Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-07-14
aIrss3r

needle, than Tor rich man to enter the
Kingdom of God Riches, of course, have
their uses, but they are no more than the
instrumenalilies bv which we are to be
lifted higher and higher on ever succeed
ing attitudes Of usefulness: and unless
they answer that endt they are a curse, and
clergymen should thank God for poverty
rather han riches. But when riches 20
with intelligence, when they 90 with edu-
cation, when they go with sterling sense
of honor, when they build our institutions
of learning, and ail our churches in ,lcvel-
oping the higher. noblrr and trucr quail
ties of manhood-that is wealth worth be-
ING thankful for. But when riches become
the source Of etfemincy. and luxury. and
dcbaucherv, they eat like canker in:o the
vltals of governments; we had better pray
for curses on Our productive farms, that
our cattle may be barren and our sheep
grow no wool. Far better poverty than
riches. If riches eat out the manhood of
the people.
Let me say a few words in regard 10 the
dav we celebrate. in fact. the Fourth of
July. 1t has been almost one hundred
years. As You have heard by the ncwSpl-
pers, since the declaration of American
Independence. And on every Fourth of
July since that occasion the people have
come together for the purpose of express
ing their sense of the great work done bv
their ancestors on that day, their thankful
ness for the institutions which have been
transmitted to them, and to pledge anew
their patriotism and devotion to their COM
mon country. An now we have come to
the end of the century. and can look back
ward nnetynne years. to the Fourth of
July, no. and it is Il good thing for Us to
take oar reckoning, and to see where we
are. Webster once said in memorable
words, which may not quote precisely -
after the mariner has been tossed for
many days in foggy weather and under :.
cloudy sky, he av;il> himself of the first
pause IN the storm, the earliest glimpse of
the sun, and takes 4 reckoning. to see how
tar the winds have drffed him fromthe true
course And what better time can We
find than the end of the century to pause
md take Our reckoning. and see how far
the influences. which have been 1T work
upon IL for the last hundred Years, may
have drifted Us from the true course of re-
publican Ii ertv.
Pro 'lblv there is no better time for the
people of this country to take into con>id-
Grafton the way in which they may be we'll
served by what we tamilisrly speak of as
public servants. and who ought ALWAYS to
be public servants, because it is only
through these agents, who administer af
fairs that the government can be kept
sound; kept tru" to the course in which it
was stlrtei. We boast of oar American
yitizrnship; it used to be said. that - be 4
Roman citizen was the highest boast man
could make; and our Fourth of July ORA
Or have said over and over again, that it
was still higher bo;t>t to be able to sav,
" am an American citizen" B t citizen
ship is not merely an empty honor. 1t i
L solemn duty. American citizenship has
no significance for the future, and no fu-
ture except a the governmrnt Of which
every citizen IS \ part, is Il good govern
ment, and one of which evetv man may
boast. The American flag is nothing. ex-
cept what We reld in that fl tg. Unless
h It flag is an emblem of good govern
ment, what virtue has it in itself. and whit
glory have we in it9 Shame rather to oar
selves. because we insrrihe on its folds
whatever inscription and legend it may
bear.
Oar government i, not like foreign gov
ernments. which consist of Il cltSl OF 4
| king. and for which in iivIduals are not re-
sponsibe. Every mlu i'll the country is
re- -ponsible ior the government; every man
| is responsible for I'll. President. for Con-
IreS>, for the Governor, for the Lrgi~la-
ture; and we can't turn round, and ~ in
IivliualS Crltlci~e AMI rrbukc the PrcsI
! lent. or The Governor. Congress or the
! Legislature. without rcbuhin- ourselves,
very man of u~. And if they are care
less or Il >hon"-t, if they degrade their
! high Oil ,e>, they are Our agents in doing
it. and We cunt sit buck with snctrin- crit
iciSm>, with L cold = don't cure. it i none
IF my business. he,"luS,, it i> 4 matter
which comes home 10 all our boSom>. to
the bosom, of you farm T.. and voI man
uf:,cturer>. and you mercllantS. Iou feel
the taxes. You feel the pro-tr,tion of bu-i-
ness, you feel it in 4 hunlred ways; it i :,
| Nemesis that htuntS yOur every step. My
friends, if we want a good government it
is the duty Of every man to make it :: per
-onal aft tir himself, AMI to look after the
business of the State with the slmp care
and fidelity with which he attends to his
own. How common it IS on election Il ,vs
for men to feel that they cannot relnqlish
heir harvesting, or leave their factory. or
their store AID thu, lose Il few dollars for
he sake of voting. People seem to think
| that the pOStm tsIcr. or the collector of in
ernal revenur. are plil t atten TO such
mltters, and they rely upon them with I'M
plicit faith to send the right man. 1t is
this h dit Of neglect, AMI only this on the
part of the people, that Will cnlblc bad and
unprincipled men to pack legislatures and
viii cause republican government to be Il
mockerv.
| In view Of all these things. there is no
better timr Is | sail Il few moments agp,
than at the close of the first hundred Years
Of our national life. for the citizens of this
country TO take their reckoninys and see
whether the government is what our faith
ers made it. Why. my friends, what think
YOU Suppose the men who stood in the
trenches. at Bunker Hill. had said: We
must take care of our hny, We can't 90
there suppose the men who sacrificed
their lives. their fortunes. every thing but
their sacred honor in the war of indeprnd-
ancc. had said " This is none of our bus-
ness. this is somebody's else bu >lneS>; do
YOU think they would have ever founded Il
nation and established the great principles
of liberty and equal right, to all And 80
we too. if we discharge the duties which
are incumbent upon every eitlZen.WlIl car
" these great principles triumphantly
throu III the century W hich is opening be
fore Us. There is no neeI Of any extra
every man, who takes pride in his citizen
ship, who gIories that he is an American
shall at end closely to the public affairs,
and having seen that only honest men are
elected to be the public servan' S.sh;tll take
care that they perform their duties faltf-
fully. | have filth in our institutions. l
know that they have made Vermont one
of the most honorable states in the Union
We have founhed states in the great west
the peop,e of Vermont have gone out year
after year, and planted school houses and
churches on the western parirles,and have
% permeated Iowa with their influence
that she is called the Vermont OF the West
Wherever we 90 we find men OF our own
State, and they are among the most inf1u-
entail leaders of the country. Let 1t be
our pride to continue in the same course
Let i, be our pride, if we are indeed a
small state, if We IN never cOmptre with
New York, Pennsylvania. or Ohio IN ex