Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-04-30
LOYAL VERMONTERS MEET.
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE
GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE.
An Enjoyable Annual Reunion Held with
Addresses by Col. j. L. Rice, Gilbert
A. Davis and Othcrs--A Roysl
Tribute to Vermont.

IrlDutc 10 NerIuont.
The third annual banquet of the Sons and
Daughters of Vermont, in Springfield,
Mass, which was held Monday, April 20,
was an unusually pleasant affair, and was
largely attended. The Republican speaks
of the event in part as follows:
The large dining room was well filled
with those present, and Landlord Marsh
served an excellent course dinner, during
which the Springfield orchestral club fur
nished music. Frank IL. Ladd, president
of the association. presided, and the speak
ers included Gilbert A. Davis, a prominent
lawyer of Windsor, Vt, who has been
Staet senator for several years, Capt. s. e.
Howard of Newton, Col. John l.. Rice, o.
u. Adams and Rev. William Hart Dexter
George II. Graham, the secretary of the
society, read letters of regret from Con-
gresham II. II. Powers of Vermont. A.
w. Beard of Boston, Edward J. Phelps
ex-senator George +. Edmunds, Chief
Justice w. A. Field, Senator Proctor and
Col. Forbes all of them Sons of Vermont.
Mr.. Ladd in his address of welcome
spoke as follows: seem to have a double
duty devolve upon me this evening; first,
to most cordially welcome you all to our
third annual banquet. Second, TO well
come you as guests and as citizens to our
beautiful city of Springfield. For, like the
immortal Rip Van Wrinkle, sour honored
quets, but unlike him he keeps his pledge.
While am both proud of and loyal to my
native State of Vermont, / am also proud
OF and loyal TO the city of my adoption and
to Massachusetts, and while we have more
able speakers who will follow and are still
citizens of the good old State, my remarks
Will be confined more especially to our
adopted home. Massachusetts is so locat-
ed that 1t became the natural
centre and capital of tho New
England States and the interest of oil parts
of New England are so closely allied with
each other that they practically merge
into one great common interest Es-
pecialy are Massachusetts and Vermont
bound together in all of the great moral
and political questions of to-day and of
the last % years, and with especial pride
oan we look upon such statesmen as Ed
munds and Morrill,. Dawes and Hoar.
whose influence and ability have been dis
played on the right side of every great
and important question in the past quar-
ter of century. 1t becomes our duty to
see TO it that the standard is kept high
and to elect such men to our high places.
Having passed my entire majority in
Springfield my interests most naturally
are clustered here. 1t is my heartfelt wish
that all native Vermonters who have
made their homo In Springfield should see
to Ii that the native of Massachusetts can
look with pride upon us and can say that
high grade material makes the highest
grade of citizenship.
Capt. S. f. Howard of Boston spoke on
our Boston Neighbors." He related the
anecdote of Thomas Whittemore who,
when so years of age killed three British
soldiers and was left for dead, but lived to
be % years old. lie attended meetings of
Vermont in Boston. There is the Yer
mont association of Boston, composed OF
sons and daughters of Vermont, a thriving
Ton, h,Nya ,nntt ntrg nd nm
tertainments. but have not yet had a
gum party, but they are going to have
one. He spoke of Vermont's strong men
of the gaIlantry of Vermont's soldiers; OF
how our thoughts go back to the old
scenes; of the sterling integrity of the
people and the religious sentiment which
pervades the State.
Col. John l.. Rice spoke on "Reminis-
cences." In Massa chusetts, he said. every
man, woman and child is supposed to be
ready to talk on every occasion and nc
occasion, whether called upon not
The three industries are talking, tool max
ing and cranberry picking. The demand is
great, but the supply is greater Talk Is
the only industry for which a tariff has
not been asked. There Is large estab.
lshment ON Beacon hill that turns out q
large supply of this article If you want
talk, all you have to do is to tap the first
person you meet, and the talk gushes forth
emote. / am "Reminiscences myself.
escaped nearly 40 years ago from Vermont
and have been at large since. At about /.
years OF age l was put to work with G
typical Vermont farmer. The WORK
was hard, the food good. the joys few bu
wholesome What could be purer Of
sweeter than sucking cider through
straw, one straw, mind you. with tho far
mer's daughter? What Influences wer,
sweeter and more abiding than the dis
trict school and the parish minister?
had an ambition to teach school, and m.
father secured one in neighboring tow
where / was not known, at $l3 a montl
and board I journeyed on foot to NEE
the examining committee and by dint o
a good memory and good luck | carried
away my credentials as my prize. l tool
up my school work with q good deal o
misgiving. First l was presented with
'board BILL" the taxpayers with whom
was to board, all the way from one-thir
of day to two weeks in a place. / ddn'
like this, and went first to the place wher
was to stay tho longest. / stayed Their
four weeks. regardless of hints, and wa
finally waited upon by the committee, an
told to move on. The next person
stopped with was a poor man with wheel
In his head. He had all the lists" an
"sms" and other things which he ha
invented. ] stayed there Ave or six week
but received no hint to move. There wa
some nnesSe about II, however, and foo
grew scarcer till there was not enough t
keep the schoolmaster alive. and l left
At the next place a young niece was stor
ping, a female seminary graduate. Sh
wanted to know what sort of d school
kept, and so came to school with books
slate and all, gave her name, INDUCED |
the most grotesque spelling that ma
ever heard and read louder and raised he
hand oftener than any others. How lon
II would have lasted the Lord only knew
and l had to ask her to quit. She late
became the wife of supreme justice G
New Hampshire. Col. Rice then spoke c
the pleasure derived from such reunion
as the one held last night. / have n
doubt that we will meet once year a
least and compare notes of the old Gree
Mountain State.
o, d. Adams spoke on "Our preser
home" 1t Is proper to compare our pre-!
ent homes with the homes we had whe
we left Vermont, We are proud OF OF
State and we have reason for 1t. / lei
Vermont reluctantly. / did not oscar
from It. I was humble merchant whe
the civil war broke out. Prices went II,
we sold out and landed in Springfield,
When l came here there was two hors
bus that ran from the Watershops to II
depot. Then came the horse cars an
later our present system. The prinoip
comparison find is that in my boyhoo
we did not enjoy the same advantages o,
children are enjoying to-day. In SON
ways our life as children had Its adval
tages; we became self-reliant. rock
farm was my fortune. l pity the your
man who can't plant field Of corn, tell
wheat field from an oat field; pity Il
M n no ny L. Loaf