Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1859-07-07
PLYMOUTH, INDIANA, THURSDAY, JULY Z, 1859

leighty-three years ago to-day, the patriot
Adams. who ''having no fear of the king
before his eyes, although price was put
upon his heal, stood forth. and after re-
viewing the who subject. closed a, follows:
"Sir. know the uncertainty of human
affairs, but l see, see clearly. through
this days business. You and l. indeed,
may rue it. We may not live to the time
when this declaration shall be made good.
We may die; die colonists; die slaves;
die, it may be ANONYMOUSLY AMI on the
scaffold. Be it so. Be it so. . If it be
the pleasure of Heaven that my country
shall require the poor offering Of my life,
the victim shall be ready at the appointed
hour ofsacrice, come when that hour may.
But while do live, let me have country
or at least the hope of country and that
free country.
"But whatever may be our fate, be as
sured that this Declaration will stand 1t
may cost treasure, and it may cost blool:
but it will stand, and it will richly com
pensatc for both. Through the thick
gloom of the present, 1 see the brightness
of the future, as the sun in heaven. We
shall make this a glorious anil immortal
day. When we are in our graves, our
children will honor it. They will cele-
brate it with Thanksgiving, with festivity,
with bonfires, and illuminations. On its
annual return they will she'd tears, copi-
ous, gushing tears, not of subiection an
slavery, not of agony and distress. but of
exultation. of gratitude, and JOY. Sir. be-
/ fore God, | believe the hour is come. Ny
judgement approves this measure ani my
whole heart is in it. All that | have, and
all that l am. ami all that hpp3. in this
life, am now ready here to stake upon it;
and leave off as begun, that i've Or die,
survive or perish, am for the Declara-
ton. 1t is my living sentiment, and by
the blessing of God it shall be my dying
sentiment, Independence. now, and INDE-
PFNDENcE FOREVER"
At the close Of this string appeal, Old
Independence Hall was in connection
The feeble were strengthened, the cringing
were filed with courage. the resolute were
full of the very fires of patriotism, and up
on the wave of excitement the resolution
to adopt the Declaration. as their language
passed without dissenting voice.
While this was going on within, witt,
closed doors, rumor was abroad. busy with
accounts of what was passing, AMI crowds
were assembled; when suddenly. the door
was opened, and page appeared, who
cried out to the old beIlman in the tower
''its passed" "its passed." when the bell
pealed forth as if in honor of glorio1.
victory. ats passed. '"what's paS>e l?''
asked one to the other, in the immenst
throng. that were gathering "whv the
Declaration" sail another. "let us hca
it," said they all. II was brought to tn.
door, and one of the members read it a
loud to the assembled multitude. who re
ceivel it with shouts Of iov Every where
it was hailel with exultation AMI pleasure
the mass of tho people determining t.
stand with it or fall with it.
But it cost treasure. it cost bloc t.
Towns. villages AMI hamlets were destroy
ed, and the country lail waste. The mer
cilcss milan savages who were employed
to hang upon our border, spared neither
age. sex or condition The country du
ring all this long and bloody war. was i'm
poverished and exhausted. The army
without pay, excepting continental money
which not having the confidence of ca2i
talists. and being easily counterfeited, be
come so worthless that it took pound by
: weight of the trash, to be worth an Eng
lish pound and often S25 of it would bare
ly buy dinner. In these emergencies
the heroic soldier, went bare footed anc
covered with rags; and in their winter
marches, they left the prints of their fee
in blood, on the ice and snow. The bes
blood of the country waterel the soil anc
the bones of our fathers. whitened tn
plains of Saratoga, Monmouth. Yorktown
: and lay scattered over every State, from
Maine to the rice swamps Of South Caro-
lima.
But they struggled on, and in an event
full and almost exterminating war of eigh
years they triumphed! and to-day we enjo,
the rich heritage dearly bought.
And to-day, instead of trugglng. a
Sardinia, Hungary and italy. with aespot
for foes, and tvrantS for friends. with litt
nope Tor Improvement. III anf event. We
fighting with conlage formed by despair
! we are, rejoicing iu free, ami a gloriou
: tcountry. \ country stretching from tn
Atlantic to the Pacific. from the grea
Lakes OF the North to the Gulf of Mexi
. co, on the South a country whose sol
and climate is uncqnaled in the world. I
! land Glowing with milk and honey,
blooming with cotton, and waving wit
corn A country bound together wit
= bands of iron. over whose iron way the fe
u ry steed rushes with wild delight, bearing
: to the ocean the products of the soil.
= , country pernfeated every way, with electri
cords, over which with the rapidity o
thought. intelligence and good cheer
= communicated to the very extremitics G
; the land A country where Church ~pire
gleam in the sun light, and which is dotte
: all over with school houses fillel with LII
} braries, books and of presses. that are IN
e trameled and free, and which docs thunde
. forth in tones that cannot be miSundel
stood. to encourage the right AMI chec