The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-07-10
Fourth of July Grafton by Mr.. Evcre"--
Defence of Popular Government 'sai"st
the Assault Of Lord Grey.


Our readers will receliect that in debate
in the British Ii ,use OF Lords on the i9th OF
Aprij. on the extension of the elective fran
chise in England, Earl GaEY took occasion to
hold up the Uaited States a. a beacon to warn
the House of from the shoals of an enlarged
suffrage, alleging in substance, that "our
elections have become a mockery, our Legs
lature. venai, our courts tainted with party
shirt our laws scobwehs' which rcn and
moor alike break through, and the country
apd Government alike given over 10 corrup-
ton violence and a general disregard OF pun
lie ,,,raIitym lie maintained that we h"u
der.osrated from the virtues OF our fefo'"-
,iouary fathers, aud that our system mac
,,roxaa n failure because universal Suffrage
hao swept away the checks ana balances pro-
xtded by WASHINGTON Tor the regulation OF
our political IN tchihery.
GA The Fourth of July, Mr.. EVERETT de-
liyered an Grafton Ia Faneuii Hail, which re-
sem pled no Fourth of ally Grafton we had ever
before read or heard oI. H. lett out OF question
the giories of Saratoga aud YORKTOWN, the
march to rren ton, the scream OF The American
Bagte, and all the common .Qpics OF deciana-
tion. Ii was sevoted entirely 10 The position
assumed py Lord GREY IN this l9th OF Aprii
speech, and IL grappiea with them WIN tue
strength OF giant We confess we have never
read a document 50 we'll Gale uiated TO remove
all doubt OF the success OF popular govern
ment, of its infinite superiority over every
other form, and OF its claim to the esteem OF
mankind, from the miracles 1t has wrought In
America; aud we ask all who, like ourselves,
have sometimes felt despondent OF the future,
and almost prepared 10 acknowledge our ex-
pertinent a failure, 10 refresh their spirits and
rsanimate their hopes by reading lt,as we nave
done. Among the many splendid conlribu-
lions to the oratorical literature OF his couE-
Try which Mr.. EVERETT has made, we doubt
whether there is one that does more honor 10
his patriotism and his TASTE or that bids more
fairly 10 outiiye the ephemeral interests OF The
time. Nothing could be more easy and grace
full than the manner in which he glides
into a discussion of this subject, so in
teresting to us, so important TO mankind. Ii
has been eighty-four years, he tells us, since
the declaration of our Independence. Since
that time our growth has been so great, our
relations have become so enlarged, our lmpor-
lance has so prodigiously increased, that it
becomes an object OF the greatest interest TO
ascert tain whether we have fulfilled the hopes
and expec IA lions of our fathers, or whether
we have failed In the mighty undertaking
At this point he arrives At the speech of Earl
GREY, and proceeds to discuss its topics with
the ability Of a master.
To say that popular government has proved
A failure in the United States of America, is
10 announce paradox OF such stupendous
absurdity, that we are lost in the effort to de-
eide which is most worthy of admiration
the sublime superiority OF the enuncator to
all the ordinary rules of evidence, or his mag
unanimous contempt Tor the common sense OF
mankind. Seyenty-one years ago that gov
erument was put i'll operation by the eleva-
ton OF GEORGE WASHINGTON to the Chief
Magistracy of a nation numbering thre mil
lions and a half OF souls, occupying mar
row slip of land lying along the coast of the
e. Atlantic, and counting thirteen independent
soveregnties Within that time these States
have swelIed from thirteen TO thirty-two, that
marrow slip has expanded into territory
equal in area TO the whole of Europe, that
population of three millions and half has
grown into mighty nation numbering thr-
ty-two millions of souls. Within that time
several thousand millions OF acres OF
forest have been redeemed from the wild
beast and The wilder man; mighty Giles
now stand where then the savage Tor
tured his victim in the unpenet rlble
gloom of a bowling wilderness the whole
face of the desert blossoms like the rose, anu
creams beneath the weight OF the crops THAI
spring from its bosom under the culture Oh
man; thirty thousand miles Of railway ira
verse The vast expanse the electric tele-
graph stretches its innumerabe arms over
The continent, So as 10 form 4 perfect
network for transmitting intelligence
Our foreign tonnage is greater than that OF
Great Britain and twice as great as that OF
any other nation upon the face of the globe
Our coasting trade is the largest anu most la.
crative in the world. Our lake and river navi-
CATION is not only the greatest, but there was
never yer any interior traffic upon the face OF
the earth thai could be compared 10 It, Our
population is The most indus trlous, the most
active, the most enteTprIsing of which there
is auy account. Our manufactures are spread
from one ead Of the world to the other our
country presents to every man, who will use
even the most ordinary industry, the means
Of certain competence the opportunities OF
employment are un bounded, there is no OBJ
stacie LII The path OF any man iegiumateiy en-
gagged IN the pursuit OF happiness, TO has full
enjoyment OF lie, liberty. and whatsoever
property his energy or his enterprise may en-
able him honestly to acquire. Nor has this
u
failure and a snare, confined its care to Sc.
curing the physical prosperity of its citizens.
In no other country tina ever existed from the
foundation OF the world was religion ever LEFT
absolutely free, and man req uired to give no
account of his creed save To his God and his
conscience. Houses of worship, So numerous
as to defy all calculation, belonging to every
denomination and every sect that exists with
thick the stars that ornament the pave
ment Of heaven throughout the length and
breadth Of this mighty Christian land, and
among the millions who worshipat the affairs
every Sabbath day, there is not one who
bows the knee by compulsion, not one who
pays tythe or cummin save of his own vol
untary choice, not one who ters the sane
tuary by order OF the government not one
who attends the ministration Of any teacher
but of him whom his affection and his creed
invite him to listen to. Nor has learning been
behind religion in Its zeal TO render this land
worthy of the mighty tiny which is in store
for 1t. In no country tina. ever before existed
save, possibly, in some parts ofGermany-was
popular education so widely or so generally
dinused. In no country did ever so many
colleges, academies, and preparatory school,
exist where, for small sum, a man NAV ac.
quire an excellent scien tific education. Nor
have the fruits that have been gathered been
in the least degree Inconsistent with the seed
that has been planted. Our Diyines take
rank with any that the civilized world
eau show, our writers upon law are
recognized as authority In all quarters of
the giobe, our historians are continually re.
ceiVing the piaadits OF Europe, our men OF
science yield The palm 10 none others of our
frI ha L.,