Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-07

N.
BAKER. who always doubted which he hated most.
a Yorker, Tory, or an Indian. COCHRAN. q hunt
or ana guide, philosopher and \ patriot-and i
might name a score of others but these will serve
10 make leaders enough for all political parties
iot as many sects as ever opposed the Pope,so un-
| IKE eAch other in all things that you would not
suppose they could have sprung from the same
racs Had they been like ourselves, they would
have all BEEN leaders, but each would have led q
| different party.
We have to 90 deeper to find their points Of uni
! ty. They all came from that iron-souled race oil
thinkers: who early in the 18th century burst the
letters OF Church and State, and shook the centres
OF msnarchy TO their bases with tho proposition,
that the the powers OF government were derived
from the people, should be employed for the benefit
| OF the people, mat any system OF religion whcn
taught the contrary was no true system or religion.
| FOR TINS iaith they might be and were broken, on
the wheel but from 1t they would not turn Inoy
| were hepuoheans IN religion and in politics EN-
grating from Europe into the free air Of this vest
ern world these principles became part OF them
selves their descendants carried them into western
Connecticut and Massachusetts, and from thence
into this wilderness, where they confronted all the
dangers and deprivations of new settlement They
ton. However much they might differ in other af-
fairs, they were all agreed that they would not tel
crate any invasion Of their rights OF person or prop
erty. That was tyranny and tyranny was to be re-
| sisted TO the death. They were taught by their
iathers-ther lives were perpetual illustrations OF
the necessity oil united action. In their case dlvl-
sion was destructon,-UnI0R perfect union OF opin-
lon' rescoufeeseharacteIs, and powers alone could
| preserve them,
now ASK your attention to some OF the conse-
qnences to the person and the community Of this
| common unity OF action and opinion, among tnese
men, who differed so!Sideiy among themselves.
need not remind You that in their time the tee-
graph the railway and the steamboat had not been
| invented. I here was scarcely hi ghway upon the
Grants. Men went from place 20 place on foot or on
horseback, following Indian trail or lines OF mark
! cd trees. You Will scarcely c. Il the assertion
that under such circumstances 10 iull effective
| strength OF the new settlement ID be mustered
at any gwen point with nearly a. ,uch CELEBRITY as
TAI al, aft4lt IA hIIf
you Will boar my proofs before y reject II. take
them from history. 1t was on tn n OF May l775,
when Allen summoned his first man To march upon
IleOHderosa. lie lost full day waiting FOR boats
on the shore of the lake and even then captured
the fort N the morning twilight Of May tenth.
There was then block house near the north end o.
the bridge at Mino0sk 1t was called Fort Frederic
sarrisoned by men engaged in surveying or clear
IN the lntervsles above They were under the
command OF Remember Baker. In some way, Al
lens summons reached Baker in time 10 enable
him 20 call in his men. equip them, embark then,
on a hlt-hoat. sail down the river TO its mouth,
row or sail up the lake, capture a boat filed with
escaping British soldiers. on the way TO Canada,
and TO reach Crown Point in time to take part in
the capture Of that fort before OF the 10Th OF
May Could YOU do much better now
find the fact also recorded that in the winter OF
l74G, an express irom Albany brought the news to
! Bennington that Sir John johnson with five hun
drec Tories and a body OF Indians was marching
upon Tryon County, then at the eve OF Instruction
The Yorkers-the people who had kidnapped Baker,
anu declared Allen an OutlaW-imploved the Green
Mountain boys to help them. Did they answer,
You are the men who, WIKI strong hand, without
right for more than years have been striving TO rob
u. 81 our homes No. no Within ftreire hours
qfs,r The news reached the Grants. that more than
ninety Green Mountain boys armed equipped and
pruy stoned, were ON the march, and every one Of
these Vernonters was furnished by single town.
lhey joined schuyler, marched TO Johnstown, and
received the surrender Of the iuyad NJ force
David Wooster, captain n the French war. had
Ncw York grant Of lands in the town OF Add ison.
IN i-dl, the Nernonters vino had expelled Col.
ffa M 90
or serving writs on the settlers OF the lands he
claimed HEY tied him and his shern to a tree.
Threatened them with the Beech seal. and released
them only when they had Withdrawn their wits,
and promised 10 - afl SIN ~ more.
