Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-11-19

rem by 1t. This Society ought to be perpet-
uated as long as there is one of us left We
are in the midst of frution, now. Since the
first meeting not only have the years
done their work but the State and Nation
have called you to other duties and | see
here tonight Governors and ex-Govcrnors
and Congressmen-titles which show that
not always are Republics ungrateful Let
us earnestly endeavor as citizens to teach
such lessons that VIC shall never again have
a civil war. In so doing We will perform
our duty as citizen soldiers and as patriots.
Applause.
=. The EHited States. II needs no apology among
the nations Of the earth. Its Constitution Is now
written all over with Llberty-the work of our sol
| dlers.
Gen. Stephen Thomas was called upon to
respond, and spoke as follows The United
States was perpetuated by the valor of your
arm not as confederation, but as supreme
in the authority delegated to it by the several
States. ] trust we will never hear again that
cry of State rights which caused the rebel
lion. The States have rights in one sense,
but in another the United States is supreme
and its rights are above those Of the States.
| The day is not distant when this fact will be
recognized all our people will have
all the rights granted by the Constitution TO
the American people and when they can go
to the ballot-box all over the country and
vote as they please. | see here many young
men who will enjoy the meetings of this
society long after my departure from these
scenes. Let these gatherings be kept up rs
long as there are two to meet. Let the glory
of the Federal arms in the great struggle you
have gone through be perpctuatod. lAp-
plause.
g. Vermoat-the priIe of us ALL
Responded to by Ills Excelency Governor
Farnham. lie said that the toasts and re-
sponses at all the annual banquets of the
society since its organization had been care
| fully preserved in scrap-book- Ii was un-
derstood tonight that the committee We're TO
| use the old toasts and cut out the responses
and hand them around 10 the speakers. by
| immemorial usage another toast belongs TO
me and I've got that cut out. Laughter.
| am the victim, therefore, of deceit and
fraud. AT the time of my election ! felt
some trepidation about this matter OF speech
making and l consulted my predecessor,
Gov. Proctor lie said that my election
would endue me with elOquence. | was de
ceived again. Laughter.
| If travelling, say in the West you ask an
| Eastern-lo looking man where he is from and
he will tell you that he is from Boston, or
| Worcester, or Hartford, or New York. You
see hearty, whole souled fellow and ask
| him where he is from and he replies ''fm
| from Vermont" Ii is the State he is proud
| Of, and not the town. Every expression of
every Nermonter is Of that feeling. Perhaps
| il is because We are smaller and more con
centrated that we have more State pride. We
meet here with the same feeling. We have
| great reason for our State pride. Vermont is
not great manufacturing. State, but it holds
control of the business of New York and
Boston. Let it withhold single ono of its
products and business in those great cities
would come to a standstill-for what could
they do without the Fairbanks and the
| Howe scales! Vermont furnishes no small
proportion of the musical instruments of the
world. 1t comprises more than manufac-
lures, for it comprises George f. Edmunds.
Long applause. 1t comprises hills and val
| leys-and goOlogistS tells us that the rock
| which forms the foundation of the State ex-
| tends into other States, thus giving us a
broader proportional basis. Laughter.
| Vermont extends from the centre of the
| earth to the sky. We have filled the upper
regions with glory. We have made Il soldier
| ly record not surpassed by that of any other
State Eermont's military record is the
pride Of US all. One reason why Nermonters
succeed so well abroad is their State pride.
| Vermont is first and the Union is iirst-sidc
| by side in our affections. Among other
things we are proud of is our judiciary.
Changes seldom occur in it and the judges
are re e.clected without regard to their politics.
Our judiciary is the boast of our State and
the wonder of other States, booking at the
manner of lis choice. am sure that | appeal
to feelings common to all of you when |
speak of Vermont. [Applause.
l. The Old Brigade: From Lees Mills to Apo
mattoX II sustained the ancient fame of the Green
order OF the gallant scdgwick put the vernoniers
Col. T. ". Seaver briefly responded, speak
| ing of the Grand thing il was to have lived
| in the years of the war. A whole genera
| ton was compressed into them. 'Bctter
| fifty years of Europe than a cycle OF
Cathay."
| Col. 5. l. PingTee was also called upon.
