Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-10-05

Of our people upon your presence here
at this Tooth anniversary of Montpclicr
as capital of this State. Our recognition
of this event was the order of our town
meeting last March, the old-fashioncd
town meeting, characteristic of New Eng
land, but nowhere better preserved than
here without distinction of either party
or class. The assumption of this cclebra-
ton has proceeded with duo modesty. out
of duty aud obligation to the State, and
in full knowledge of the fact that the
time for its recall will be long. Those
who made and are making the future
Of our affairs are rapidly passing away,
while the cemeteries OF our dead every
where through Vermont begin too much
to record the story Of the past and our
marts and towns do not as yet. perhaps.
so fully as they might, reflect the op-
portunitics Of the future. The people Of
this city, as what village, town and city
docs not. love their State constantly and
loyalty and they have striven to merit
the honor and opportunity of serving as
the seat Of its government for q hundred
years. We want to celebrate. not here
only in this brief hour. hut through the
day and in our memory hereafter. tho
deeds and tho doings OF our forbears and
to thank publicly once more those good
mon and women whose work in field. for
cst. home and shop made and preserved
the state an object of love and venera-
tion to their children and successors for
ever more. We celebrate the occasion.
not vain gloriously. but as sincere,
aftectionatc tribute to old Vermont and
as an evidence to the thousands of it,;
sons and daughters in other States that
the old fire-places keep burning here
and that tho old standards are maintain
ed intact; and. above all. with thanks tn
the God of nations for his great mercy
to us and TO our State.
MONTPELIER's CHARTER.
1t is pleasant TO think that Montpelier
received its charter not from New liamp-
shire or York but direct from Thoma s
Chttcndcn. the governor of Vermont.
Ncighhoriness and a common experience
in politics and war have taught us since
to have great regard and respect for
those great adjoining States but that
cannot wholly obliteratc certain kind
OF uIde which our city has in the fact
that its charter halls from Vermont and
its famous birch rod tree. This charter
WAS substantial enough in its list. sixty
been often since. somewhat faulty in
other respects The spelling was un-
douhtcdly bad. There werc no houndar-
les set for example to the 23 40 acres
so generously bestowed. and then. too.
there was n peculiar and impracticable
condition. to wit. that each proprietor
was to plant five acres and build home.
eighteen feet square. inside Of three years
l., 1, !
that the reservation to the freemcn Of
the state of the pine trees. suitable for
a navy. was a trifle quaint, but that
criticism has been modified since cou-
pie of Green Mountain Boys entered and
cleared out Manila bay and rounded Cape
Horn for Il final strike at Santiago.
The fact was. however. that the first
charter was about rs defective rs per-
manent clay road but all this was I'M
proved in tn" charter OF lS'i' signed
by Governor 11chenor. III which bas-
wood tree on the banks or onion mark
Cd Middl"scX corner. July l'' l'No. rescued
the starting point. But this new char
ter suggests some high thinking in thos"
early days. 1t reserved land rights for n
seminary or college for Il county gram
mar school, for a minister Of the gospel
ship. and it declared these rights to be ''in-
alicnably appropriated and under the
charge. direction and disposal of the in
habtants of said township forever
That was the style in whlcn old Vermont
expressed it acts, motions and resolves,
strong. sonorous, born of the soil and
having in it tho swing Of a scythe and tho
pcrpetuty of the eternal hills. chip
Of tho old Allen vocabulary. destined to
live And then. too. this charter was
resonant with such names as Timothy
Bgelow, Matthew Lyon. Joseph Fay, Ira
Allen. Jacob Davis and Thomas Chiffon
den. and, besides. the names of women.
not often found in our modern charters
for electric light companies and trolley
roads. Mary Galusha and Sybil Goodrich.
prophetic Of the thrift and domesticity
which have marked the capital and every
community in our State. 1t contained also
for legal and prudential reasons. the
name Of one who belongs to the millions
who come and go with the years. like
grass. but whose combined work grinds
their place. ! refer to Joel Frizzle. n
Canadian, who had 1o3 acres contirineG d
to him by the third meeting of the prop
retors at Arlington and who first es-
tablished himself with his wife in the
southwest corner of the town lie did not
become a permanent settler but he did
ms par' ne served on 'he PICKET me
sbe ubo .bared his r,,do sh.,,or a,,,, h;s
hard account 7, ,hen We data ,,o rorn.