We next hear o. Wooster IN miCwinter Of l.16.
/ Mont -ouery has fallen. Wooster is ia command Of
d defeated and dlspirited army below Montreal and
the SINAI pcX is epidemic among the frozen. starved
and wounded patriots. who nave traversei the
wild- 30. Maine only u ne defeated before Quebec.
They are surrounded ny an enemy tw &c their mum
| her tie is wrltin- To- Col. Warner. Our prospect
Is dubious he says. Il have sent 70 General
Schuyler, Gen Washington and 70 Congress p
! hut YOU know how long lt vii be before We can
/ have re e; iron them You and the valiant
/ 6Ieen Mountain Corps are 10 our ne -hborhood."
Yen all have arms and ever stand ready
J 20 lend he ping hand 10 your brethren in dis
| tress' Had time | would read the whole Of this
! touching letter. he impIores Warner TO send him
[ hr.p. Let tho iu.n set ont at once =
hy tens twentles. thirtes or Cities 1t viii have
god effect on The Cauad 4ns" II an confident !
satt zee 3sa hos uH4 y0aT men "a tery short
fua..r
Tn. letter was written near Montreal On the 9Th
! of January, and On the I'D, only 40 days later
Sclut .er ,LdrCw as request upon hashing ton
lIr 81 ulrc,-Leuis because - he sad. Warner had
been successful ia sending men TO hooster's AID
A-alu the courage and CELEBRITY %. the vernon ers
saved the army. They formed Mooster's rear
I guard, standing Ike d val between HIM and his
lUrsurrs, ana fought hll the way rom the St Law
I renee O. ths Islands OF lake Champlain. Nor did
they relax Their wAtclfgl care until June. when
ito last weary. wounded sold er O, that army was
aH| aN. HHaH HI ID ri Lis ~ NIlFH
could give many other Illustrations Of their
promptIes- n marching to prltec, a friend or de-
stroy an enemy. Let u nov lOte their conduct n
dincult emergency.
Ilc emhry state never passed through darker
per ul than that between the advance OF Bur soyue
ald die battle Of Bennington. The retreat " ST.
Clair LETT the whole western frontier unprotected.
Bur-oyue scattered his proclamations. settn forth
his sireu- 9Th and Offering protection 10 all who
WOULD ABANDON the patri-t cause. AL the proyls-
ii.s brought to ais camp would lie paid Tor IN gold.
The detection WAS 81 -nttul livery waverlng man
accepted oiicrs. Even uisa5er " me souNcil
o. h-s eternal disgrace De & "a d, deserted The
+ pc pie were poor They bad no money OF credit.
Alarm atd ctriusIun every y here prevailed vol
urtcer force ut he raised. armed. ,e1 and .othed,
" ne contest in las quarter Vas endci. How
lut tAese wa. a little hand * men known as the
/ Council % "a. ~ whlcA VS. neither discouraged
/ nor d.smayed. rA,y took ace unit O. their re-
I s1lre.s a. uloiiy is Few weeks before they had
.scussei nc provisions o. the new constitution.
lie prime necessity % trc moment was 70 raise an
tosefuols. Both objects were accomplished by
slu-lc resolution, Conceived, adopted, and It's
cution ir '4aed !"r. IN a s.u- e session.
Ira Alien. then statesman - Old. Was is
author Ii prov died. .ur committee OF sequestra-
uoa,Wh POKER 1couascate the estates Of tie Tories
I ami cut o. tAe proceeds RAISE and pay the vol
uutccfs Il stupFci desert uus instantly. NOlun-
teeIs promptly came forward. This resolution was
the isst anu most fatal DOW struck al the army
] % kuT-s yne.
Let lueu9w call yolr attention to an Illustration
] o. tle pra-iica. common sense which appears 10
have controlled Tie acton. o.. our ancestors. I re-
er Yea t. their Let convention 20 irame a olnstitu-
I TOR. J. couScue,4 o.. " lnGscr n July III. Hal!
IT'S members Game .rect ifon their re- menis TO
] the convention. burzCyIc was approaching with
/ an army ~4l-eA t@4ce outnumbeIei al the men on
/ lle uraais ai4a 20 bear aflls. Congress had Just
declared That tLc icl u. form new state here
J vas 10 SUBSTANCE dtfu-atofy % that BODY and a
/ violation of tle n -Ats o.. New York.
