Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-31
Gen. Sherman's speech. d the Banquet Of the
New kuglsna society.

Hut peace puts fOftn DER ollvo ovofy
I'VE will our youth lead on 70 higher Aelde
And draw NO swosds but what are ssnetined."
III. King Henry, Get. 4, sesse4
M. President and Gentlemen: confess
that never come to New England festival
in the city of New York without feeling
commingling of pleasure and somewhat Of
pain. I always know that l meet here
everything that can please the palate and
crafty the fancy of the eye, and better still 4,
the wit. also feel that sense Of dread ct
the presence Of men, every one OF whom is
capable of teaching me, and before whom |
should be silent. But you will, and it is my
province as your guest to obey. Jap
plause.l look around me in vain for the
representatives of our navy, as had q right
to expect here some of our hardy tars. They
should be here to say few words and to
relieve me of that portion of the task which
you have assigned me tonight. 1t is GER
tsinly noble subject. Yet how changed
We do not know what the poor MsyfOwer
was 255 years ago. There are men now
before me who remember the old Maid Of the
Mist, the Huntress /; you remember those
clipper ships that used to sail to California
you recollect when q boy you would 20 to
the Battery and see the old Constellation 20
out. with her ranges of l8-pounders, then
looked upon as bull-dogs-they are mere
popguns now. Then the guns with which
our old captains fought those old battles,
with which Nelson fought and won at Ira
falgar-where are they now? Where are
the clipper ships-those beautiful figures
Gone Gone Disappeared. And in their
place what do we have 2-t . Canonicus,
the Sassacus. and all kinds Of sses, laugh
ter, creeping along, all undee water, with
a little bit of what they call "fepper-boIes'
above, couple Of guns-dsng erous things
at sea-devilfsh, with a great proboscis.
with some kind of an explosive at the end
think the days of ehiyalry have gone.
don't want to 20 to sea in any vessel of that
kind laughter If had to die upon
the deck of q ship | would prefer the old
Constitution. Applause. Nevertheless,
| admit that time changes, and We must
change. We are 10 more like our ances-
tors of the old Plymouth Rock time than
this occasion is like the tin cup of corn with
which they were fed in those days. But all
of Plymouth Rock is not vet gone. You in
New York have everything which pleases
the palate. which satisfies the Imagination
but there is large part of our country still
as Plymouth Rock was 255 years ago.
can take you where part of the army is,
whom you have toasted this night, for which
| thank you from my heart, where they
would be perfectly satisfied with their pint
OF corn for their meal because distance and
time are the same eyerywhere-they have
Unchanged. 1t is the same as it was when
Dlrn.anth pn.t fret trol hr he
white man feet The cold pinehes now as
it is did then hunger il the same the
principles of life and nature are the same
now as then But the laws which governed
our Pilgrim Fathers are not the same laws
which govern our people now. You ought
to thank God for this change. hope you
do hope every one within the sound Of
my voice l. conscious OF the advantages he
enjoys.
This great land extends from ocean to
ocean. 1t Is densely populated here. bat
sparsely populated in other parts, and the
little army of p 600 men is the connect.
ing link between the future and the past
fhey have task to perform the -ame as
our Pilgrim Fathers had. and some future
generation will look forward 10 them as
they did. The Army now is one of peace,
and should lead our hearts to peace. Ii
does. But a few years ago everyone was
in war, when We were struggling Tor our
existence, and need hardly refer to.it. |
appeal to you all, and believe you will say,
that there was never such an example
since the time oi Christ that the conquering
race gave 10 the conquered the same rights
that they themselves possessed. Applause ]
The yery moment the war ceased, that mo
ment We shared with them our food, gave
them employment, and took them to the
protection Of that hag which Is to be the
common dag of our home. Applause |
say again-and believe say what Others
will echo with me-that every Southern
man that will come with US heart and hand
to built up this nation, to make it a it were
the very perfection Of all civilized nations ;
where property Is secure, where lite il Sc
cure, and where contracts are enforced and
where honesty j. enforced, from the highest
down 10 the lOwest-l say they are as wei
come a. if they were born on the surface Of
Plymouth Rock. Applause But lei them
cherish one thought OF hostility, let them
have anything in reserye-anY boast Of their
old COniederAcy-a storm will rise over their
heads teniOli d, fierce Is the last one which
swept this land Applause. Gentlemen,
| am speaking now Tor an army scattered
all over this cOntinent-not Of the regular
Army, for that i small BODY Of men now
but tor An army OF mentor the muscle,
and bone and brain which now agitates
America. Applause. We see ourselves.
to-day. 10 a sort of apathetic position.
hear more complaints 10 New York than |
ever heard in my iie-an1 | used to live
here OF hand times, VI dull times.
don't sec II, but haynt had
the means ot looking behind the
counter. nor inside your ledgers But
the country At large i not unprosperous
There i more land cultivated than ever be
fore. There are more mines developed every
day than ever before There Is more room
Tor the unOeeupied than ever before. will
guarantee honest employment for 10 ,000,-
900 more people if they will only come over
from Europe, not if they hang around the
cities 10 become only clerks or porters Now
the trouble with this country is that the
people have hoeked too much in the cities.
Come ont West There is plenty oil wheat
there and plenty to drink. Laughter We
will treat you all kindly. When | hear
your people in New York complaining of
bard times and see so many people riding
about in carriages like princes, cannot un-
derstand it at all. 1t don't seem natural to
me at all If the Plymouth fathers had had
onetenth Of what each and every one of the
citizens OF New York have to-day, they
would have counted themselves rich, and If |
the people Of New York and America will |
only practice the economy, or one half the |
of the Pilgrim fathers, the nation
n debt will be eItinguished in ten wears
n five years. Cries of good, good. ~ As
10 specie payments, it will come as matter
If course. If, however. this great nation of |
orty millions Of people, By the wisdom of
Congress deem it hard and oppressive to
maintain p 900 soldiers TO keep the peace
ImOng the Indians and among our border
'eople-if they deem it extrayagant-let it
'e done let Us 20 back to our own civil
mployments, turn our swords into pruning
looks, and myself will give the example Of
olng back and earning my living as did
eiore the war. But | hope this great ma
ion will not forget the lesson of Washing
On, who babe them always to be prepared
It the danger be ever 80 little, to be prepar-
d for the danger. and to maintain not only
ne nucleus of an army but the knowledge
the art of war, and the art of naval war,
20, and preserve it as something pure and
ooye price, so that we won't have again to
limit to the modification of sending to
ermany for men to drill our soldiers in our
EXT war Applause
The House Committees
The committees show that the business of
lie House must be materially interrupted
: the unftness OF such Chairmsn, and the
ajority will be often placed at the mercy
superior adyersAries On the floor. Mr..
orrison will not venture to contend with
r. Blaine, Mr. Wheeler, and others, on a
I'D day, ior he has no faculty OF debate
r. Harris, at the head Of Elections. is no.
riously unable to sustain the responsible {
- OF that place. 1t il little else than a {