Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-10-22
THURSDAY. Oct. 20,

The only measure of consequence in
troduced in the Senate was one prohibit
ing the running of railroad trains on
Sunday.
In the House nothing of general inter-
est was done.
The joint assembly convened at noon
to complete the election of United States
Senator. The president announced that
MIR. Edmunds had been reelected and a
committee was appointed to wait upon
him and request his presence. When he
appeared and had been introduced Mr..
Edmunds thanked the Joint assembly for
the honor conferred upon him and said
81 know from experience how impossi
bic it is for any man to live up to his own
ideal of what he should be and do, either
as citizen or as Il representative of citi-
zens in amy character or trust. And so
feel more deeply the kindness of the peo-
pie of my native State and yours as their
representatives in overlooking the many
faults that in the many years of my SER
vice must have committed. and again
choosing me with an expression of conf
dence so nearly unanimous. But ! think
it right to say, as Il citizen of this old
State of ours, that what the people have
done and what YOU have done is far more
than any personal honor to me or indica-
ton of your confidence in me. 1t is,
think, and as | understand it. the old
true Green Mountain courage. and hon
esty, and purity, of the people who. in
spite of combinations and caumnies,
understood their own business in their
own way and chose to do it. Applause.
And so in this sense | cannot take these
honors to myself: they are the honors
that belong to self-respecting, self-un-
derstanding and intelligent people; they
are the honors that belong to States with
out regard to size of territory or accu-
mutations of wealth, as equals in the
great sisterhood that makes our nation,
and that, constituted as our State is of a
homogeneous people, of an Intelligent
people, of an upright and Christian peo-
pie are to be, so long as there is any
hope for free government in the world, a
guide and beacon for the future.
Il accept, too. with more than an or
dinary sense of solictude and response
qility for the future. As you know, |
must from experience have seen how
heavy the work is, how great the respon-
sibilities are, how difficult and some
times sudden the emergencies are that
call upon your representatives and the
representatives of other States to take
action IN respect to affairs that affect the
welfare of all. And have seen. too,
how rapidly. even in body where the
term of office is for six years. the repre-
sentatives of other States appear and dis
appear. In the time during which oul
State has hOnOred me and my colleague
/ (whom am sorry not see here this mo-
menD, every senator except ourselves
mas been more tllan once changed, and
81. IL
the faces that were new at lrst have dis
appearetI from Tie scene OF politlcal ac-
'lon us the representatives OF their states
ana new men continually come and con
tnually go, While Mr. Morrill, and my
self seem, through your kind favor, to
stand there something IKE CamelS lluml
anu Mahsheld ana see the world go pv
I'VE must all agree tllat there Is some
tfihg or sadness TO Iermohter who
leaves MS nome ana ms mis- ana one be
gins TO reel lonesome far away iron
nome as the years 90 ny ana feel more
ana more deslrous that the place OF his
pirth should be Tor all thc year round tht
place where he should live, among his
friends ana nelghDDrs.
Inc responsiveness ana laDors tt
come Wlthlh the next SIX years, IN com
mon with all our duties, continue tt
grow neaNN ana more ul1llcult; the more
extensive the population OF our natlol
becomes, the more dlverSlVe It's lnf1u
ehces, the more disturbing the causes
that seem 10 De Just now ike an epidemic
III our social system sweeping over oul
own land ana others, come to the from
Tor legislative action, the more diihcul'
are tne problems your representatives are
called upon 10 deal Win ana so, more
heavy Is the responsibility.
but there Is always TO us at Washing
ton, both my colleagues in the House anc
my colleagues IN the Senate, great and
constant consolation and inspiration, If
may say 1t, that we know that the people
OF Vermont have fixed political opinions
we know that they almost without re-
spect OF party, even, upon some subjects
are almost absolutely unanimous in the
Judgment that they have III respect to the
methods by which government shoulc
be carried on; in respect to the protection
and development or the labor OF Ameri
can citizens, in respect to the uniyersa
dissemination, so far as the general gov
ernment can do it, of the system of com