Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-10-14
The legislature.

yesterday, must be one of great interest |
There will be the usual amount Of bills offer |
ed for the amendment of existing statutes.
and to provide tor matters, in somebody's |
opinion not sufficiently provided for already. !
All this will he merely in the ordinary |
course. The finances Of the State VIII reed
a special looking after ~ teep ,he credit of
the State rood, ana to provide for the cur
rent expenditure, 50 much larger than it was
before the war broke out, and to consolidate
the debt OF t.le State and provide 70; its grad
uai anil REGULAR reduction as the years go
or. This is a great subject, and one which
calls for patient deliberation Ard for saga
cious and resoIs.s .oiIoh. There should ,e
no shusl.ag Of to other Legislatures of work
which should be done how The people of
the State, however much Individual. may
groan about ts1es and be willing to have
theis own proper load placed on other peo-
PIES shoulders, will give neither thanks nor
respect to those entrusted with legislative
authority who seek to gam popularity by
doing less than justice to all, or by keeping
heavy obligations out of present sight, in the
vain hope that they will become less weighty
and Furthermore, if lett to grow in obscuri-
".
Whether we are to have a renewal OF the
aborrve attempt Of the last two years to
provide for an efficient militia system. We do
not dare to predict We hope not; and yet,
We fear we shall S,mething has been said
on how good authority we know motto
/ the effect that the National Government has
offered to provide arms if an efficient militia
system can be established. Arms OF no arms
/ from the National Government, the State
ought not to 90 on any longer in the way it
has gone on. 1t does not meet the point at
all, TO say as some do, that the alacrity with
which Vermont has responded to the calls Of
tie national authority for men 70 fill the
Union armies, j. proof that the State needs
J. ''' -i'iitia - sum biaFc anu lh'IiotlC NJ
her sons have proved themselves to be in this
war that fact gives them no organization for
any emergency at home aud without an
orglnzation-not one in name merely. but
one which has life and activity in it-their
bravery could do nothing in an hour of sud-
+ den peril. Vermont is border State. No
+ body wishes to be involved IN war with our
neighbors, or expects TO be, yet the thing Is
+ possible at any time. In such a case. a. the
matter now stands. Vermont would be help
less to protect herself from sudden invasion
and immense damage.
Though the character of our people j. a
great guaranty against domestic riot and IN
surr,ction, it i not an absolutely sure one.
Where there il no regularly standing militia
ny force to be resorted to in emergency, the
only sure ground of safety is IN having all
the ablc-bodied men of the State, Of proper
military age. always organized under law
which insures their ability and preparation
20 act in a military way at an hours notice,
whenever the rightful authority Ct the STATE
orders any portion or all of them to do 50.
" for the expense Of such system
which seems to have been the great busbcar
in the way of legislative action last year and
the year bcfore-we think a vast deal more
i- made Of it in the way Of objection than
need 90 be. Certain It Is. that generation
or two ago. when the people We're far poorer
than they are now, the expense Of the Mill
tia System was not felt TO be anything very
serious and in those days men found their
small arms and trained without any per di,ui
allowance, and never thought Of grumbling
about it. The system was not abandoned
because of the expense, but because the
people became infatuated with the notion
tat There WAS no need OF keeping up mill
tary Organization any longe-. At least. this
was the case throughout the free States, We
~ generally. / the slave States it was differ
ent. There the people were kept Injured to
arms and organized, and the result was
conviction on their part that they could do
a. they Vleased-eyen To the 0verturnIng OF
the Government-and there would he no
power at the north to withstand them. The
immediate advantage which the rebels de-
rived from this difference for long time az
ter the rebellion broke out. every consider
ate person is obliged to acknowledge. 1t
has given them great assistance up to the
present day. Experience has proved most
costly school to the hce States in this case.
Ii they do not learn by 1t, they will be fools
indeed, in the ewes of all the world
For one or two other important topics we
have no room to-day.