St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-11-27

open to all under equal laws and with
every man equal before the law. But
without our scarcely knowing, and certainly
not recognizing its extent and the POSSIBLE
ity OF concentrating IT. as a political force
discomfort had seized upon the people as
never before. 1t assumed again the form
Of an assault upon the time-honored and
Revolutionary principles OF American lib
erty. AS we enter upan the fourth pc
riod let us remember that a shifting stan
dard OF value Is not American. A paternal
government il not American. Any effort
TO array the people into classes when en-
ployers and employees are constantly chang
ing places in not American. An assault
upon the independence OF the judiciary Is
not American. American liberty Is the
liberty of law and order; American gov
eminent is government by the people un-
der universal suffrage. They make their
tons is that those laws, thus made by the
people themselves, will be cbeyed by the
power which makes them.
The Green Mountain boys did not ask for
the town, or the county, or the state to sup
port them or give them occupation. Their
struggle began to obtain title to the lands in
the wilderness from which they had cut the
forests Their struggles cont nued to protect
their savings f)r themselves and their help
less ones. Their struggle eliminated in
government OF law where every mar should
have an equal chance and take his place as
God had given him mind and muscle. But
he should take his place only under
laws which protected ali alike, which pre-.
vented the strong from expressing the weak,
which gave to everyone bis just rights and
which through the stat, and at the expense
OF the state offered the opportunity to all
for an equal education to the duties OF citi-
zensbip and for the battle OF life. II there
are unequal laws, they are contrary to the
fundamental principles OF American citi-
1nship and should be expuDged from the
statute books. If there are laws which per-
NIT disc limitations against the individual
or or INT the opportunities for any power in
com bination to des r)y American opportu
nifty, such laws should be repealed. In the
Interpretation Of laws the protection Of the
people is an independent, pure and unin-
peachable Judiciary. The only element
which is original and plrely American in
our institutions Is the supreme court OF the
United States. There have been two houses
OF congress or parliament, ever since men
have t led to govern themselves There
has been an executive ever since govern
men. originated, but TO prevent revolution,
rash measures, the injustice that comes from
the turbulent passion OF the hour being
cryst ilized into statutes, the Fathers of the
Republic created that great tribu 1al " hich
should say to presidents and to congresses,
"The laws which you have passed are
within the charter granted you by the p3o-
pie under which you exist, or they are with
out that charter and contrary to its princi |
Piles, and therefore null and void" To this |
great court we owe 1t that the stltes OF the
common ealth cannot declare war agains. |
each other. To tho interpretations OF this
great COurt we are indebted for system o. |
intercommuncAtion which has made our
internal commerce vaster than the ride OF
all the rest OF the world put together; il |
is by the interpretations OF this great court
that the government has been invested with |
the power to enforce the federal laws, to |
preserve the National Union and to protect
thu citizens of the United States as citizens
Of the United Sta'es against any local in
justice or violation which threaten their
rights.
Gentlemen, let us study Ticonderoga,
Crown Point and Bennington, let us study
the ivss and teachings Of the accomplished
patriots, Washington, Hamilton, the Adam
SEES, Jay, Jefferson and Madison on the one
side, and those rough and ready sons of
freedom, Ethan Allen and General Stark
and Seth Warner, on the other. Let us
learn and teach the principles upon which
our government has grown to its great and
benefcent proportions let us enforce the
lesson that American liberty is the preser-
walton OF American opportunity for every
nan to rise above this condition in which he
was born, and to receive the full fruit in
honols from his fellow citizens, and in pro-
son om e LIS bg ts hs rsq as %hh
try, his wisdom, his prudence, his thrift and
his good citizenship.