The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-07-14
AN GRAFTON,
Re- 1OHN HILL MITHs DELDEk-
ED 1T THE CAPITOL, IN RlChm01'O'
oNTHE FOURTH JULf, 1904.
{ CONCLUDED.

let ms not forget the tribute OF gratitude wnich
ia due thofe venerable patriots, VINO fougn' 'ol'
and eftabliihed our in3ependence-who roie IL
au;dft the convulGons of war, and plotting us !,
faf.lv through the dangers of our revolution, =
conducted us into the harbour OF peace. Lei e.
ma fled tear to the memory of thoie vHtuons
,,,ep who fought for the Accomplishment or our =
freedom. Yes, luxurious Chiefs OF your vir-
tues all time fhall be the grateful record, pol
terty the careful nurfe, and eternity the fatnIui
guardian" Your names hall be enrolled IN r
iR beyond the influence of time, or the Teach i
of enyy's malicious, devouring hand. Your J
lives fhal be " ftream Of light to after-times. :
I,etns not, tho, Fcllow-Citizens, conhne our ;
admiration or our gratitude to tnoie who nave
fhone amidR the ftruggles OF war, and VINO
brayey food forth in the conflict with tyranny
Let us not conhgn to the grave OF OBLIVION tne
names of thoie peaceful lagos VINO, wnSh ,ne
tumult of war had fub6ded, contributed the fa-
brio of our political fafety. They were the Ia
theirs of our young contribution, they hung with
paterna tenderness over its cradle, and Annie 4
Its infant freegles. The ifue ofreyo!ations nas
often depended on the exertions OF insilu tuas.
Thebes rofe and fell with Epamspanb 8. AL
cibiades feems at one time, by hss ey .raordina-
nv virtues, to have RATED his ceutrr tn tbe vsr,,
fummit of PROPERTY, and al a-nother. Inv his
equally extraordinary vices, 70 have reduced If
to the lowet ebb of ilavery and wretchednefs.
What then might not have 'oeen expetfcd from
that luxurious phalsax 'of heroes and of patri
ots, who gave exittence to our liberty, and nur.
tured riiing greatriefs. Might we not rati-
onally have lnppoied that they would cleanfe
the Augean table of corruption, finally expel
tyranny from this fair portion of the globe, and
give to us free and equal fy1em of govern
ment.
Having then, fellow citizens, viewed the ORR
gin and progreis of our revolution, having fhewn
its fuperiority to any which the annals of the
world afford us, and paid the tribute of graft
tude to thofe exalted men who ftruggled in the
caufe of emancipation-let US now reflect for
moment on the consequences or the important
change which has taken place in our condition;
coniider the moral, political and commercial adj
vantages which we have derived from it, and
explore the boundlefs field which it prefents to
US in profpeSt. The firit, among the advanta-
ges of the American revolution, was the fprng
which it gave to the American mind. The hu-
man MIND, like the body when fubietted to defpo-
TN, is cramped and fettered in its energies. It
can expand itfelf into maturity only when free
dom nurtures its growth.
From tyrants and from prieiis the virtues fly,
"The daughter, Of reafon and of liberty
PorE.
The termination of the American revolution
may truly be faid to be the epoch at which the
hiitory of our country commences. The natl
on then, liberated from its former reftraint, was
left free to purfue agriculture and the arts, and
to expatiate in the wide fields of fcience. To
uie the expeditions of an able and eloquent wri-
ter, as our mind clofed towards Great Britain,
it opened itfef to the world, and our prejud-
ces and opprefiions difappeared. Science no
longer, fuppreffed by the "vigilant and guilty
apprehension of defpotifin," fouriihed beneath
the genial warmth of freedom. At period
when the clouds of opprefiion Stofignorance had
developed the national mind, the revolution
4, EJ-aa IL, @
flied its light over the continent of America
@slaves beheld and fprung 20 men,
"Tyrants iav, and fhrunk to ihades."
A free and unfettered commerce may be conf
dered as fecond advantage refulting from our
revolution. Monopoly was always coniidered
an exeinGve privilege Of TIE mOi5er country. The
filrplus wealth OF the colonies flowed only into
her bofom, animated her commerce, and itimu-
lated her induftry. A great nation pofefIing an
extenfve and fertile territory, rapidly adyaDc-
ing in wealth, population and improvement,
might have afforded profitable commerce to
the different countries of Europe; but Great
Britain, with the greedy hand of monopoly, drew
into her own Golfers all our fuperabundant pro-
duce. She excluded the world from all inter-
coulfe with us, & limited our commerce to a mi
ferabletraffic with hcrief. Thus it was that Anne
RIGA was the fountain of her wealth, the nerve of
her ftrength, and the BATS OF her power
Dull tfdQe Is always IcttGTeu dIu TtltTlCted by
charters, monopolies, and executive privileges
of every kind. 1t will fourth only when free
from the impoitions, and unretrained by the
abfHd laws Of commercial opprefiion. As foon
as America became independent, fhe adopted
the liberal and enlightened policy of throwing
open her ports to all the nations of the world,
and of unbarring the avenues to wealth, profpe-
rity and improvement.
A third advantage refulting from the Ameri-
can revolution is of political naturc--a free
dom from he entanglenent European T,1,iitico
the liberty which we received of infituting
sJrm of government for the promotion of our
national happiness and the fecurity of our civil
rights. After European tyranny had received
the fat of expulhoa from our country-after
we had burt the bonds OF gnominious iervitude,
we were left free TO eftabliih any fyRcm of 60
vcrnment which fhould appear bei calculated
to guard urlibertiss and fecure to our poferity
the rights and p.iedges Of freemen. We had It
IN our power to form code of laws on which
fhould be deeply engraveD the fundamental prin-
ciples of nature, the frR rights of mankind.
y The day on which the feparaton took place be-
twixt America and Great Britain was the birth
day of liberty. 1t confituted one Of the grand
eff epOchs in the political hiItory of the world.