St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-08-24

therefore, ladies and gentlemen, as the
first sentiment appropriate to this occa-
sion and nearest to your hearts, not the
health of the President of the United
States, but the health and long life of
Rutherford B. Hayes, President of the
United States.
RESPONSE OF PRESIDENT HAYES.
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
FeIIoC- Citisens: l would be glad to be
able to fifty thank my friends of YER
mont for the kind way they have re-
ceived these sentiments, but find that
| am unable to appropriately thank
you, and without further words l will
take my seat.
A TRIBUTE TO GREAT BRITAIN AND
CANADA.
President Phelps then said: We are
celebrating the anniversary of a great
victory over the troops of Great Britain,
but we can rejoice in the fact that it is
more than 65 years that peace has
reigned between us and the mother
country. Long may it continue. l am
happy to state that courteous and
gratifying correspondence has taken
place in reference to this celebration,
between Governor Fairbanks and that
excellent nobleman, Lord Dufferin,
Governor General of Canada, who was
invited to be present on this occasion.
He writes to say that if it were not that
his duties called him out West he would
have been happy to have responded
appropriately in his official capacity.
Nj. Phelps then read letter from His
Excellency, Lord Dutferin, excusing
himself from attendance, which has al
ready appeared in these columns.
Mr.. Phelps then continued: We
should not be doing our full duty if we
forgot that illustrious lady who, through
so many years of blameless life, has
been more than the Queen of Great
Britain. She has been Queen in the
virtues and Queen in the hearts of all
people. | therefore propose the health
of Her Most Gracious Majesty, Victoria,
Queen of Cheat Britain-GOd bless her !!
The band then played the English
National Anthem, "God Save the
Queen"
Mr.. Phelps then called upon Hon.
VIM. NJ. Evarts to speak and hoped that
when the latter came to Vermont at
any time he would consider that ''there
is no place like home"
RESPONSE BY HON. WILLIAM NJ. EvARTS.
Mr.. Evarts said: [ should know Il
little better, Mr.. President, "there is no
place like home," if knew Il little more
exactly where my home is; but | am
very glad to be here with you, to share
in the honors of this great day. Since
have been here l have looked out
from the hospitable mansion of our
host, Nh. Tibbets, upon the town of
Sunderland, which was my fathers
birthplace, and find that the family of
Fay, that contributed so much to that
battle and shared so greatly in its glory,
is of the same blood with myself. If |
could find myself as well treated and
enjoy myself wherever | travel as |
have in coming to Bennington, | might
well say, wherever l may be. that there
is no place like home.
And now in regard to the Majesty of
England. The majesty of that nation
and of that gracious lady, the Queen, is
it not the best token of the great and
Christian character of the nation and of
herself, that on the celebration of a
battle so fatal to the power of her an
cestry, and so glorious for the prosper
ity of this country, that we should re-
ceive such a letter from the Governor
General of Canada, the representative
of the British Crown? 1t is fitting that
we should respond ut our festival with
royal homage, with the MAJ tial and
loyal airs of England. Let us, in look
ing back upon the mother country,
yield to Her Most Gracious Majesty,
the Queen, our homage to her as Il
woman, which we deny to a Queen.
| believe, Mr.. President, that had
Queen Victoria been on the throne, in
stead of George the Third, or if we had
postponed our rebellion until Queen
Victoria reigned, it would not have
been necessary, and if there had been
any rebellion at all it would have been
on the part of England. Now this bat
tie of Bennington was important as part
of the great campaign which secured
American freedom and independence.
The great object the British had in
view then was to divide the North from
the South, and if that had been done
the colonies would not have been di-
vided from England, and let us under
stand that what the courage and the
patriotism of Northern men and South
ern men would not permit to he done,
could not be done by the cunning of the
British Cabinet in the power of the
British arms. The stress of wal with
the mother country in 1872 and 1916,
only bound more closely the ties be
tween the North and the South, and
then the great nation determined, be-
fore this structure, that its care was to
meet the responsibilities of Il great and
powerful people, launched out on the
second century of its being. 1t should
be tried and tested, as the workman
does his work, to see whether that
Union which hostile foes could make
no impression on can be burst asunder
by the energies of its own people, no
other people being able to do it; and
let me say to you, as the engineer and
architect strains the structure to the
utmost pressure, in the enhanced ener-
gies of that conflict the strength of the
American Union is proof against all
social, foreign and civil strife. Let me
also add that if neither political nor
military power can burst this Union,
neither can society. 1t is the people
that is absolutely free now and absO-
lutely equal now. 1t is the people that
knows its rights and that will protect
them from all invasion of the hostile
foe and jealousy of hatred, and the
wrath of this people, with its thunder
bolts, shall strike in the name of the
whole people.
Mr.. Evarts closed his speech by re-
ferrng to the fact that had been brought
to the notice Of the American people by
a distinguished writer (Artemas Ward, J
who had declared himself willing to
sacrifice on the altar of his country all
his wife's relations, but John Stark