He spoke OF the chivalry displayed upon the
battlefields of the rebellion. The suffering
and priSation and endurance of the RevOlu-
lion were more than equalled. What gave
the Vermont Brigade its name and fanel
1t was something more than commanders-it
was its material, the descendants OF Allen
and Warner. Its marching and fighting and
endurance made the members of the brigade
the peers of any soldiers in American history.
As to the individual bravery, we had the all
vantage of standing together us Nermonters.
Applause.
s. The Legislature: The industry. prosperity.
liberty and long honor OF the stale look To You
for protection, suggestion and counsel.
Hon. James l.. Martin, Speaker Of the
House of Representatives, eloquently re-
sponded lie said As | listened To- to-
nights Grafton, with its wit an.l cloqucncr
and pathos, | thought how dminutiyc and
weak does L Legislature appear, compared
with the magnificent strength and power
wieidcd by our soldiers. Unless law-loving
and law abiding and patriotic citizens cherish
the memory oi the living and the dead we
shall become unmindiul of the great deeds
performed. There is no spirit of enmity
against those who fought against u.s. but their
banners have no place by the side of that
flag you so gallantly fought for. Applause.
| hope every young man will remember with
pride the grand success and the glorious
| patriotism Of you and your brothers gone
before. Applause.
| Col l.. h. Fuller, being cal!cd on, said
the Senate would do its part in the lahrrs
| of legislation. We will do our share in all
aets to pcrpetuate our State. We mus; for
I get none of the men and none of their deeds.
| Day by day let us weave them in our hearts
! and leave them rs bright memories to those
who come after US. Applause.
| g. The Rank and FilT-a common sympathy and
! interest bind us.
| Responded to by Sergeant Lucius Bisc-
/ low. He did not know why he should he
| calc, on to respond to this toast unless ii
was because the committee had seen the
tlatteIing portraits of himself in the Monlpe-
| lier Irgus and st. Albans Messenger ani had
come To the. conclusion that he WIS
1 a.. .,,ln in hf. at
and as the iniirmitics of years were
coming on apace he believed that he WAS
the oldest file in Vermont. Laughter.
generation of young men are growing up who
| hardly know what the war was. Ii becomes
us to 10 something more for their education
| in this respect than We are doing. Ii IS
disgrace that Vermont cannot do Ms much
| in this way rs the South | don't like the
| south but do admire its fanatic sincerity.
| They put their story in their school books.
| We ought To gn home and get better school
| committees than lot of broken-iown
schoolmastrrs There is nothing in our text
| books inculcating PATRIOTISM. We used To
read incur school books that the Revolution
was n war fer liberty-can't We sav as much
! in them now for the wal ct the rebellion
But if such thing is suggested they say it
| is waving the bloody shirt. We need little
less normal school and little more patriot
| ISM Go home and teach your boys some
thing of that which yen hng about here.
| Uniformity of text books il IT little cnuse-
luencc, hut the teaching of patriotism ought
| tD bc uniform from Derby Line Ia Pnwnal.
| Applause
| :. TIs SiiIb Iras Cosi's. Noble IN defeat ~ IA
| victory as achievements viii never hr enace'.
/ NAV the memory oi Scdcwirk h. ever green n ''tr
] hearts
/ Responded tn by Cen Martin T. Mcmahon.
| The SiNth Corps never was defeated. II
! had singulary sooI fortune. More than
| once il arrived on the batll, field just in time
/" turn the scales. Alone nf all IL was never
from the field Its only misfortune was in
! the Wilderness, when two "f its hrieades
| came to gIicf The Sixth Corps WAS com
posed not alone of the Vermont brigade.
| laughter but am ireeto say that that was
the best brigade in that corps and in the
army OF the United States, though it had
/ strong rivals The State government did its