SIR,--At the last moment before leaving for foreign lands in
quest of that vigorous health which for nearly ten months has
been taken from me, I have received notice of the resolutions
adopted by the Legislature of Vermont, and approved by your
Excellency, which give the official sanction of a generous,
virtuous, and intelligent State to my speech in the Senate on the
19th and 20th of May last, exposing the Crime against Kansas.
Such a token is precious to me in every respect,--not only
because it assures me of the personal sympathy of the people of
Vermont, declared through their representatives, but because it
attests their interest in that cause which is more important than
any person.
I cannot accept this public approval of my speech without seizing
the occasion to express a heartfelt joy that I was permitted
to make it, and also my humble determination, with returning
strength, to do something that shall still further unmask the
portentous _Barbarism_ which has fastened on our Republic, and
installed itself in all the high places of power.