Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-09-04
And after him lead
Ills master.e-s steed,
While heats the muflled drum.

All tao=e and many other memories As you
meet here, pass through your minds like
the en-, ilass procession of great army. All
the pa, = before you as the present. and as
YOU 81 n up the great result of four years
war. YOU can say with honest pride, and we
can all : y in the face of all men. that You
have ma atained the power and unity Of
the repub &c. and brought honor and endur-
inp renoW 20 the flags of our country and
our State.
Fellow-c .;izens Let US consider, with
the breyity the occa sion requires, what ex-
amp.es you have given, and what benefits
you have pr Odueed for tie present and the
future of the great con. monwealth-Cur
country. You have made it manifest that
citizen sodiery i, in a Tree government,
fully capable OF defending it a. 'ainst inter-
nal commOlion and rebellion as well as
against foreign fOe>. Only deSpot. SINS and
dynastes require that a people sha Y bear
the burden OF IA Standing army to up hold
them; for, with them. the law has aul Lori-
ty only because 1t l. supported by ply steal
force. Whenever the people do not make
the laws, and cannot repeal them if they
are unjust and oppressive, they will not
respect them further than they are COM
PEELED to but where, a. with us. the WIS
are simply the crystallized opponents of pub
lie opinion put into the form ot statutes By
the chosen representative. of the people,
and are changeable a. the general opinion
OF the public welfare may dictate, they
breathe the spirit OF innate authority, and
naturally inspire the respect and obedience
OF the body OF the people; and they take up
arms TO defend and indicate the laws. as
their own Inheritance and security.
lOu and your tellowsOldlers OF the Union
H, Ilala1
more than half a million of trained and
veteran warriors, with great commanders,
peaceably and promptly disb4nding and re-
turning to the industries and pursuits of
civil life, without any effort or ambition
even, on the part OF any. TO aggrandIze
himself by disturbing the government, or
holding on to the power OF a great army.
rhe vast military array OF one day was.
50 to speak, on the next, dissolved into Its
original clements OF simple citizenship. IL
seems to me that no words can measure the
value of this event to the cause OF free edu-
cation and enlightened government through
out the world. Those TWO examples | have
mentioned will, believe, shine with ra-
dance increasing as the years recede.
How shall | sum up the triumphs of your
victory? The immediate and visible are
The destruction of the institution of
slavery, which neither the wisdom Of the |
fathers, nor the prayers and efforts OF nearly |
a century had been able to unfasten from
the framework of the Republic the over
throw of social and political aristocracy |
founded upon slavery and tending to destroy |
the necessary conditions OF free government, |
the school and the dignity Of free labor the |
insertion in the national constitution OF the |
three perpetual guarantees Of personal
liberty of equal civil rights and of equal
suffrage | speak of these freely because l /
believe that whatever may have been the |
differences of opinion touching their sdop- |