Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-05-31


We CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE BEGUN BY OUR FATHERS
Memorial day in 1917 had significance and depth of pa;
toc feeling for this generation Of Americans never had
Grated the memory and honored the service and sacrifices o.
the heroes Of the Wars Of the American and
Yesterday paid tribute also to the brave dead
with Germanys Kaiser Our struggle for world democracy
has hardly begun yet there freshmade graves in which
American youth who lost their lives while engaged service
for tor our flag Before another rolls re prng
1t has remained for the developments of the struggle we
Of heroes Civil IN Supplementary the
grand work for and liberty begun by WASH
and story the brave dead of the Union soldiers service to
the nation The Green Mountain Boys representing no less
than oneenth of the entire population of little common
wealth, bore their full share in that struggle. oo,
COL Wheelock G. Veazey long an honored member Of Yer
Wersn Paid this de So% tribute s rf %sr
cavalry followed the heroic Farnswort reckless
but gallant charge upon the lines Of Laws infantry brigade
s az ssFsHa into the as Allen
Warner and the other heroes who held mountain Businesses
the gandes pages Of American history Other Vermont
commands M also covered themselves with glory
If any outside testimony to the part taken by the Green
Boys in the for the Union were
have never commanded troops in whom had confidence
IN had
idence as in those of this gallant State"
Union That brilliant son Of Vermont John NJ Thurston
acer Of that service as well its aim in his tribute the
wearer of the bronze button He not born bred
pow the bench the forge the loom the mine the store the
office the college, the sanctuary He did not fight for greed
Of quiet ways and yet he broke the clasp Of clngng arms
so% thu ps tn s9es ss
fields And when the war was over ne quietly took up the
Yet not few patriotic Americans something broad
freedom from human slavery Today we are beginning
to realize the full meaning of the immortal Of Abra
that this nation under Cod shall have new birth of free
DOM he added land that Of the people, by the
The maryred Lincoln thus stated precisely though in diff
Against sSe as s y s @
over half century ater struggle for the right Of the peo
same precious boom Of human freedom and seue Gemoc
racy we are truly fighting to-day that government by the
the Civil War especially until consider what defeat of their
the Of the Union had failed? What if Grant had
not been able to defeat Lee there had been Appomat
The fate Of little Belgium and Serbia the humiating sub
mission Of little Holland and Sweden and Denmark to the ex
disregard Of all sovereign rights Of all little States by barbac
if this country had been broken into series Of small
monweaths by the of the secession Of the Southern
as horace greeley preferred 10 call Save
holders rebellion"
When serious developments in 1863 led passage of the
CONSUMPTION draft act by Congress- the disruption of the
American Union regarded in most European capitals
inevitable Emperor Napoleon III of France having per-
suaded himself that the United States longer be
feared undertook the conquest of Mexico in direct violation
of Monroe Doctrine He also wished the British govern
ment to join him in recognizing and assisting the Confederate
States but while refused to to this length it did little to
prevent private subjects from aiding in the revolt the Gen.
Alabama award attests.
French Spanish and English creditors of Mexico had in
1861 induced their respective to unite in fore
be collection of their Dues but the others withdrew
they discovered the designs of the tcksh Napoleon
French troops however helped overthrow the government of
Juarez and the Inflated Austrian achduke placed the
head of the Mexican empire Emperor MaximiGan.
AS peace had been restored in the United States
insisted that Napoleon should withdraw
troops from Mexico and in 1867 he complied with the speedy
overthrow and tragic death of Macmillan an inevitable
result.
Thus ended visible demonstration of what would have
happened the American continent the American Union
had been broken into series of independent States If the
Southern States could separate from the North they could
have separated from each other and there would have been
end to European encoachmen and absorption such Ma
poeon began and other European rulers watched with ea
Gus yet permissve eye.