Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-11-01

destroy. The lost men can never be regaIr
ed. The capital may be restored. hut onl
after years CT industry and economy. Wit
US, we set right about it. Our army
more than a million of men. alter they ha
put down rebellion, were disbanded an
then returned to the orderly and productiv
pursuits of life We may be still on the L
grade, but are surely and rapidly reachin
the summit Of restored prosperity. Ii n
obstacles shall be thrown upon our track t
destroy public faith and confidence, if n
lunar philosophers shall persuade us tha
the silver moon is made of green cheese,
, great career is opening to the enterprIs
and the craftsmanship of the American
people.
But how is it abroad? will barely refe
to Asia, the birthplace OF the human race
, and containing the largest portion Of tn,
human family, but, for ages almost endless
only the paradise of the lowest despotisms
of superstition, Ignorance and Incidence
Substantially as Marco Polo found the
changeless East in the thirteenth century
it will be found to-day, Japan alone having
shown a resolute purpose to reach higher
cvilization-nOt even avoiding that satIri'
cal evidence of it offered by heavy public
debt. Among the 0rientals hard times
mean actual starvation with us they
How is it elsewhere? Not less burdened
than are We with public debts. and
with labor far less rewarded, they
are doomed to squander their re-
sources by the support of large stand
ing armies even in time OF peace--all
afraid of each other-and their Young men
IN the first dawning years OF manhood. are
all heavily weighted by the rigid enforce
ment OF stated period of active service
from and after the age Of twenty. These
large standing armies on peace footing
decimating as well as robbing industry-are
the mill-stones which hang upon the necks
of the people Of Europe-amounting both in
| France and Germany to over 400 900 men in
Russia to over 700 1000, and in Austria to
between two and three hundred thousand.
What contrast to the skeleton Of an army
which We hesitatinely maintain " in the
saddle" like the headquarters of one of our
late generals, for territory almost equal
TO the whole of Europe To put a corporaFs
guard at the numerous points on our I'M
mense frontiers, and for protection against
three hundred thousand more or less hostile
savaGes. We have a corps OF less than 25,-
900 mtn, or about the sane number Great
Britain finds IT necessary to MAINTAIN IN
Ireland TO stay its perpetual suit for divorce
and to win the hopeless love Of the country
men OF Daniel O'Cunnell.
These contrasts between our own and
other lands excite no envy and bring no
blush. Never had tie farmers of the
United States larger production than in
the last and the present year. The yield
the world over, it is true. is also far ADORE
the average, and when that happens. the
ruling prices must fall beiOp the average.
but the cost of living-of food and clothing
keeps equal pace and has rarely been
less. The season has been propIti0us. There
is no lack OF work among farmers. They
never fail to find som, thing to do. which. II
1t does not yield an immediate return, adds
to the permanent value OF their estates.
In the Southern States this material pros
perity surpassos anything in their previous
history and possibly exceeds that OF any
other portion of the UBiop, nOtwithstand-
ing their rebelliOus hosts were pulverized,
as was their soil, By the tramp OF our sol
diers. Others besides those once in bond
age have there found their way into fields OF
labor, and as much cOtton-nOre OF every
thing else-is now produced as in the palm
lest days Of chattel slavery. We abolished
slavery and did not abolish liberty; but
Great Britain abolished slavery in Jamaica,
and now the Crown and Captain-General
alone govern that formerly fertile island,
while its productions, striker with lInger-
ing consumption. have notably dwihded.
One fault must be admitted in our rehabili-
tation OF the Southern States. We gave
them by emancipation and universal snhage
thirty more votes In the House OF Repre-
sentatives, but the number OF voters at the
Southern polls unfortunately appears scarce
ly larger than before. We intended to per-
init them TO govern themselves, but did not
intend to permit them to govern US Some
body blundered. Equal power, man for
man. not two in South Carolina to one in
Vermont. is in the largest sense Democratic
as well as Republican. AT least We may he |
consoled by the fact that our example will |
blot cut slavery the world over. and We |
must wait for liberty and education TO do |
the rest among those who must always be |
our itllow-cOuntrymen.
The American nation, OF which We form
a small but healthy part, Is now lncreas-
ing in population at the marvellous rate oil |
more than a million per year. In addition
to the natural increase. the number Of i'm
migrants from 1920 to 1870 amounted to
over nine million. of whom more than two
million and a hall came from Ireland and
nearly as many from Germany. They came
from rugged fields Of toll because labor here
is more highly appreciated, and they soon
share all those rights and privileges OF self
Our total population now has been COM
puted at over AZ, 600 200. and it is estimated
that in less than two years i. will be So
600 600.
L. is easy to foresee, with any such num-
soil, or with only about one-tenth OF our
immense territory under actual cul-
tivstion. that our native land, with its
free Institutions, already holding the
primacy in the American world. must
attract much of the studious attention OF
tie great nations of the earth, and it should
not fail to wholly engage the earnest and
Thoughtful consideration OF our own patriot
lc citizens.
Our people own the land they cultivate,
in England and Wales not one in
twenty are owners of any land, IN Ireland
not one in seventy-fve, and in India all the
land is owEed by the government and sub
iecteG to an onerOus annual rental. Great
Britain is ruled by an influential aristOcracy
we by Democratic Republicans. They are
the evangelists of iree-trade, though without
authority or followers save in their own is
land, and rejected even by all of their own col
Dnles. Even in its home, irce-tradc Is begin
ming to be denounced az an utter failure. Our
-ystem seeks to elevate all labor-theirs
crashes it to a bare subsistence. We en-
courage some diversity of employments in
order to bring a steady market to our own
ioors fer agricultural products, and reject
The idea Of being bound 10 manual labor
alone, or of surrendering all of the indus
rial advantages of steam power and
machinery to the exclusive rise and profit of
oreign rivals. Farmers are not and should
lot be strangers or foes to lahor-saving
machinery by which one man does the
work of three or four. Ii Is necessary 10
heir self existsnce-tO our sct-deience.
A assurcdly all civilized nations are doing
heir utmost To meet all their ordinary
wants at home, and soon only the indolent
md ignorant will be branded with the deg
adatIOn OF iOiierlng markets for common
staple manufactures TO any outsiders. As
market for anything but breadstutf-, We
nay. therefore. as Pitt said, alter the battle
If Austerlitz Roll up the map of Eu-
Ope."
Great Britain. Annually aiding IL her
distant colonies the passage and tne absOrp-
ION Of her discOntented population, though
he greater number prefer to come here
imposes duties upon tea and coffee, spirits
md tobacco-leaving the greater part otex-
lensive luxuries, like silks, carpets, laces.
'hIna ware, lewelry, AMI other articles con-
'umed by the well-tO-dO classes, untaxed.
Dn tobacco, with domestic culture inter
iIcted, they collect about seventy five cents
Der pound, and, that not being enough they
lsve Just added eight cents more; while We
collect tweniyiour cents when manuiactur
ID. and permit every man to raise, chew
md smoke a. much Of raw tobacco a. he
hOoSes, only this he should remember, ,
hat its culture deterIoratel the soil and its
ise dehilItatc- the man. In Tact, II il only ,
toO-iragrant fertilizer Of the mouth. We /
evy our heaviest duties upon silk, carpets, {
ine cloths, and fill out the list with such :
'rticles as are largely consumed by the {
Wealthy. They impose Nh income tax in I
imcs of peace , We only resort to it N time i
i war. The annual expenditure Of Great
Britain is twelve dollars per capita and in =
but in the United States it Is now +
ess than half that sum and steadily dImIn- i
shing But with al. their advantages of /