The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-02-21
DOUGLAS AND pOPULiR RsOyEREICSTI
A Speech by CARL ScHURz, of IViscoa.
SIN, at Hampden Hal, Spring feld.
Massachusetts, january 4th, 1860.
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We have appreciated his exploits as ;
logician let US follow Lin in his histori
cal discoveries.
Let your imagination carry you back t,
the year 11116. You stand in the hall o.
the old Colonial Courthouse of Philadel
phia. Through the open door you see the
Continental Congress assembled, tie mo
ment Of great decision is drawing near
Lock at the earnest faces of the men as
sembled there, and consider what you may
expect of them. The philosophy of the
eighteenth century counts many Of them
among Its truest adopts. They welcomed
heartily in their scattered towns and plan
tations the new ideas brought forth by that
sudden progress of humanity, and ncdita-
ting them in the dreamy solitude Of virgin
nature, they had enlarged the compass Of
their thoughts, and peoplcd their imagina-
tions with lofty ideals. 4 classical educa-
tion (for most Of them are BY no means H.
liieratc laer) h.s put all th- treasures of
historical knowledge at their disposal, a..
eaahic,! them to apply the experience Of
pas, centuries to the problem they attempt
to solve See others there Of a simple but
strong cast of mind, whom common sense
would call is truest representatives -
Mont To- grapp!e with the dangers and diff
cu!tlcs Of All e.rly settlers life, or, if inhabi-
tants If young uprising cities. wont to car
ry quick projects into speedy execution,
they have become regardless of obstacles
and used to strenuous activity. The con-
slant ncccss ty to help themselves has de-
veloped their mental independence and,
Injured to political strife by the continual
defence of their colonial self:government,
they have at last become familiar with the
idea, to introduce into practical existence
the principles which their vigorous minds
have quietly built up into a theory.
The first little impalses to the general
upheaving of the popular spirit--the tea
tax, the stamp act-drop il to nsigniicancc;
they are almost forgotten the revolution
AIRY spirit has risen far above them 1t
disdains to Justify itself with petty plead
iugs; it spurns diplomatic equivocation
it places the claim to independence upon
the broad basis OF eternal rights, as self.ev-
dent as the sun, as broad as the world, rs
common as the air Ct heaven. The strug.
gle of the colonies against the usurping
of Great Britain has risen to
the proud dimensions of struggle of man
for liberty and equality. Behold. five men
are advancing towards the table Of the
President First, Thomas Jefferson, whose
philosophical spirit grasps the generality of
things and events; then Benjamin Frank
lin, the great apostle of common sense the
the clear wisdom of real life beaming in
his serene eye E; then the undauntcd John
Adams. and two others. Now Jefier-
son reads the Declaration of Independ-
encc, aud loudly proclaims the fundamen-
tai principle upon which it rests: "All
men are created free and equal ~ 1t is
said history tells you what itmeant. The
sceptre of royalty is flung back across the
ocean the prerogatives of nobility are trod-
den into the dust; every man king, eve
ry man baron in seven of the original
colonies the shackles of the black man
struck off; almost everywhere the way
prepared for gradual emancipation. No
Of the right of property in man.,
says Madison. Let slavery be abolished
by law ~ says Washington. Not only the
supremacy of Old England is to be shaken
off, but new organization Of society is ia
be built up, on the basis Of liberty and
equality. That is the Declaration of lndc-
pendence. That is the American RevoIu-
ton. All men free and equal. Not even
the broad desert of the Atlantic ocean stops
the triumphant shout. Behold, the nations
of the Old World are rushing to arms
Bastles are blown into the dust as by the
trumpets of Jericho, and, like a pillar Of
fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day,
the great watchword of the American Revo-
luton shows forever the way to struggling
humanity Long-con,inued applause =
All men are created free and equal
Whence the supernatural power in these
seven words
Turn your eyes away from the sublime
spectacle of l716, from that glorious galaxy
of men whose hearts were large enough
for all mankind, and let me recall you to
the sober year of 1857. There is Spring
field, the capital of Illinois, one of those
States which owe their greatness to an or
dinancc originally framed by the same man
whose hand wrote the Declaration of Inde.
pendence In the Hall of the Assembly
there stands Mr.. Douglas, who initiates all
eager crowd into the mysteries of "popu-
lar sovereignty" He will tell you what it
meant, when the men of l11.6 said that
call men are created free and equal" He
says:
"No man can yindcate the character
the motives, and the conduct Of the signer>
of the Declaration of independence, except
upon the hypothesis that they referred tc
the white race alone, and not to the Afri
can, when they declared all men to have
been created free and equal-that theg
acere speaking Of British subjects on
this continent Le;ng equal to British
subjects born and residing ia Great
Britaiu-that they were entitled to the
same inalienable rights, and among then
were enumerated life, liberty, and the pur
suit of happiness. The Declaration of In
dependence was adopted merely for the
purpose of justifying the colonists in til,
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