St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-06-26
Senator EdInunds' Speech.

Senator Edmunds. after an opening
sentence Of thanks to the Chairman.
proceeded to express the pleasure with
which he had returned to his home.
though but for Il day, and his gratilica-
tIun ut meeting here so many citizens
ot the state who had i'll former vcals
been his associates i'll public and polit-
zeal duties at Montpelier and elsewhere
| can almost imagine. said he. aS look
around me. that we are Standing once
more III the halls of the Stat House to
consult and lcgiSlatc for the public
welfare. Yet cannot forget that we
are met i'll the old town hall Of Burlng-
ton. where. as | 81 well remember. took
place the first gathering of the first
company of Vermont Volunteers toI the
late war. " hence they marched for the
| protection of liberty and irion. and to
which. alas. 50 many failed to return.
| cannot forget that here. ut the close
OF the war. some of our regiments. with
Well-worn clothes and tattcred flags.
and with thiuncd ranks. and men with
handagrd or crippled limbs. marched
back. to lay down their arms. and to
resume once more the honorable place
and duties of private citizenship. As
| here and now We assemble fnI such
duties and amid such memories. it is
not mtitting that we should briefly re
View what has been accomplished and
what rrurainS of our gicat work.
The rebellion ended at Il cost Ia the
people ot 1OO. .OOO lives. of lis Youngest
and most cntcrpIiSing blood at the
cost OF JtO.ttU of the same muscle and
intelligence. who brought home to the
walks of peace the SutlcIing> and the
diseases which the war brought to Them
a. Il continual mcmcuto of sacrifices and
of honor. Ii cost You the toll of a>>i>i =
ing i'll the raising of almost three thou
sand millions of fdnllarS. spent in the WHr.
and left yoH ;S Il legacy Il national debt
OF about thee thou>aHd millions more.
Our party. having achieved IL victory
greater tiIHn ever seen before: having
quietly diShandcd the greatest army Gt
modern times. finds itSelfnow confronted
with the question Is it nur duty to still
carry on the work. or shall it bc turned
over To some other party or comhina-
ton. whose purposes. aS set forth III the
last national Democratic platform. are
at best eNa>iVc. and whose Sympathic>
as Il pHlty, as formally expressed by
thrm in "a and '6- and -. were given
to the principles it has cost lis 50 much
to overthrow. The question iS. shall
we pledge ourselves to pay the debit.
and keep sacred these memories. ol
shall we tuIn the government over Ia
the other party. i'll til" expectation that
they will redeem the national honor
and hold sacred the hcroiSm and sacri-
iicc> that achieved our triumph. This
is Il question. to which. as it seems tn
me. the answer of every patriot 10y
whatever party name he calls himself
should be. Never, never. HcrCr. Ap-
plau>c.
1t is for us to remember, that tho
good of the citizens is Il part of the good
oi society. y good government must
keep sacred its obligations. even a>
every honest man meets the obligations
his private station imposes on him
| Therefore | say that every man who
asks himself conScicntiou>ly and fairly
his duty. waving all party names. must
| say a: the government must he commit
ted to those who will preserve the re-
suits of the war. will encourage every
industry. will bear taxation Ia meet the
public obligations. and will 80 admin
lister the laws that the civil rights of the
lowest citizen shall he IL living reality,
throughout the land. Applause.
in order to secure these results. the
Republican party adopted three great
measures. 1t enacted hv constitutional
provisions. first. that slavery shall cx-
iSt no more: second, that every citizen
shall have the protection of the flag.
and shall enjoy liberty and equality
before the law and mira. that no man
I..b I,n al nf hn al
voting on account of race. color or pre-
viouS condition of servitude. These
amendments. and especially the last
have received the persistent assaults OF
the Democratic party, in order to secure
Il return of their ascendency. Think OF
it-a ''dcmOcrdfic" party declaring that
there may he Determinations among ON
citizens in their right to choose then
rulers and to govern themselves. What
would be said her i'll Vermont, If We
undertook to declare that no man OF
German or Irish descent should vote.
though Il citizen Yet you find the
Democratic party ever by solid votes
resisting that amendment. The Democ-
racV. North and South. hold that all the
amendments were not cOnstltutIonallN
adnpted and are of no binding power
I | do not SAY that they say so, now
they dodge the question as to some OF
the amendments by SAYING that 1t Is
perhaps too late to disturb them. But
if YOU put that party into power. You
must do so under fair notice that every
law III aid of these amendments to the
constitution (known us the civil rights
and voting actS) will he repealed at the
iilst moment the necessary majority can
be obtained. They will stand, If re-
turned to power, where the election OF
Mr.. Lincoln left them. They will bf
under the control of the same landed
ariStocracy and will carry the country
back for century. This is us well ull-
derstood ut Washington. OH both sides
as anything can be.
The Democratic party has gone fur
ther than this. There have been meet
ings in the Southern States, the pas'
winter. of associations of planters, call
ing themselves Patrons of Hushandry
hut with objects very different from the
Northern organizations of that name
composed of men who were active rep-
els. and who are banded to control la,
Dor and to reduce the cOlored men ano
the Door whites substantially to thell
old conditions, by laws about labor con
tracts. There is, you know, large