The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-07-15

strongly ON the hearts anu hopes OF us VlctlmS,
looked with jealous eye, askance, across the
and bleeding thousands, catching glimpse Of
the light in the occident, felt their hearts grow
strong within them.
In the same spirit with which the father of
Hannibal made his son to swear upon the altar
Of their gods, eternal hostility to Rome, were
the young children of America educated to dis
card with a holy horror the divine right of
kings, and to believe, as the first lesson of
American Democracy, THE EQUALITY OF MAN.
Hence, in later years, when tyrants thought
to rule the land, how spoke the sons, in noble
tones, and showed the fathers blood yet cOurs-
ing in their veins 1t could not have been
expected that under those influences,
and with such education, there should ring out
clear and full the battle-cry of Democracy
" Resistance to tyrants is obedience to Cod
And then as widely on the landward and the
seward breeze the star-Spanglcd banner of Ii
berty unfurlcd its waving folds. groaning null
titudes in all lands read its glorious truth, and
hailed the light, as the day-star of the long-ex-
pccted jubilee ofearth.
In the vision of history, that passes before US
on this anniversary day we see those earnest,
sober men. the delegates of thirteen independ-
cnt sovereignties, convened in deep dclibcra-
ton, to know, whether they should then strike
for liberty. or bear the oppressor' yoke longer.
Sublimty sat cnshrned within that council
chamber, and the angels of honor, and of holy
truth kept vigil at the doOr,when they pledged
their lives. their fortunes and their sacred hon
or, to transmit to their posterity the glorious
boon of freedom or seal their testimony with
their blood. Here was the official inauguration
of American democracy, when those glorious
men sent forth to the world the heaven-born
declaration of the equality of man, and of his
in in oh tn ha ioy Of
ileges his God had given him, of life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness. Then commenced
the public mission Of democracy; and now. as
still that vision of the past rolls. appears many
a transaction of our ccuntry's early days. and
that long-continued struggle that followed the
declaration of our independence We seem to
see again the wheeling ranks of charging war;
riOrs, the march Of England's battle legions,
and the undiciplincd yeomanry of our granite
hills the charge. the repulse. the rally, the
rising smoke, the scattered ranks, the falling
and the dying. We hear again the clash of arms,
the lannon's roar, the muskcts' vollcying rattle,
the rifles crack the loud shout of command
steady-iirc-the huzzas OF victory, the rolling
drum, the shrill fife, tie rallying cry ':Long
Live King George" and the cchoing shout, as
rolling back from stout hearts it comes, LIB
erty or Death" Young manhood presses tight
the quivering lip and old age lays down the
crutch to grasp the iirc-lOck and rushes to the
place where freedom is to be bought with blood.
Thus was wrought out the great idea of self
government. and young America was clothed
in the garment of manhood, and babe to pro-
vide for himself Seventycight years to day
has this STRIPPING been working his way up in the
world, and American democracy been working
out the accomplishment of its mission. Year
after year has the youth been increasing his
cOrpOrcal dimensions, and the area of democ-
racy been extending. \ nervous writer of the
present day, has drawn the following forcible
description Impatient of magnitude or limit
see our monster mortal stretching itself over
hemisphere, a vast mermaid, or rather mer-
man. always anneXing little more room, until
with its head baptized by the Polar Sea,
it listens with either ear to the duet of
the Atlantic and Pacific, and projecting the
spinal ridge of the Rocky Mountains from its
back, it seeks to unfold its tail downward along
the Darien."-And he might have added. were
it not for destroying the figure of the norman,
seeking to stretch down its left foot among the
Antilles, and with its right arm to grasp the
high peaks of Hawaii, willing at any time to
raise its left elbow, and give place to the ST.
Lawrence. The mission of Democracy is but
Just beginning to open, and all the past, is but
as child's play, to that which lieth yet in the
womb of the future.
We are young as a nation. though we count
our seventy eight years. We are but just out
OF our cradle, and not yet by many years, ar
rived at our majority.
An orator of our own bright West, has OBJ
served with great beauty:
"When Fulton launched his paddle wheels on
the Hudson and started off for Albany, against
wind and tide, America was just beginning to
go. When the daguerrcotypc was perfected in
New FORK, America was just beginning to see
. his face in the sun. When Morse trans
mitted words, hundreds of miles in moments
time, America was just beginning to talk. 1t
is no idle boast that we are Young Amcric
We are the youth, six thousand years old. Six
thousand years have been spent in our educa-
tion, and now, We are just entering upon our
The mission of Democracy lies before us, and
a bright and glorious field, bounded only by
the shores of time. Thus far, does the contin-
ued extension of territory, and the enlarge
ment of boundary seem not to have been atten-
dcd with the dreful effects, that have some
times been prophecied concerning it.
We are not of those who look upon an extern
sion OF territory as necessary evil to q coun-
try, or thereby endangcring the safety or per-
pctuity of its government. Republican De-
mOcracy, will never oppose the cry of anneXa-
ton when it comes in proper form.
The rock on which the Roman Republic split,
w "s nut tuc duultiOu Vi ucW territory 10 nef
limits but the waging of offensive wars. for the
purpose of conquest, thus fostering a military
spirit, which was not based on the defence of
country or of liberty, but for the mere purpose
Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and extension The mission
of Democracy, in this country, is not one of fill
libustcring tendency. Ready to receive all
who come within her pale, she wages no war of
extension. or forces annexation at the bayonet's
point. Cuba, and Sonora, and Canada, may
each and all, be received into the sisterhood,
as free and Independent states, when, under
proper circumstances they make the applica-
ton, and ask place with us.
But let the curses of a true democracy, rest
on that man, or men. who invade anOthcr's
right, by martial force, and cover it with the
cloak OF manifest destiny" The present mis-
sion of Democracy is to extend her domain far
and wide, but only by pcaceablc measures.
In the future career that opens before us, as
true to our great mission to fulfil, we must be
n refuge and hiding place, FOR the oppressed
and the Outcast of other lands. Beneath the
folds Of our star-spangled banner, let every
victim OF tyrrany and of wrong, find home
Here let hun live and be happy, where no king
ly craft can roach him with mona IN r,.l,,t On