The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-11-06


collapse Of the rebellion and other causes
have imposed upon us
The unwarranted attempt at re, o ution
by force brought our army into being.
say unwarranted, not only in the sense
Of causelc.s, but in the broad sense that
revolution by force can never be warrant
able under a form Of government like
ours, however great may be the wrongs
which il seek to remedy.
The arbitramcnt Of arms is defen-ible
only as the last resort. that ia, the resort
after every other effort ut settlement is
exhausted, every other remedy consistent
with honor and justice, failed. Under
tho strictest application Of this principle,
the early patriots justified in their own
conscieuces, and in the eyes Of mankind,
their appeal to this last resort. Success
crowned their effort. In the constitution
which followed, they provided against
the necessity Of revolution by resort to
arms as redress for wrongs, by placing
the government in the hands Of the
people, by putting within their control
the remedy Of revolution, by ballot.
Every election is not necessarily a revolu-
ton, because it may result in a continual
ton Of the political policy that preceded.
But when an election results in the choice
Of class Of men to office who represent
principles, opposite, or antagonistic, to
those Of their predecessors, it IS rovolu-
iion, rs much ~ though brought about
by resort to arms. The right TO revolu-
tion by force as remedy, cannN exist
without the necessity Of force. This
necessity cannot arise with us, because
the people are themselves the Law. makers,
the rulers not in the weakness of a
democracy, but in the strength of a
representative republic, in confederation
of sovereigntics with paramount central
power, form Of government where,
-'5arring interests Of thsmselve, create,
The according music Of a well mixel 81 ato."
The late rebellion is striking illustra-
ton Of the folly Of a minority undertake
ing to redress alleged wrongs by force,
which they could not do by ballot. In
the natural order of things the same ma
would beat them with the bayonct
The rebels attempt at revolution was
therefore without right, without nccess.
ity, and without reasonable prospect Of
SUCCESS. The loyal citizen spldiery of
the United States made it failure
But out Of this attempted revolution grew
reform. Instead Of cverturning the
Republic, its fires purified the nation.
Instead Of destroying free government, it
resulted IN making the subjects Of the gov.
ersment free. Instead Of enslaving the
free, it freed the slave. This is the re-
formation. the national generation. Hith-
crto the contest has been against slavery
legalizcd. II is now TO secure to all the
fruits Of legalized freedom.
The army has done the work of rogcn-
Grafton. There remains to it to do the
work Of re. organization. This is not the
work Of conquered traitors. This wo K
will be complete when all men whom the
constitution recognizes a, free, shall enjoy
the full rights of freedom. Reorganiza.
ton, other than upon principles Of justics
and political equality, is forfeiture Of the
fruits Of victory. To call free who have
no rights in court, who have no protect H
in person and property, who cannot holt
Office or be represented, who have neither
the right, nor hope of the right to vote
is an insult to the common sense Of man
kind, stigma upon the statutes o.
free government. No citizen soldier Of 8
republic has right to plead that he bal
completed his public duty. Our duties a
soldiers, we confidently hope, are ended
our duties as citizens may have just begun
In gathering up the disordered mem
bers of the Republic and restoring eacl
to its own proper sphere-in garnering VI
the fruits Of victory over treason, our ait
is needed. Without il, freedom may b
III greater peril than when we met treas.
on in open combat. In rendering thi
aid, in performing this duty, we must ris
above all personal considerations. If oc
casion require it, we must disregard tn
forgetfulness of those who made unneces
sary pledges Of emoluments to induce u
to peril our lives for the country. An,
above all, we must scorn to appropriate
the spoils Of government patronage, if fe,
TO US from the hand that has just beef
raised against the government. The sol
der at the public crib by leave Of traitors
is an unthinking OK in the shambles.
PLEASED to tho last he crops the Aowerv food.
And licks the hand just raised to she'd his blood
The overthrow of the rebel power il
the field, F. not the destruction OF treasn
in the rebel heart. OF the three stape
through which treason naturally and us
ualiy passes in its mission of destruction
the first, war, is ended; the second, as
sassination, we hope, is drawing to
close the third, treachery in the nation
al councils, we fear, is only begun. II
thwart this is part of our unfinshe,
mission. II is our old foe under IN
guise Of loyalty, and many will be decciv
ed by the covering. Magnanimity to
fallen foe may be extended to individual
to the full limit of chivalrous generosity
but not TO the sacrifice Of principles. Gu
vast numbers give us the power OF com
plotting the reform, Of perfeciing SCUM
reorganization. Our silence may b
fatal 10 these results
SOuthernism was al ways petuIant nroud