The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-07-20

wrong, nTOcINlmed he
ling truth to aStounded world and foated it
ouily the face of regal Europe that "GH men are
born free and equal"
They did not believe it essential to the maintain
ance OF that there should be certain classes
endowed with peculiar privileges extraordinary dis
tinctiOns. They did not believe that ribbon, or n
star garter, cross, even, conferred
the authority upon one man, many men, to dvest
their fellows Of those inpstimable and lnaIienable
rights bequeathed by God to all the children of men,
Of Unrestricted liberty of thought and action They
ignored the imnaculacy the court of George and
ii asked to tell what elements were essential 10 con
stitute a State, would have told YOU
Not high raised battlenents or labored mound
Thick wall or moated gate;
Not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned.
Not bays and broad, armed ports,
W here, laughing at the storm, rich navies ride;
Not starred and spangled courts,
Where low born baseness watts perfume to pride
No: men, high minded men,
With power as far above dull brues indued
la forest. brake or den,
As beasts excel cold r,cks and brambles rude
Men, who their duties know,
But know therrights; and knowing, dare maintain
Prevent the long aimed blow,
And crush The yrant while they rend the chain.
These constitute State;
And sovereign law, that States collected will
Der thrones and globes elate
81 empress, crowning good, repressing i'll:
SInit by her sacred frown,
The iend discretion, like vapor sinks,
And cen the all dazzling crown
Hides his faint rays, and at her bidding shrinks"
Such being the character of the men of that day
such being The state Of public feeling at that period
iramagine, my fellow citizens with what an intense
soctude they were looking forward to the actions of
the congress then in session As to-day rumor
would come floating the brtze that misnnderstand
ings PREVAILED in the counses of their del gltrs that
differences Of opinion existed to the policy to be
pursued: that some counselling an abandonment
OF the manly course already commenced by the people
and were proposing subms~iUn--the hearts of the
brave spirits that had enlisted in their eountrys ser
vice would ful--patriOtism would languish, and the
goddess of liberty who hoverrd over the scene with
eager and tutstretched wing, ready to waft the
fate OF struggling freedom throughout the uttermos
bounds Of the earth, would drnop her mead and fold
her wings i'll sadness. But againl When more joy
GU messenger came sporting mountain and river
stopping at the rude cabin in the depths of the
forest, now at he richer mansion the farm bearing
more hopeful intelligeneethat union prevailed that
oppression must cease that the shacklps of tyranny
should be unloosened upon these shores that the
rights of man should be asserted and defended, that
the great battle between desposm and freedom should
be fought and decided, now once and forever:again
would the aspiring hopes of the lovers Of freedom lift
themselves to heaven, again would the warm flush of
pride animate their faces, and again would their
souls glow with exuaton in the prospect of glorious
future for them and their posterity.
Thus it the1nemorable morning ofJuly 4th 4,
l776 when this old bell of which have been telling
you poured orth upon the still and silent air peal at
ter peal and note after note sending out the gladstone
intelligence far the land and over the sea Like
an electric spark the few throughout the eoun-
try AS fast the sound reached one locality, borne
the swift wings of the wind another breeze caught
mp the joyful echo and waited itonward, still onward:
from house to house. from town to town. from city TO
city, from county TO county from State to State it
kept its onward It penetrated the deepest
of the forests and scaled the highest tops of the
hills in New England. Onward in its progress, con-
veying joy to al! hearts, it reached the ocean. Nor
then did stop ltcrossed the mighty deep, and came
balm to the hearts of many suffering victim OF
tyranny the water whose only hope of respite
from oppression lay in the hope Of liberty to be enjoyed
in this world. Them it filled with gladness in
expressible But it carried in its tone well
consolation. 1t penetrated imperial cabinets, and
wound its way to the secret chambers where royalty
sat encased in golden splrndor 1t caused the knee
Of princes shake with fear and kngly sceptres quiv
ering fell from the palsied hands that held them.
/ have thus alluded briefly to the causes which
snaugurated the of the American revolution, and
TO the circumstances of country at that eventul
epoch in her history Thus begun and was set in
motion the of our national independence, which
resulted after years of ariuous toll and self
denying sacrifices on the part of our refathers IN
the acknowledgement by the government of Great
Britain Of the independence of these United States
Thus was secured to US, my friends this glorious ia
brio Of our government, under which now live.
And thus secured to the peaceful enjoyment OF
those manifold rights, privil ges and immuni les
which makes us to daV the happleSt nallon on the
globe, the envy and the admiration Of the world All
my countrymen, what noble heritage3 And what an
unmeasured obligation Of gratitude should we teei
and acknowledge, for bequeathment glorious
And are we not SOP Is there bosom in tins large
eoncourse before me- that does not throb with pride
and exutaton in the consciousness that Aneri
ean citizens.
The history of that seven years war is familiar to
you all You have read when you were children time
and again the story of your national Independence
l. zrfol and TlT
fathers on the thousand contested battle fields. the
names of which have been rendered immortal by Their
trowess have been read by you, and over again
when the scadng tear, the flushed cheek, and the
duivering lip gave ample testimony that you were
worthy descendant of sres so worthy. The names Of
l3unker Hill and Monmouth, of Concord and Saratoga
Of Lexington and Yorktown, of Brandywine and
Ticonderoga, shall fade only when history shall be
read no longer and when the story of liberty shall
cease 10 be attractive to the Of men, 1t would bt
an agreeable duty TO go back to day accompanied
ty You and review some of the many affecting incl
dents that marked this eventfu period OF our coun
try's history: To dwell for awhile on some of tht
ntany acts of herOism performed by those whose yea
in their country's service have given them foremost
race on the page of her but the course have
marked out for what remarks may make forblds sucl
task of delight: nor is it necessary they have gOn'
IA is true hut their memories enshrined deep deep
Ill your hearts and their spirits rejoicing II
uacompanied freedom in those realms that are unclr
cumscribed by the power of earthly kings or rnten
tstes and they are doubt looking upon rs IN thi
hour from their celestial abodes and whispering orson
III the ear of heaven in our behalf.
George Washington, John Adams, John Hancock
Thomas Jeff rson, Thomas Paine Patrick Henry
HenIamin Franklin are that will outllve tn
uouldering volumes that give reeorl of their great
ness: and the memories of Warren and Putnam, o
Marion and of Lee, and of Lafay atte and De Ktlb
Green and Of Gates of Nathan Hale and Ethan Allen
and the myrad others that were born OF those days
will perish alone when songs of freedom shall ceas
II be sung in the earth and when deeds Of courag
shall fail to awaken emotion in the breasts ot men,
II know not my friends whether there be connec
tiEan between the spirits of those who have departed
aha those which shall live here: / sometimes thn
there is And if there is If the spirits OF the Illus
trious dead participate in the concerns OF those VII
were dear to them in this transitory life, OH may v
nit in the dark hour when turbid clouds are lowerin
o3er our country and dangers threaten the tranqui
and stability of our Union. May we not look heaven
wards with some degree Of hope, and without oeln
irF weren't to him. who ruleth all, and invoke the al
oil these eonsecrated to stay the hand OF 1aeuo
alId to avert the impending storm.
If the greatness of man may be measured oy the IS
sr5ts of anv particular action of their lyes, the
ought the sgners of the declaration of lndependenc
to have erected to their fame hecatomb oyertoPPln
Ill monuments ever erected by hum IN htnds to com
mlsmorate renown; whose dazzling summit shout
pil.ree the skies.