/ Cool aid undssiuayed the delegates met in con-
veltou- la \ en- las written that the business
beng ncE ami " great cuuseq hence required
/ GU, de..o erttIon- ~ DOUBT OF that. a draI o.
The constitute z was presented by wnom prepared
. We Go not Know. lney examined Il section by
section. Ia tAc lI DIST % the debate express
rived with news Oi 81 Cars retrost before Bur
-oync. Iae Gam es %. the President ana many o.
iae meGte-s were eN sed % the hlrelng and the
s1YA-es ia ls ira b. Their Arst Impulse to
aciourn and hasten % the defence o.. their homes,
JH.t then sudden July storm arose, which their
venerable chaplain declared was an indication OF
TIE mighty vii that the constitution should be
adopted then aLl there, while awaitin. It's
sation, ia the very corh ct ~ the elements, the
darkened hall minated hy the flashes Of the
Lightning. they ilriuei a state. he constitution
was read through and virtually adopted. vote
appointing the ,Qmm'ttee o. SAFETY followed an
acj ointment % December. the storm passed over.
anu within i've hours % the arrival OF the express
The members were on their Wav TO defend iheir
families AMI their lrcs .es
They came together again * December. Stirring
e ents had happened mtautir ne IN which they had
been actors. The battles o.. Bennington and Hub
harft ton had been fought Burgoyne had surren-
deref, T.eoudero-a had been retIkeu. the frontier
rad heen Cleared oi tle invader, and many o: the
volunteers had returned to their homes The con
SeniOu I'm she'd its WORK without delay. They adopt
ed preamble ana ratified the constitution. TLev
ucciged That it was Lot eXpsleut 10 submit their
Work o. a popuiIr vote. They named the lath o.
hacl ins Their ufst tc ton AMI sent Ira Allen 10
Correct cut 90 have Rae coz st.Jutlon printed.
We Rus uot assume that woo q .i,ereuces OF
OPP zion OF 1ut exist among The members @, that
dY Ia l"spt,. %. tuc government tney we're about
esta slIG- " .dc auI hausst iereucs did exist
VII cn PROBABLY then could 1 have been salts
iactoriy adjusted maize this reference for the !
single purpose g.. sloW NJ the wisdom which these
PLAIN men clsplayei u dealing with these ques-
TONS. To-day such questions would be Transled |
over q convention. herceiy debated by the press
and AFTER months oi acl moniugs discussion decided
20 the satisfaction NOT oi the people but O; party,
Our fathers res -n.z.n- the necessity Of some kind
o! government, established it, and postponed |
their differences until il had been submitted to the
test OF experience. Instead Ct making perms- |
nent constitution, - he changed only by the weary
processes adopted IN other States they prov ded for
year,. This provision satisfied everybody. Il |
originated your council Of censors and furnished |
what experience has shown 10 DO the very best /
method OF amending constitution.
There was a wise purpose in the omission to sub
nit the question 20 popular vote Vermont |
surrounded by watchful enemies. Congress had |
Just denounced tho project Of separate State. New
York was usln- every srtice TO divide and distract
TIE people. New hampshire was intent on the |
same purpose IL 1uhtful whether the popus
lar vote would tdeu have given majority for any
eOnsttut on. The COM eutCn escaped the danger
ly not submitting ,. AID their constituents ratified
their DECISION.
hold this afl-lnal constitution. US printed in
Hartford, IN my hand. In view of the circumstan-
ces 10 which Il aas made it IL remarkable docu-
mont. might we'll have made IT, - first intend
ed,tne exclusive subsct %; address to-day, Tor
declare with ut reservation that II is IN my judy
ment the wisest. the most liberal, the best state
paper 70 be- found in American cons itut0nsl his
tory. caa only use 10 now illustration Of
the wisdl m the patriotism and the uuse fish M
tives which controlled the men hJ gave il ths,r
posterty.
Let ne cite an example Of ihe pr. M, cas- with
which these npn IN O. critics csaer. Ancy TOOK in 10
their confidence str-n-er 10 TIER coupons. and
the very Reader OF the opposition, when his pecu- |