The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-07-22

More than forty years ago venerable
clergyman IN Massachusetts, said to me
When the revolution broke out. | was
young and | was all hurrah for Iudepen.
deuce; but if | had known as much then
as did afterwards, l should have been
u tory almost all the sensible men Of
that day were tories" The tories, then,
were the sensible men of the day. repre-
seutatives Of the ruling mind Of England,
and they came to Vermont. A very good
beginning in laying tho foundation for a
race
"Shay's rebellion men," who were
they? They were men who had served
in the army, buried their comrades on the
field, gained the Independence for which
they fought, been houorably discharged,
and gone home to enjoy the liberty they
had achieved. They had given their coun.
try years of service without reward were
paid off in worthless continental money.
Taxes were high, debts were many, mon
cy was extremely scarce. Suits at law
were multiplied for taxes and debts
Property was seized and sold under the
!
that money was so scarce that yoke Of
oxen was sold for seventy.fvc cents. This
was not the liberty for which these pa.
triotc men had fought. They asked that
these oppressive legal proceedings might
be stayed, but In vain. They endured
these things till to them patience ceased
to be virtue. They took down the old
liberty fire.lock, marched to the court
house, compelled the courts jury to re-
tire, locked the door, and proceeded to
another county. No man was allowed to
fire gun, they had no purpose of over
throwing the government. Their pur-
pose was simply to stop the ruinous sac
rifice Of property. Now, when General
Lincoln in his hot haste to execute the
order Of the Governor, fired upon and
killed several Of these veteran soldiers,
the rest, instead of any attempt at retail.
iaion, threw down their guns and fled to
Vermont.
What was the public estimation of
these men? Learn from what followed.
The people were with the rebels, as they
were called. They elected new govern.
or and new Legislature, which passed
law to carry out the wishes Of these very
men. What does this prove? Why,
that these men who came to Vermont
were the wiser mcu ahead of their age,
forward men.
Now, let US take look at the wooden
nutmeg makers What shall say of
them? Why, l should be as sorry as
any one, morally speaking, to have it
brought home to me that any of the blood
of that original sin was running in my
veins. But, if it be Il question of race,
origin, blood, why, had great deal
rather draw my descent from those that
make them than from those that steal them.
now come to the fourth layer, horse
thieves, sheep-stealers, ct id omnc genus.
Here | desire to make a slight episode.
Thoro ar" some sequences of events ante.
cedents consequent, in which the antece-
deut is one you cannot approve, and yet
the consequent is so good you hardly re.
gret the cause. Uriah was victim Of
great wrong; but Solomon came to the
throne, under whose reign the Jews en-.
joyed their greatest prosperity. The fir
ing upon Fort Sumpter was n great
wrong, bat the emancipation and entran-
chisement of four millions Of people is a
matter not to DC lightly passed over. The
stealing of horses and sheep is great
wrong is contrary to the doctrine of the
rights of property as laid down by Paley;
but Vermont has always been celebrated
for fne breed of horses; and as for
sheep, she heats all creation.
"Cujam pecas ?" Who cares for that
now?
But let me return to the proposed ex-
animation. What shall we say of this
kind of addition to the population of
Vermont | answer, first, it takes some-
thing to make rogue and secondly, the
smarter ones are the most likely to es-
cape. The probability therefore is, that
in this fourth class was pretty large
T proportion Of smart fellows. Here then
we have the early settlers of the Green
Mountain State made up, in good part.
out of iour very forward classes Of men.
Vermont in her first stages is found imi-
tating the old Roman pattern. 1t is to
be presumed that this mode of emigra-
tion would assemble more men than wo-
men, Just as it did in the days OF Romu.
lus. We know what method the Romans
adopted to obtain wives, | have not
searched the archives Of my native State
for information on this importan. addi-
tion to her population; but | have a
piece Of domestic history that may help
to solve this point. My maternal grand
mother understood the situation. and leav-
ing respectable portion of her family
in the Old Bay State, took her five un-
married daughters and went to Vermont.
Tacy were snatched up as quick as if
they had been in Sabine dance. Yer
mont ladies were at a premium then, aud
have been over since. This, then, ac-
cording to tho greeting | have mentioned
above, and which has been too often re.
O peated in my hearing since | left my na.
tive. State. is the origin of that stock
which is so much lauded at home and
/ abroad, aad whose developme'r's have
a made us so proud of it. The / 81. Fam
n lilies of Vermont, The +. + S of tho
!. commonwealth. If any will have it Fla
, Footed Vermonters, so be it, There il
an old classic, which we have all studied
J.. that eminently sets forth this famou
a. emigration. 1t is one which like man
v other things was iua.illed into our mind'
4 in early life, with 10 expectation that W
should understand it at the time. Jus
as if man should carry home broa'
axe and put it under the cradle, expect
ing that the tenant Of that dry land boa
will by and by when he becomes ship
builder. understand the nature of the in
strument which SO often interiered wit
his rockers.
I The brief extract which | am about t
make describes the pre.emnent smartnes