The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1857-07-04
Declaration Of independence.

Fourth, and so we will issue no paper on
Monday.
Declaration Of Independence.
Eighty one years ago to-day our Fathers
Representatives, in solemn council, set their
seals to the declaration Of their own inde-
pendence and the rights Of mankind. They
said in that immortal document, eve hold
these truths to be self evident; that all men
are created equal; that they are endowed
with certain inalienabe rights that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit Of
hsppineas."
That was the grand sentiment which our
grandfathers and our fathers delighted to
exnand and magnify in patriotic and elo.
quens speeches ON this anniversary. But in
this, our day, large portion Of the Ameri-
can people would hiss reader Of the
declaration who should happen to empha-
sise all, or in any other way indicate that
s'sll men, meant the entire human family.
The Chief Justice of our Supreme Court as
ssrts that call men" did not include those Of
African descent. Judge Douglass holds
that it meant simply the white people Of
these American Colonies, and none other ;
and the Rev. Ross says that the entire asser-
ton 10 one Of Jefferson's infde lies.
II the declaration is worth reading pub
licly on this day, and il its sentiments de-
serve TO be cherished in our hearts, it would
be we'll that We should understand what it
really means. Happily the writer OF that
document has spoken in his writings else
where upon the subjsc. of liberty in such
terms as leave no room for mistake
or misrepresentation. He meant all men
OF oil ages, chimes and colors, and so meant
our grandfathsrs, andso our fathers under
stood their meaning, and in that sense the
anniversary Of the day was honorcd BY them
and by the lovers Of freedom lin every land,
was celebrated as made in behalf Of the lib
critics Of every people.
In the original draft Of the Declaration
Of Independence in the handwriting Of JEFF
fcraon was this sentiment, which covers aud
settles the whole question, and applies d.
rccsly to the African race, for he charges
upon George the Third violation Of the
"rights Of mankind, in the enal ayemeut OF
the negroes, for he says Of that monarch:
" He has wsged cruel war against human ma
ture itself, violating its most sacred rights
Of life and liberty in she persons Of dis
tant people who never offended him, cap,iva-
ting and carrying them into slavery in an
other hemisphere, or to incur miserable
death in their passage thither. This polti-
cal warfare, the opprobrium Of in6del pow
ers, is the warfare Of the Christian King Of
treat Britain. Determined to keep open
market where men should be bought and
sold. he has prostituted his negative FOR sup
pressing every legislative attempt to pro-
hibt or restrain this execrable COM
merce."
We can write nothing so well calculated to
arouse the spirit Of liberty, instruct on,
readers in its principles and warn them oil
Its dangers, as certain paragraphs which We
hnd ready written to our hand by the autho,
OF the Declaration Of Independence.
Here is another brief paragraph worthy
the attention Of the American people on thi,
day, and always, so long as liberty shall bt
prized BY them
There must, doubtless, be an unhappy in
Euence on the manners OF our people pro
oucsd by the existence Of slavery among US
The whole commerce between master ant
slave Is perpetual exercise Of the most bois
ferrous passions the most unremitting DIES
potisn on the one part, and degrading sub
mission on the other.
1.-The man must be prodigy who can re
tain bis manners and morals undeprayed b,
such circumstances. And with what execra
tion should the Statesman be londed, VIII
permitting one half OF the citizens thus /
trample on the rights Of the other, trans
forms those into deepots, and these into enc
Miss-destroys the morals Of the one par!
ana tue amor patria Of the other. And a
the liberties Of nation thouchtto be secur
when we have removed their only firm basis
a conviction in the minds OF the people tina
these liberties are the gift Of Gods Thu
they are not to be violated but with his wrath
Indeed sremhe for my country when re
nect that God is just that his justice canno
sieep forever that, considering numbers
nature, and natural means only revolutio
Of tns wheel Of fortune, nm exchange Of 81,
nations ID among possible events; that i, ina
become probable by supernatural in,erff
renee. The Almighty has no attribute whic
can take side with " in sncL q. contest
We have quoted enough TO show that til
author Of the Declaration of independence
had very different view Of its meaning frol
that which 10 attributed to il BY Chief Ju,
ties Tansy, Judge Douglas and their foliov
srs. Now let as make one more extract I
show what he thought and how he spoke 0
the Sapssms Court Judges, and ask our Eel
low citissns how II happened that he spok
% freely without censure in his day, in th