The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-02-21

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water ~ Laughter und applause
( There is your Declaration Of Independ
ence a diplomatic dodge, adopted merely
for the purpose of excusing the rebelliou
colonies in the eyes Of civilized mankind
There Is your Declaration Of Independence
no longer the sacred code Of the rights o
man, but an hypocritical piece of special
pleading, drawn up by a batch Of artfu
pettifoggers, who. when speaking of the
rights Of man, meant but the privileges o.
arls:ocratic shareholders, but styled it . the
rights of man." in order to throw dust into
the eyes of the world, and to inveigle no.
ble-hearted fools into lending them aid and
assistance. Applause. These are yonr
boasted Revolutionary sires. no longer he.
roes and sages, but accomplished humbug.
gers and hypocrites. who said one thing
and meant another; who passed counter
fclt sentiments as genuine. and obtained
arms and money aud assistance and svm.
pathy on false pretences There is your
great American Revolution, no longer the
chr"pion If universal principles bur a
:ncau lal1-e trick bursts Of applause
and laughter "a wooden nutmeg - re-
newed cheers the most impudent imposi-
tion ever practiccd upon the whole world
lApPlause.
That is the way Mr. Douglas wants you
to read and to understand the proudest pa
ges Of the American history That is the
kind Of history with which he finds it nee.
essary to prop his mongrel doctrine of popu-
lar sovereignty, That is what he calls
indicating the character and the motives
and the conduct Of the ssners of the Dec
laration of independence Thus he did
not blush to SANDER Jefferson, who, when
speaking of his country, meant the world,
and, when speaking of his fellow-citizens,
meant mankind; and Franklin in whose
clear head theory and practice were the
same, and, who, having declared "all men
to be created free and equal" became the
first President of the first great Abolition
Society and John Adams, the representa-
tive of that State which abolished slavery
within Its limits with one great stroke of
and Washington, who declared
1t to be his fondest wish to see slavery
abolished by law" and affixed to the Dec
laration of independence the broad sigma
ture Of his heroic sword and Madison,
who deemed it absurd to admit the idea
of property in man. and of the trainers of
the Constitution, who took care not to dis
grace that instrument with the word "ser-
vitude," aro,cediy because 1t aguiGed
cOadit'on Of q stare, and substituted the
word service, avowedly because 1t sig
n,fcd tie condition Of u freeman. Thus
Mr. Douglas darcs to speak of all those
true men, who, after having proclaimed
their principles in the Declaration, endeav-
ored to introduce them into practical life in
almost every State, in the way OF gradual
That they have failed in
this, is it fault of theirs 1t shows not
that they were less great and sincere. but
that subsequent generations were hardly
worthy of SO noble an ancestry Ap.
plause.
There is Mr.. Douglass version of your
history He despairs of converting you
without slandering your fathers. His pres
ent doctrines cannot thrive, unless planted
in calumny on the past lie vindicate
the signcrs of the Declaration of Independ-
ence, Indeed, they need it sadly. | see
the illustrious committee of five rise from
their graves, at their head Thomas Jeffer-
son, his lips curled with the smile of con-
tempt and | hear him say to Mr.. Douglas :
" Sir, you may abuse us as much as you
please, bat have the goodness to spare US
with your vindications of our character and
and motives" Great laughter and ap-
plause.
1t is common thing tha. men Of a
coarse cast of mind SO lose themselves in
the mean pursuit Of selfish ends, as to be-
come insensble to the grand and sublime.
Measuring every character and every event
in history by the low standard Of their own
individualities applying to everything the
narrow rule of their own motives, incapa-
bic of grasping broad and generous ideas,
they will belittle every great thing they
cannot deny, and drag down every strug-
gle Of principles to the sordid arena of as
piring selfshness, or of small competing in
terests. Eighteen hundred years ago
there were men who saw nothing in incip-
lent Christianity but a mere wrangle be-
tween Jewish theologians, got up by car
penter's boy, and carried on by few era.
zy fishermen Three hundred years ago,
there were men who saw in the great re.
formatory movement Of the sixteenth cen.
tury, not the emancipation of the individu.
al conscience, but nero fuss kicked up
by German monk who wanted to get
married. Two hundred years ago, there
were men who saw in Hampden's refusal
to pay the ship money, not bold vindica
ton of constitutional liberty, but the crazy
antics of man who was mean enough tc
quarrel about a few .hillings And now
there are men who see in the Declaration
of Independence and the American Revo
lc:ion, not the reorganization Of human SO
ciety upon the basis of liberty and equal
ty, but d0d ge Of some English colonist.
who were unwilling to pay their taxes
Continued applause
But the dignity of great characters anC
the glory Of great events find their vindi
cation in the conscience of the people
Cheers 1t is in vain for demagoguisl
TO raise its short arms against the trutl
OF history. The Declaration Of Independ
ut>pl. tbn.o