Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-02-07

, them. |, disdains to Justify itself with
I petty pleadlngs; spnrns diplomatic equiv
ocations; II places the claim to indepeu-
dence upon the broad basis of eternal
rights, as self-evident as The sun. u 5 .rCad
as the world, as common as the air of
heaven. The struggle of the colonies
against the usurping government of Great
Britain has raised TO the proud dimen-
sions of a struggle of man for liberty and
equality. Behold fire men are advanc-
ing towards the table of the President.
First. Thomas Jefferson, whose philo-
sophieal spirit grasps the generality Of
things and events then Benjamin Frank
I'm, the great apostle of common sen3e,
the clear wisdom of real life beaming in
his serene eye; then The undaunted Ohm
Adamas and two others. Now Jefferson
reads the Declaration of Independence,
aud loudly proclaims The fundamental
principle upon which ii rests: "All men
are created free and equsl,' Il is SAID
history tells what 1t meant. The sceptre
OF royalty is flung back across The ocean
the Prerogatives cf nobility are troIden
INTO the dust; every man king, every
man baron; IN several OF the original
colonies the shackie of the black man was
struck off; almost everywhere the way
prepared for gradual emancipation. No
/ recognition of the rights of property in
mani" says Madison Let slavery be
abolished by law = says Washington
No, only the supremacy of old England
is TO be shaken off, bat new organizl-
lion of society is 10 be built up on the ba-
Sis of liberty and equality. That Is the
/ | l,.gl Of IT,la
the American Revolution! All IN IN free
and equal! Not even the broad des 4rl
Of the Atlantic ocean stops It's triumphant
shout. Behold the nations OF the old
world are rushing TO arms Blsliles are
blown into the dust as by the trunp4ts
OF Jericho. AMI like a pillar of fire by
night, and a pillar of cloud by day, the
great watchword of the American Revo- I
luton shows forever the way to struggling
humanity. Long continued applause
All men are created free and equal
Whence the Supernatural power in these
seven words
Having commented upon Douglas idea
that the trainers OF the Constitution meant
all whIve men, when they declared L at
all men are created free and equal, he
SAID:
What Is thai all? Is thu, IiuI. heap
Of quicIlsand the whole su5structure on
which a new organization OF the society
was to b. builte the whole founIation up
on which the proud All polderols eli-
fee of the United States rtS;s? Tlpy did
then, nat mean all men, when they sad
all m IN. They intended. perhaps, even
to dIsfranchiSe those free blacks, who Ia
five Of the original thirteen colonies en-
ioyed ihe riglt OF yo;ing2 They usant
but the white race. Oh, no, by no means,
the tCb1}e white race; not the Germans,
not the French, not the ScIn1inaviaas;
they mean the British subjects. "B.I;ish
subjects on this continent being equal TO
British subjec.s born on the other side OF
the great water" Laughter and ap
pIause.
There Is your d .cIaration OF Indepcn-
dence, diplom ttic uodge, adopted mere
ly for Lhe purpose Of eX1Islag The rebel
lious colonies in the eyes of civilized
mankind. There IS your Declaration OF
Independence no longer the sacred code
OF the rights OF man, but an hypocrllcal
piece of special pleading, drawn up by a
batch of artfu! petlifoggers, who, when
speaking Of the rights OF man, III can't bat
the privileges of set of aristccra
shareholders, bu, styled 1t che rights of
man" In order 10 throw dust into the eyes
of the world, and TO inveigIe noble heart
ed fools into lending them aid and assss-
tance. Applause. These are yoar
boastel rtvolutinary slres no longer he
roes and sages, but accomplished hum
/ buggers and hypocrites, who sali Oh
! thing aud meant anOLher; who pass ID
/ counterfeit sentiments as genuine, ald
obtained arms and money and assistance
and sympathy on false pretenceS. Tn-.e
| is Your great American Revolution, no
longer The great champion of universal
principles, bat a mean Yankee trick
| Tburs,s % applause and laughter "a
wooden nu.m 'g-[ renewed cheers the
| most impu1ent imposition ever practiced
upon he whole world [Applause.
! Ii is common thing that men of q
! coarse cast OF mind so lose themselves IN
the mean pursui, of selfish ends. as 10 be-
com. insen,ible to the grand and sublime.
/ Measuring every character and every
event II history BY the low standard OF
/ ,heir own indvidualities, applying to ev-
rythin, the narrow rule OF their own mo-
tves, incapable OF grasplng broaI aad
generous ideas, they VIII belllsle every
reat Thing they cannot deny, AMI down
every struggle of principles 10 the sordid
arena OF aspiring sefshness, or Of small
competing Interests. Z Eghleen huldred
years ago there were men who saw noIh-
! ing in incipient Christianity bur a mere
wrangle between Jew.sh theol0giaas. 60.
up by a carpenters boy, and carried on
I by few crazy fishermen. Tree hun
/ dred years ago there were men who SAW
; IN the great reformatory movement OF the
/ 10Th century. not the einancIpltIon OF the
/ inIiv.d1Il Conscience. bn a mere fuss
kicked up by a q .rnan monk, who
wanted to g, mirried. Two hundred
/ wears ago there were men wac saw III
Ham; denis refus Il to pay the salp-money.
no. bold vInricatioa of constitutional lb-
eryy, bat the crazy antics Of man VINO
was mean enough to quarrel about few
shillinys And, now. there are men WHO
see in the Declaration OF independence
and the American Revolution, not the re-
, organization Of human society upon the
/. ha5is .. Liberty and Eaualilv hu' 8oi~o