The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-11-06
A ID ID II T. S $
Col. w. G.. veasey OF Rutland,
BEFORE TIE REUNION SOCIETY OF YER
MONT OFFICERS, IN TIE REPkEs-
ENTATIvEs' HALL, THURS
DAY EVENING, OCT
oBER 25riI.

ENrATIvEs' HALL, THURS
DAY EVENING, OCT
oBER 2jrH
1fr. President, Conn ddcs. Ladies and
| Gentlemen: The words Of introduction
which our distinguished President has
been pleased to use, scarcely tend to dim
inish the embarrassment and sJicltude
with which | come to II discharge Of the
duties assigned me upon this occasion OF
fratprnal reunion. We ASS, mb,c from
our scattered hills and valleys to mingle
s.lntaliuns, To review the days of camps
and battles, and TO gather renewed cour-
a.e from the magnetic touch of "A comrades
elbow, for the unfinished duties of life.
| is an occasion when we feel crowdng
in upon oar minds memories of mingled
joy and sadness; memories not only of
heroic achievement ,but OF lallcn comrades;
an occasion not for cold speculative dis
rri>>iun; however profound or ingenious.
but rather for The expression ut sentiment
and patriotic icrlng But IN my solr-
tndc, lest fail to do justice 10 the occas-
ion, do not forget that in the bosoms of
those whom | specially address, beats
the soldiers war;. and generous hcait,
that brooks no unknJly criticism of
comrades fault
1t is not unprecedented for post revo-
luiionary period TO he marked 10y evil
turebo1lngs, and often by imminent public
pcril greater, perhaps than in the height
OF the rrvoluliun itself Meeting as we
do to night in the midst of such II period,
it has seemed 10 me not unwlse to run
onr eyes over some Of the features of The
struggle, and perhaps gather inspiration
from bright examples, for the work which
the pclils Of the times impose upon US.
Until within less than IA decade of years,
it Is doubtful whether any generation was
ever the recipient, or in the enjoyment of
So great substantial political blessings, as
the present generation, in this republic.
Almost perfect liberty yet without license,
almost universal prosperity, yet without
general dlssuluteness, were diifused over
our broad domain, Compared with our
government in its practical effect on the
individual, not only every form That pre-.
c",lvd il, hut even the ideal republics of
philosophers, were but rulimcnt- in gov.
ernmcntul polity. The hand of the State
} rested so lightly on the individual that
he scarcely perceived the touch. The
fruits OF representative republiuani>m were
.. being enjoy, d, while yet the ordeal of in.
ternal disrupt On had not tested it, strength
as a form OF government In the struggle
for liberty. Or perhaps, better in the con-
slant effort 10 suppress liberty, which
constitutes about all there is of history,
liberty had occasionally gained a partial
: triumph. The words democracy and re-
! public not unircqucnlly occur ON tho
i pages Of history, but often misuscd as
4, descriptive cf government oftener indeed
I descriptive of tyranny than liberty. Where
t intelligence prevails at all it is only under
the gul>c oi liberty that complete tyranny
can be cxcr led. Yet ut long interval
: AMI for brief p'riol-, the will OF the pco.
4 pie has formed the government, but gen
+ orally SO imperfect and under such uni;,v
d orahle circumstances, that the frri,s o
a liberty TO the citizen were scarcely les
n bitter than those Of the tyranny wlicl
preceded il, and into which the people,
!. government soon rrlapsel. With Us, ST..
II curitY in per-on and property. freedom O
speech and the press, taxation not "a bur
den, labor honorable and rewarded meri
rerogniz 'd,propcrty distributed, knowlcdg,
rr dif'used, full religious tolcraliun, poyer,
y cared for, crime punished, nationality .
d spirit, worthy ancestry, hi,toric rrnown
all these, my comrades, constituted but
n part Of the blessings of free government
/ proiusc!y sirewn along our pathway
r Even the price paid ly the fathers of the
l. Republic, the expenditure Of blood al
It treasure, the sacrifice and suffering through
= that long, dark night of struggle, will
r. oppression, which preceded the mornjn;
I dawn Of Independence, is not aarquai,
r fol the privileges which we enjoyed,
c Add even the story of the sclooln.
t through which the fathers passed, in pre-
' paratlun for their struggle Tor independ
:. ence, in that seven years fearful strife
SO widespread that the sun set not on
: peaceful quarter of the globe; that con
'Sel "hcu III lHc EHst, tllNt, Just iron
the accountants desk, led British baitaj
!. ions to the conquest of an empire, wide
E and richer than ever paled before III
)" Romnn eagles; when in Europe, Freder
lck the Great rose against gigantic com
binatiun to the "ast glittrring peak" u
heroic attainment, and when in the West
ie 'n Muntralm and Wolf upon the heights q
Ia Abraham,
!" Bought by their death deathess fame;"
e add. | say, the heroic and perilous par
~ ~ which the fathers performed IN this con
MS fiict in preparation for the nobler struggl
q tor independence that followed, and W
i, still have not a price equal to the measur
vi of privileges mered oat to us under lh
a. a, benign influence of republican liberty.
in 10 far, m national emergencies AS we
h. as in individual protection, the Republi
o. o. had proved sufficient.
In With but comparatively slight inse
10 ruption, peace, disseminating its uniol
,e- favors, had attended the nation up lhroug
a., "a, its growth to speedy manhood. Excel
% in m'micry upon some festive day, Il
&C. 'piercDg fife or humping drum" ,