Piney Woods planter and Amite union literary reflector. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1838-1838, 1838-07-14

most imposing spectacle the world ever
behold. Not conflict of mighty armies,
where "blood and carnage" filed the mid
night air. and "millions died that Cesar
might be great" Not noble Senate of
Conscript Fathers met to pronounce the
/ fearful sentence against rival power, |
"Carthago deenda est" What then? AM
assemblage Of heroes and statesmen, in
defiance OF the mcnaces ola cruel tyrant, |
declaring the astounding and unweIcome
truth, ''that all men are created equal, |
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unaIienable rights, that a
mong these are life, liberty and the pur-
suit Of happiness" and hurting defiance at
the British throne, while Tyranny with his
mailed foot was wantonly trampling upon
Eeyory bud OF liberty on both sides the At
lantlc. The signers of the Declaration CfI
independence afford a rare example OF dis
interested patriotism and selfdevotedness.
TO them ambition hek1 forth no allure
ments, and ayarice could offer no tempta-
tons, Liberty was the Goddess of their
idolotry, to her did they devote themselves
willing and q ready sacrifice, and pray,
"thy kingdom come"--a prayer that car
red CONSERVATION to European monarchs
and caused the Tyrant to tremble on his
lettering throne. Who, lelIow-citizens,
+ that has nature in his heart, does not, on
this day, when led back to that momentous
period, catch the divine spirit which in
spired our ancestors in the shines that tri-
ed mems souls, and impelled them in de-
fance of the halter and the cleaning
sword of the Despot, to grant freedom to
f three millions of men, though with it they
gave their "lives, their fortunes, and their
sacred honor" who, we ask, does not, on
this occasion, catch one spark Of living fire
from that altar at which they worshipped,
and swear to preserve the blessings they
obtained after the most incessant labors
of eight distresslnl years, and transmit
them to posterity untarnishcd and unim-
, paTeu!
{ Pardon us for momen,, --i;In ,un shalI
attempt to trace up the various causes
f that led to the event of this glorious ami
versary. For we shall find much to in
strnct the Judgment and call forth the adj
miration, while contemplating the wisdom,
prudence and justice, with which acts OF
the most determined resistance were had
recourse to at the first dawning of the
Revolution. When our fathers, flying
from hardships & persecution, left their
ia, I've -..ylos, ~..,, ,arnea zone last; one
longing, lingering look on Albion's snowy
cliffs, they did not renounce their allegi-
ance, or contemplate the establishment Of
G government Independent of that of Great
4 Britain, but only came as colonists, bear
h ing in their hearts the feelings and alfec-
a tons of Englishmen, and acknowledging
full and firm allegiance TO the country OF
; their birth. And though, from the very
t first time they had acquired for themselves
ga local habitation and name," in this,
then wilderness wild, there existed causes
which it might reasonably be supposed,
were well calculated to diminish their at
) tachment to Great Britain-such as re-
strictions upon their commerce-the par
simony with which aid was afforded them
in an arduous and hard contested war
the populations and administration of
those who were, contrary to their wishes
|
over them, and many such like grew
ancios and outrages; still, up to the year
1864, all the injustice and neglect with
which they had been treated seemed in
sufficient to impair their affection or shake
their allegiance. Forgetful of past inju-
res and elate with hopes Of the future,
they seemed to entertain none other than
feelings of flial obedance to the mother
country, which they looked upon and view
ed in the light of a parent, possessing the
right to correct, admohish, govern and di-
rect the destiny of the offspring, and if at
i any time, by tyranny and oppression, they
were awaked to a sense of their wrongs,
i they were ever disposed to eXclaim with
Cowper, 'England, with all thy faults, |
love thee still"
S A change of policy, however, at this
s time, on the part of the mother country
d in regard to her colonies, interrupted the
= friendly disposition that heretofore existed
C between them Hitherto Great Britain
] had been content so to control their COM
a merce, as to monopolizo to herself all the
S benefits accruing therelrom. But now,
t regardless of every principle ofjustlce and
] acknowledgement of all the sacred
! ties of consequently and relationship, she
/ made the first attempt to raise a revenue
j, in America, by laying duties on certain
: articles which recognized the existence Of
+ a right TO tax them without their consent.
# This unjust and outrageous policy inyolv-
: ed principle directly at war with their
d cherished aphorism that "taXation and re-
/ presentation were inseparable," and this,
$ / has been said, was the hinge OH which
e the Revolution turned. BY this first acI