Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-06-22

the men VINO fought under Grant ana
Sherman, Sheridan and Hancock at
Gettysburg and Shiloh. Coal Harbor and
the Wilderness, that has enabled the
United States to become a world power
until today we are nation of $4,000, 900
of free people with powerful navy and
one flag, (Old Glory waving over a
united and prosperous people from Lake
Itaska to the Everglades of Florida, from
the Hub of Boston to the Golden Gate
of California and over millions of people
in the Orient until we are acknowledged
to be the greatest nation on earth. Do
we stop to realize the tremendous strides
this country has made since the close
of the Civil war: He would have been
deemed visionary in the extreme, who
predicted 40 years ago that we would
have our present system of rural de-
livery through farming communities,
telephones in nearly every home where
by we could talk with our neighbors or
friends many miles distant, our cities
and villages lighted by electricity, the
wonders of the monograph and wireless
telegraphy, to say nothing of travelling
by horseless carriages known as auto
mobiles which / understand are exclud-
ed from Ripton and it must be confessed
are a good deal of nuisance in
farming community. 1t would seem
that there was nothing left for science
and the ingenuity of mankind except
to navigate the air, discover the North
Pole and communicate with the inhab-
itants of Mars, and predict that in the
not far distant future all of these feats
will be accomplished facts. Surely peace
hath her victories no less than war.
And what of our little Green Mountain
state of Vermont whose star never sets.
Nermonters nave ever been in the front
rank both in the field and in the forum.
Vermont participated in the Revolution
though not one of the IL original colonies
and maintained an Independent govern
ment of its own for many years. The
first blood of the Revolution was shed
at estminster when William French
was killed by the Kings troops. The
inscription on his tombstone reads as
follows:
"Here william French his oody lies,
For murder his blood for vengence cries,
King George the Third his tory crew
They with a ball his head shot through.
For liberty and his country's good he lost his
life, his dearest blood.
The first British fortress to be captured
by American arms was the capture of
Fort TicOnderoga by Ethan Allen in the
name of the Great Jehovah and the Con-
tinental Congress. When Washington
and the Continental army were suffer
ing from hunger and privation and the
cause of the Colonies was most dark it
was a regiment of Green Mountain Boys
under Col. Seth Warner, who reinforced
Stark at Bennington and saved the day,
causing the first check to Burgoyne S
army, and right here was the turning
point of the American Revolution. Yer
mont was the first state admitted into
the Union in 1891. What jurist in a
fugitave slave case first trampled on the
traditions and laws of human chattle-
ship in demanding before surrender of
a slave held for return, bill of sale from
Almighty God. The first Vermont
judge, Theopolis Harrington. 1t is gen
orally concluded that it was the old Yer.
mont Brigade under Gen. Stannard that
saved the day at Gettysburg, and you
remember how Gen. Sedgwick ISSUED
his famous order to put the Vermonter:
in front and keep the ranks we'll closed
Vermont troops participated in nearly
every battle of the Civil War, and wor
distintion on many blood-stained field
This little state of Vermont furnished
over "a, 900 men to put down the rebel
lion 500 more than her quota, and more
men in proportion to her population
} than any other State in the Union. o
these 5000 were killed in battle or diet
. in hospital In the War with Spain
who was it that made that memorable
| trip around Cape Horn prepared, singh
. handed if need be, to engage the who'll
spanish llceI, Dul HdllNt tTillOuttT
Capt. Chas. E. Clark of Oregon? VIII
was it that steamed into Manila Bay on
: morning before breakfast and destroy e,
, the entire Spanish fleet almost withou
the loss of single man, and won tn
: greatest naval victory of modern times
, to the wonder and amazement of tn
: civilized world, but another Vermonter
t Admiral George Dewey? A few years ag
! there was IN the Senate of the Unite
= States at Washington, as chairman of tn
| committee on Finance, Vermont's Gran
l Old Man. Justin S. Morrill,, at the sam
/ time, as his colleague, chairman of tn
t committee on the judiciary, presiden
4 pro tempore and acting vice-president
r was Geo. F. Edmunds, while at the sam
t time IN the White House as president {
= the United States, was a native of Vel
o mont, Chester A. Arthur. Vermont hs