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


the equality of man, were none the less
real. The enjoyment fthis goodly herit
age, without price from us, rendered it
none the less valuable. Having attained,
50 far as human experience could judge,
and human wisdom devise, the perfection
of government, there devolved upon us
the triple duty to preserve, to increase, to
transmit the priceless Inheritance.
To preserve it;-how little did we
know the magnitude of our duty, the
weight of our responsibility, the mighty
Efforts in store for us. To preserve it -
so secure did we regard ourselves in our
estate, that these words seemed well nigh
like meaningless defamation. But now,
you, my comrades, you who have seen
death
-'by sudden blow,
Bv wasting plague bN torturcs slow,
BY mine or breach, 10y steel or ball.
Known all his shapes, and scorned them all,
and still more you, parents and widows,
brothers and sisters, who wear the weeds
of mourning, and bear in your bosons
broken and bruised hearts that time
band, or brother, whose life went out
in the mol lie defense you, | say, can
feel, if not tell. something of the fearful
depth oI meaning which those words EN-
brace. That this was, and is, Il duty, a
solemn duty. none hire will deny, and
none but traitors ever lid deny. To fail
IN this duty would be depth of degra-
daiiun to which loyalty could not descend.
To fail in 1t would he treason.
In the Declarc ton Of Independence the
fathers planted themselves upon two fun
damcntal principles first, the equality
of man; second, the right of IA people
under certain circumstances to cast of
their allegiance to the government. A
revolution based upon these prlncipl re-
suited in success From this revolution
emerged the great po itical event of h,s-
tury-our Representative Federal Repub-
lie. With Il love of liberty intensified by
the fires of the revolution. and fully conf
dent that liberty was safe only in tho
complete recognition Of the principle that
men arr equal, the fathers hasencd to
bind their countrymcn to this truth by
placing it foremost in their bills of rights.
Thence onward it has stood, recogn,z. I'd
in all the fullncss of its meaning 10y ;
portion OF the country, denied in its appli
cation 10 Il certain race by the remainder
Thence arose the unhappy struggle, th'
''irreprcssiblc conflict
On the ono srlc was arraycd self inter
est and the prcjnIice of racc-on th'
other consistency and Justice, The I'm
PARALLEL prosperity of the nation, its gian
strides To power, our own conccit. a
times well nigh closed OUT eyes TO justice
Then the conflict would temporarily sub
side Our ears were continually suothc,
by the lullaby of compromise. At frs
all acknowledged the inconsistency o
slavery with equality. AT length por
ton. blinded by self interest, became tin
friends Of slavery, and necessarily in The
same degree, the enemies of equality. A
II ma ion we proclaimed equality. we prac
tted injustice. The constant cncroach
mcn,s of slavery naturally consolidate
the power of liberty. The equality
which slavery denied to lis victims. it :,
length denied to the friends Ct freedom
Constitutional rights became sacred uni
as construed in favor of slavery; and tn
first successful assertion of these rights i
behalf Of freedom, in a contest prccipi
tated by slavery, became to the latte
power the apology for treason.
in C
able inioxicaiion, the tonsecrated bloc
of the revolution, forgetting the injunction
of the fathers CT the Republic, forgeltin
the blessings of II benign government, FOL
getting the vows p'ightcd to liberty an
loyalty, the pc,icd children Of the Rcpul
he,
With ingratitule moro strong than traitor's arms
raised their hands with hellsli fury
strike down free government and civ
liberty. From the rccol of that bio,
We date, no. only the freedom of a rae
OF human beings. but the disenthrallmer
Of liberty itself.
When the fathers fought for Indepenf
ence 1t WAS with protestations OF luyalt,
and because they were denied the usu,
privileges OF loyalty. Had their eifor
proved unavaiIing, it would not hay
been considered fatal to liberty. But a
ter our long experiment of free govern
ment under circumstances so favorable I
its development, if liberty could not exi,
here in her own chosen home, amid
people whose genius is hostility 10 oppre,
sion, whose early history is succes,i,
resistance 10 tyranny, whose will is II,
more the subject than the governor
= the law, well might mankind ask in de-
pair, where en- the experiment again |
:, made
Fortunately for humanity this questio
needed no answer tor here in her ow
citadel, liberty found her defense in ii
t stout hearts and strong arms of million
p Of irecmen. 1t was rare fortune, IN
e comrades, that God raised you u
e and made you a part of the grand upri
e ing of 81. When the colossus
c France aroused his assembled hosts und,
the pyramids OF Egypt to the full inter
i sily Of enthusiasm. by reminding the
C that forty centuries were looking dow
upon their deeds. the nations of cart
= applauded the scene. 1t was the breal