Arkansas intelligencer., 1848-07-22
18th July Grafton at Fayetteville.
BY THE HON. J. H. CARLETON.

BY THE HON. J. H. CARLETON.
Ladies and Gentiemen:--It is always pleas
ure to me to see so many of you assembled but
dou6ly so on an occasion like the present;
when party feelings and party strife are laid a
side and all unite aabrothers and sisters in cele.
bratIng the birth day Of our nation. The gen.
tIenen have not assembled here merely to eat
and drina, aor these young ladies merely to show
their hne dresses, elegant persons and pretty IA
ces; nor those venerable matrous merely to show
their neatly clad little boys and girls. But we
have met 10 call 10 mind the scenes of suffering
oi 70, and the spirit Of amty and concession that
prevailed at that time.
This day, seventy-Jwo years this nation was
born Previous to that period. had you searched
the records OF IIme you could not from the dimest
to lhe brightest page have found the name Of The
United States OF America; now the world is filed
with her fame. Her banners float in triumDba mt
freedom IN every port under heaven. And while
we are met here to-day her warriors revel in. and
her stars ana stripes wave over the Halls of the
Mou!ezumas, or loaded with Iaurels of victory
are "endmg their way 10 their native land
Greece celebrated tie blood aud carnage of Their
mopy sc, the victories OF PIaraea and Marathon
Rome celebrated the downfall Of Carthage. a nd
ths elevation of Caesar; but celebrate neither
blood nor caruogs-the elevation Of no ambitious
cesPot; but the introduction of those principles
which Cicero says ''aec ten1goriS uAius aec Hogz3
Lea, neqHe dthcaG; ssd Tee Ommuas genliune,
SenaPeiema et UHlaOTiGieS."
W hen we look al the circumstances under
which our separation and Independence took
Place-we found they we're not the result of a
splendid victory. They did not axe place when
the mother country was engaged IL foreign or
intestine war, nor through any military chieftain
bu, they proceeded from the most cnu4 and de-
ubeFate reflection They took place not at the
head of The army. bat in the peaceful chair OF
state around V Inch stood Patrick Henry an
Adams. Jay, Jefferson, and a Franklin.
The first permanent settlement in North Amer
ica was made at jamestown, Va, in 1907. The
next WIS at Plymouth, ia 1920, (uow Mass. =
The forest which bad for ages bid defiance TO the
vivid lightning, and the raging whirwind now tot
tered and fell beneath The stroke Of the axe
Fields, villages and cities, soon appeared along
Inc shores oi the Atlantic. Settlement succeeded
settlement, I'll. the colonies increased 10 thirteen.
After our pilgrim fathers had bulIa,,ed the
c.Oui-ca!t waves # the Alta ntc, suffered sick
ness and haTds.Is iunGmerabie, and n separation
from every thing, Uul liberty Ihey held dear. and
had increased from weakness 10 strength. Eng
land. though she had left them unalded IN their
weakness, cast her envious eyes upon them
She determined, as she said she had right. to
bind the colonies in al! things whatsoever. The
unnatural mother, compelled her children 10 buy
Of and sell 10 her, and her only, though thew
could have bought and sold o much better advan-
tage with any other nation. She permitted them
TO establish manufactures not contented with this
she imposed tax on them without their consent,
to support The hand that was enchanting them
They looked upon their situation and saw them
selves oppressed wIih all the burtheus which Pna-
UOh imposed upon the ancient lsraetes, except
The wicked mandate 10 slay all the male children
had not yet gone forth. They remembered the
suferiugs Of themselves and fathers for freedom,
and The once bright prospect of enjoying ii; but
the clouds now lowered and dark despair hung
round. At times they thought Of rebellion, but
then the thoughts Of the land of their fathers and
the home of their happy infancy banshed the
thought as. ImpiOus. They appealed 10 moth
er's affection, but the mother in her absence had
forgotten her children. Finding all in vain, they
consulted and devised ways and means 10 oppose
these arbitrary measures, not by force of arms
but By force Of reason and justice; but this only
made the oppressor strengthen her grasp. Every
breeze That blew across the Atlantic brought
threats of war, fire, aud blood. and every snip
brought soldiers. One of her orators exclaimed,
"Heavens shall we sit here in idle debate whilst
our couutTy's honor Is insulted, and that foo by
our own subjects! Now let slip the dogs of war,
let our feet sail, and sweep with fire and sword
every ;owD hamlet and city, from one end of A
merica to the other"
In this crisis the colonies sent deputies to con-
suit for the general safety. In this council were
some of lhe wsest heads and puresl hearts ever
sembled. In their deberaton they looked on
their siiuation-they saw their own seryitude
and the only legacy they should have TO bequeath
their children was slavery. They remembered
they were Englishmen, and COR thought they,
"what have We done, TO forfeit orr rights as such?
Has eaving England crossing The Atlantic
and building up SO many pleasant towns and
villages in this wideruess world, taken from Us
the common rights Of m1nkind! Subjected Us 10
be- for pretended offences, transported across the
Atlantic far from neighbors and witnesses,
and confined in dungeons to wait slow but sure
conviction. While rehearsing the injustice and
cruelty of the mother country, the God-like spIr-
il of Patrick Henry rose with indignation, and
with a voice of thunder and a stamp which made
the hall trenbie, be sWore ''the God of nature
had made us free-that we owed no allegiance
To the Crown of Great Britain. That he for one
would bow TO nothing but the shrine OF justice and
the throne of Omnipoience." From parts Of the
house. hisses and the cry of "treason'' heard.
Srem others Deep groans-a death-like silence en-
sued. The cUn ~ontion adjourned 10 ref cl
on this important movement and to consult the
people. In their intercourse with them, they
every where heard the words of Patrick Henry