Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-06-05

KEY ring, tine star route scandal.
There was an era of speculation and dis
honesty, and wise men foresaw much
disaster unless these evils could be
checked. There are many evils to be
fought to-day. and it is only as they are
assaulted with vigor, and virtue and
righteousness are made to prevail that
we can become a strong and noble ma
ton.
Somewhat in the same vein, | make
the point that the war was for right
against wrong. Those who rebelled
were traitors to their country. They
had no Just cause for revolution. Indeed,
they had been granted many concessions;
they had enjoyed a disproportionate de.
gree of power. The arstocratic classes
of the South were bound together by the
common interest of slavery. This they
meant to defend and perpetuate, while
really it was their curse and prevented
them from sharing in the progress which
the North was making. They revolted;
they committed treason; they did wrong.
The remainder of the nation took up the
cause of right against wrong, and the
result was a triumph of right. Let me
devote little of this discourse to the
children and say to them that to fight
against ones country without just cause
is wrong; it is a crime and ought to be
punished. The nation has a small army
now it has one all the time, and if any
where throughout the United States "A
company of people refuse to obey the
laws, and the policemen and constables
and sherffs are not strong enough to
compel them to obey, then some of the
soldiers are called out to help and then
perhaps more of them, till there are
enough to put down the rebellion. Now,
when the people of the South thirty
years ago said, 1--WE will not obey the
laws of the United States; we are going
to separate ourselves from you and have
a nation of our own, so that we can
carry on slavery just as we please and
rule just as we wish; we do not expect
you will agree to it, but we are ready to
fight till you will be glad to let US have
our own way"-then the rest of the peo-
pie who loved their country replied,
I'VE must stop this. We have let them
have their way in a good many things,
but when they rebel and attempt to tear
the country in two, there i but one
thing for Us to do, and that l. to make
them obey" There was not much of an
army ready, and so the President called
for men in Vermont and Massachusetts
and the other States to become soldiers,
and then there were stirring times. and,
as have said before, more than $1,000
men volunteered, and before long 500,-
900 more were called for. 1t was a great
rebellion and required an immense num-
Der of men to put it down. The Southern
people are believed to have had an army
of 100000 at one time, but it grew small
er till it was probobly reduced to 2OO,-
900 at last. But our army grew larger
till it numbered over a million. Yet it
4 f,,l Co. txhtn h ell do
would conquer. The enemy had an adj
vantage at first. They had been getting
ready for long time, and they had been
taking possession of the forts and ship
yards and other government property
They had stolen all the money they could
at Washington, and before the war be-
gan, our navy had Just two ships of war
one of twenty guns and the other of two
and our little army was so scattered and
broken up that we had to begin almost
anew TO raise on army and navy and put
the government in working condition
, SO it is not strange that the Southerner'
/, won some of the first battles, and many
/ of our brave boys were killed auC
wounded and taken prisoners, which wa:
: in some cases worse than death, because
, they were almost starved and badl y
treated in many ways. Dear children
; your fathers and mothers often felt very
1 sad and discouraged in those days. /
= was very hard. both for those who wen
to war and put themselves in so mucl
+ danger, and it was hard for those whC
remained at home and did not know
t whether they should ever see their loved
ones again. Only those who lived il
| those gloomy days can realize what tn
l war was. But the North had the mos
men and the greatest resources in every
way, and finally the South could do NJ
l more and was obliged to give up, ant
| the country was saved. Right trumphe(
! over wrong. And while hope we may
never have another war to which tn,
) boys of to-day may be called upon to 90
r the contest between right and wrong il
} going Oh in other ways, and do you b'
: sure that you are always on the side o.
= right. Be on the side of temperance. o
honesty and truth. Be pure in mind
| never let your lips be soiled by uncleal
or profane words. Follow the COLDER
, rule, love God and fight against the sin
of your own hearts. They are rebels
. therefore put them down.
, Addressing myself again to the Olde
Ones present, though believing that wha
+ | shall say will also interest the young,
! assert that the war was full of brave anC
. for many men to leave their homes ant
, dear ones and expose themselves to tn
q uncertainties of the battlefield. Mucl
: have we heard of the gallant deeds o
| battle; how, when a color-bearer wa
q shot. another would seize the flag ant
wave it aloft to infuse fresh courage il
= the men, and presently perchance he to-
a would prove "A fatal mark for the enemy
: bullet; how an officer by his inspiring
o words would rally his men at IA critica
o time and turn Impending defeat int
, victory; how brave regiments woul
r stand their ground in the face of terribl
: fire, and even charge upon the enem.
o when every step of the way was marke
: by some comrades fall. All the cal
mage was often fearful, but the patriot
ism, the courage, the determination W
@ must not forget 1t is an honor to us t
e have here to-day men who have actual
f been through such scenes, who hav
!. faced the deadly bullet and witnesses
@ the exploding shell, who have passe
i through thousand hardships for thei
: country's sake, and through all hav