Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-16

Legislature since 1923. but would not I'M
dertake to describe them or any of them,
in the five minutes to which speakers
were limited on this occasion. He alluded
to the late Lewis Higbee of st. George,
and to his championship of that town as
being as large up and down as Burlington
or Rutland or St. Adams. In lieu of
further "reminiscences Mr. Walton read
the famous 'Lamentation over the adj
iournment of the Legislature of 1926, "
attributed to the pen of Hon. William G.
Bradley, which introduces in punning
rhymes the names of fifty or sixty of the
legislators of that session.
A Lamentation.
Written soon after the adjournment of the
Vermont Legislature, n Nv. 1851
MONTPELIER mourns-her streets are still,
Save when the Street-Narn ladies SPIN,
And scarce strangers seen ut Mann's,
Or Campbell's, or at COtrlll'S mn.
The guardians of the peoples rights
Have done their work, gone home to prove
it;
And let the State house stand, because
Bdrnltm and Bailey could not move 1t.
But tho that building stands secure,
And long may stand the village boast,
The villagers are called to mourn
The comfor and the friends they we lost.
Their Buffers gone, their Bdl;cr TOO.
Their CldrkS have fled as SlCtt rs thought,
Their Barriers left their chns unshaved,
And cen their POtter'S gone to pot.
Their Walkers nimbly walked away,
Their Mason and tler Smiths are still;
Their Carpenters lay down their too Is,
Their honest Muller leaves his mill.
Their skiiu Fisherman is gone,
With Bates to lure and spear to strike,
With him are fled the FnncU tribe,
But more especially the PIKE.
The S,r1n* they dearly loved to pick.
Has flown with plumage bright us gold;
Their Buch has bounded err the hills,
Their playful Lamb has broke his fold.
The Noble and the Young have gone,
The Rich have left them to despair.
Their Gdy, their Best attire is lost,
And not Spencer'S left to wear.
Their learned Proctor, pious Dean,
And holy Palmer, in the urch
Have left their tiocks. and left them too
Without Temple, Bel or Church.
And those who loved the may dance,
Enjoy no more the lively Bal:
They've lost, alas their pleasure House.
And miss their richly furnished Hall.
They once could boast pleasant Hill,
Delightful Rhodes, charming Lane,
a Warren, Bridge, and Shedd, and Barnes,
That they may never see again.
Their Forest and their Woods are fcll'd,
The Major who their forces led
Has broken up his gathering camp,
And friendly Scott and French are fled.
ANS lost-the men have lost their crafts,
They've lost their Ambicr ana their Uheel6r
Have lost their Steel their Pcch, their Rice,
And, y, their wives nave lost their Keller.
Yes, all is lost-and those whO've gone,
Have long ere nov pcrchancc forgot EN-
They've lost their SOidcC lost their Child
And lost their Pride, and HBdc and BOttum
*Mr. Sluan is State Treasurer.
The venerable Moses Il. Cheney of Barn
ard was next called to the stand. Tall
erect, with white hair and beard, he was {
striking figure on the platform. lie pro
tested against requiring one who had moi
/ addressed Il meeting larger than neigh
bOrhOod prayer meeting, for twenty years
to make speech to a gathering of forty
legislatures like this. He recalled some
incidents of the debate on the temperance
question and prohibition between DR.
| Thomas f. Powers of Woodstock and J
! Dow Bradley of Brattleboro, in which the
latter said that mankind was divided into
| two classes-claSs |, the member from
| Woodstock; class 2, the rest of mankind
| Being called on for Il song, Mr.. Cheney
said he was asked to give the song of tn,
"NermonterS" but he was son of Elder
! Moses Cheney. who when called on by th'
leader of devotional meeting for "a shor
prayer in reference 10 some particular
object, replied that he was not wont t
pray by rule that if he prayed at all h,
would pray for such things as he chose
and as long as he chose so if he sang h,
would sing such a song as he chose. HI
then sang with inimltabie pathOS and eX
preston John Anderson, my 10 John
closing amid long and hearty applause,
Hon. A. l.. Miner of Manchester now S
years Old, but retaining apparently un
! "a wnnIprfnl a
dates and events, was next introduced
He said it was tOrty-ninC years ago sine
his official connection with the Legislature
began, and his personal recollection GOV
cred thirteen sessions. He recalled tn
Legislature of 1856, and the special session
of 1857, in which, in debate on the re
moval of the State house, Moses T.. Chene
alluded to the member from Castleton
who had been said to resemble 1.-THE God
like Webster. Daniel Webster, sal,
Cheney, was Il magnificent mortal: bu
he thought it rather presumptuous to Cal
any mortal Godlike-perhaps, not NOR
so, however, than to call the gentlema
from Castleton Websterlike.
Mr. Miner spoke of the enjoyment o
this grand occasion. We have right t
be proud of a State which can bring tC
gether such an aSsemblage as this ever
face with brains back OF it and which ha
produced such legislators, both State am
national. Did ever a State, he asked
keep side by side for so long in the Unite
States Senate two Senators of anythin
like the standing and influence of our tw
Vermont Senators, here present-bot
native Nermonters both poor boys bot
self made both without rivals in ability
character and influence at Washing toI
> When Solomon Foot, Jacob Collamel
George =. Marsh and Paul Dillingham;
represented Nermont-all new members
! in Congress, it was said that no othe
State could present four men thei
a, equals in ability. Vermont has Away
, been ably represented in Congress an
it is to the credit of our LEGISLATORS thu
they appreciate the honor which our Sem
tors confer upon the State, and keep theI
in the seats they till with such ability an
trustworthiness. Mr.. Miner WAS cordial
applauded.
Hon. John w. Stewart, NJ, c., of I'll
, first district, was next called up. He sal
it seemed to him but yesterday since /
first came here twenty years age
, Gen. Grandy was then the prompt, alel
and efficient Speaker. And among tn
members were DR.. Powers, an admirabl
= legislator, who never neglected any legi