The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-10-24

President and was determined that the law
should be executed. He not only ordered
out such of the regular forces of the United
States as were at his disposal, but made
requisiton on the several states for dctach-
mcnts of their militia. His requisition was
made in accordance with special act Of
Congress and, so far as Vermont was con-
cerned, simply required ga detachment
" from the militia of this state, to be held
" in readiness, as minute men, Forum
ately their services were not required, the
insurection being suppressed with but lit
tie or no bloodshcd, the offenders brought
to trial, the taxes collected and the law sub
| sequently repealed. The federal party, be-
ing in power, were held responsible for the
law, and they, as well as the law itself,
were objects of frequent and bitter denun-
citation by the, then, opposition. Lyon was
blatant democrat, one of the leaders Of
his party in the state, and was wont to
carry matters with high hand This was
the situation of affairs when the legislature
convened at Rutland in October, 1874, the
federalists, however, being in the majoii-
| ty. Colonel Lyon seized an early oppor-
tunity SO introduce resolution upon the
subject, the terms of which were peculiarly
offensive to the friends of the adminstrn-
ton, and which, also, failed 60 meet the
concurrence of his political friends to the
effect that the governor be directed to write
to the President requesting him 10 suspend
the execution of his orders for the march
of the militia against the ''insuncctonists
of the western country" until after the as
sembling Of Congress. \ portion of the
preamble and resolution we will quote. as
| forming the prccedents for SO many similar
preambles, resolutions and speeches in the
early days of the rebclliOn. After rcciting
the fact of the insurrection, the preamble
declares that "the warike preparations
now making TO suppress it, betokcns great
danger of the sword of Americans drawn
against Americans, and that the blood of
our fellow citizens will be spilled" while
the resolution requests the President to
''stay c0ercice measures" In order to meet
this proposition, Stephen Jacob, afterwards
a judge of the supreme court-Gs one ac-
count has it-but more especially, proba-
bly,, to ridicule it, introduced resolution.
prefacing it with the remark that sit
would, perhaps, answer every wish of
Colonel Lyon" The import of the re
solve was THAT thegovernor be directed to
g issue his proclamation forbiddng the as
90 sembling of certain self-created societies,
g the dissemination of whose rant and
- quibblings, had a tendency to disturb the
"peace of society, under whatever name
- they meet" The allusiOn il may he ne
cessary to say, was to democratic political
societies which Colonel Lyon was cxces-
sively Jealous in organizing. Neither rcso-
luton elected discussion, but both were dis
missed with contemptuous disregard Of,
even, parliamentary courtesy. 1t seems
that Lyon called his boarding house " the
democratic headquarters" and very soon
after the adjournment of the general as
sembly, for the day, "an elligy was
" brought from the headquarters of Col.
Lyon, hung on shccrs and burnt upon the
"pnblic green The "c1gy," il is said
bore liable " on its forehead inscribed f:
"This is Jacob"
That Lyon was the originator of this dis
graceful proceeding seems to admit of no
doubt, and Lyon, himself, in the communi-
cation referred to, does not deny, or even
allude to the affair. The account, to which
we have referred, says that the operators
were "a negro, with Il fiddle, and two or
three young men, adding, that this mighty
affair, however, made so little noise as to
be forgotten in few days, universally dis
ayowed by men Of character, and disap-
proved by every party. No mention of
either of these motions, or resolutions, is to
be found upon the journals Of the general
assembly, but in the letter of Lyon, already
referred to, written after the adjournment
of the legislature he states that it his rcsolu-
tion,i in the hands of MrJacob. This fact,
taken with the following account derived
from another source, shows that Colonel
Benton's celebrated eXpunging resolution
was not altogether original with him. The
more that Vermont's history is examined,
the more instances we find in which action
has been taken which, half a century after
wards, is followed by other states or by the
general government, and claimed to he the
first instance of the kind on record. A
writer to Boston paper"-what "paper'
is not stated-says, in referring to this af-
fair A motion was lately made in the
Legislature of Vermont censurng the ex-
else law, "approbating the opposition to it
by the whiskey boys, and charging the
President with stretch of power in call
ing out the militia to suppress the insur-
gents, and urging the governors represen-
tation TO Congress of their sentiments. This
motion was carried" The next day
which was probably October 10th-'a
motion was made expressive of the danger
of democratic societies that their exist
ence threatened serious consequences to
the existing government, and that every
good citizen and legislator should use their
utmost endeavor to destroy them This
motion was, the account says, withdrawn
to give place to another, THAT the vote OF
the preceding day should be erased from
the record" which was carried by a very
large majority. Here it may be remarked
that the Vermont legislature made more
perfect work of "expunging" than tho
United States Senate did of their resolution
"expunging" from the record the vote OF
censure against General Jackson. In the
latter case, the vote of censure still remains
made still more prominent by the black
lines and inscription which enclose and
mark it, while the "expunging resolution
is, also, of record. In Vermont, in the
nrinted iournals nj least not the sligbtosI