand las you well know
could have been had had not draft inn
pended yet you paraded the few &C
! tually drafted as the net result Of con-
| scription, though you were perfectly
aware that most of the residue were
procured as substitutes or by bounties,
and would never have been had but for
that CONSUMPTION which you have tried
to destroy.
Any man may oppose the administra
ton yet be true patriot and loyal snip
porter of the government. But he who
eXults over and magnltieS rebeliSuCceSSeS,
while he belitt)es or discredits those of
the national forCes-Who does his ut
most to encourage and strengthen the
rebels and to dishearten and paralyze
the loyaI--can he be patriot ? Judge
yourselves by the standard here indica-
ted, and read the verdict which future
generations must pass on your con-
duct
These dark days will pass. Our
grandfathers saw darker yet they did
not despair. The perils they braved,
the hardships they endured in the reyo-
luton, were the pride and soace Of all
their after years. We, too, shall emerge
from the cloud now obscuring, not ami
hilating, the sunshine Of Gods good
ness which unchangeably peryades all
the armament above it, Our country
will soon emerge from her sore trials,
chastened and purified, strengthened
and exalted. Her children will treasure
with gratitude the names of those who
were nobly faithful in her hours Of adj
versity and sadness. In that not dis
tant day Of her rejoicing over dangers
past and gratitude TO those through
whose devotion and guidance she sur
mounted them, what will be y0h' claim