Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-08
MINISTER PHELPS.
The Reception rendered
Him
By the Citizens Of Burlington.

BY the citizens Of burlington.
ADDRESS BY president BUCKHAM.
Minister Phelps's Pleasant and Eloquent
Response-Letters from Distinguished
vermonters-A Numerous Gather
ing and Pleasant Festivities.
Our illustrious townsman, Hon. f.. j.
Phelps, minister to the Court of st.
James, was the recipient of "a congratu-
latory and farewell reception by his fellow
citizens, irrespective of party at the Van
Ness House, Thursday evening Atan early
hour the spacious parlors and halls of the
hotel were thronged. Mr. Phelps stood
in one of the parlors, surrounded by
group of distinguished citizens, and gave
hearty grasp of the hand and pleasant
word to each of his fellow townsmen who
pressed forward in unending line, to ex-
tend their congratulations and bid him
farewell. The parlors were handsomely
decorated with flowers, and the Howard
Opera House orchestra discoursed choice
music for the occasion. For upward of
an hour the throng moved through the
parlors, extending congratulations in turn
to the guest of the evening. The aSsemb-
lage was then called to order by Mayor
Woodbury., who introduced President
Buckham, on behalf of the citizens of Bur
liugton. President Buckham spoke as
follows:
President Buckham's Address.
1t was said of old that prophet is with
out honor in his own country. But the
world is growing somewhat better in this
respect. 1t does not always look upon its
great men with jealous eyes. There is
for instance, an English statesman whom
his countlymen so honor that he never
passes to and fro among them except
amid perpetual huZzas. There is in our
own country IL soldier who has had more
friends and more foes than any other man
on the continent, and to day both friends
and foes alike cluster about his sick cham
Der, watching with intenSeSt interest his
brave struggle with death, and willing, If
it were possible, to lend him half their
powers to exc his being OUT And this
is the severest test of character, to be
great at home. To be admired and hon
ored in England, as is James Russell Low
ell, is Il great achievement but it adds Il
jewel to his fame to be admired and hon
Ored and loved at Cambridge. And as
you, sir, are about to occupy position
where you will be IL mark for the world 5
admiration and censure, we desire to have
it known that you have borne this severe
ordeal, that you have the respect and con
fidence of the people of your own State
and your own city, that great as is
the honor and high as is the dig
nifty which have been conferred upon you,
your fellow citizens and neighbors deem
you worthy of them, and have full conf
dence that you will honor yourself and
your country, and your fellow citizens, in
the discharge of the duties of this high
position.
Our political system offers a few posi-
tons, whatever may be said of others,
which men of the purest and loftiest am
btion may well covet To be Senator
of the United States, a judge of the Su-
preme Court, a minister to England OF
France, or Germany, or Italy, is to receive
one of the highest of earthly hOnors. We
congratulate you, sir, ON being called tC
occupy one of the very loftiest of these
positions, 1t is an honorable and enviable
position, not only on account of its i'll
trinsic Importance and dignity, but also
because of the long line of llustrious men
who have filed it. To be the successor OF
jay, Monroe. the Adamses, Everett. Ban
croft, Motley and Lowell, is itself an
honor. But while we congratulate you
on the honor to which you have attained
we congratulate you still more on the
method by which you attained it, not by
political II rts, not by party services, not
by the intrigues of powerful friends, bu
by fitness tor the position so conspicuou!
that the executive quest for the right mar
easily and naturally lighted upon you. i
belongs to the cOurteSeS of such an coca
sion to avoid all political illusions, but
am sure that | shall be permitted to sa.
that your appointment goes a long wa,
toward winning for the administration thu
respect and good will of this obstinatel,
Republican State of Vermont. lap
lauSe.
We are well aware, Mr.. Phelps, thai
your residence in England in your ollicia
capacity will not be a holiday The socia
duties Of your position, with the aid o
your accomplished wife, we know you t,
called "table-cloth oratory," which con
sttutes so important part of an ambaS
sadOr's duties we know you to be an eX
pert Believing you to have the lega
learning and the knowledge of men AM
of affairs requisite for managing tn
graver questions of international rich
and duty, we shall hope that the relation
of these two great friendly nations may b
such as to make your task light, compare
with that of some of your pre-
decessors. For your sake, as wei
as for the sake of humanity
we fervently pray Heaven to avert til
danger of war which now threatens Eng
land and which would add SO much to tn
embarrassments of your position as tn
representative OF Il neutral power. 9O
have already been charged with being o
the one hand an Anglo-maniac and ON tn
other an Anglo-phobist, We beg to il
form the New York IVOrld and the Ne'
York Tribune and the PdLL-MGU Gazette
that you are neither the one nor the othe
but an American. As you yourself +,
Gently said of Mr.. Lowell we now sa
emphatically of you, that you are "firs
last and always, an American" But "
esteem it the special good fortune of GU
country that it will be represented
England during this administration as
the former one, by II gentleman VII
knows at the same time how to respet
himself as an American, and how to el
terrain, and by all hitting and gracious IL
tons to manifest the highest admiratio
for all that is truly admirable in Englan,
ever remembering and asking no man
leave or pardon for remembering that En-
land is our Mother country, and as such
the country which next to his owl
every true American will look upC
with deepest interest the country fro