Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-02-16
Douglas and Popular SOY
crcigHty.
a Speech by Carl Schurz, of Wiscon-
sin,
~ HAMPDEN HALL, SPRINGFIELD,
JANUARY 4, 1860.
(CONCLUDED.)

(CONCLUDED.
First, Thomas Jefferson whose philo-
sophical spirit grasps the generality Of
things and events; then Benjamin
Franklin, the great apostle of COM
mon sense, the clear wisdom of real
life beaming in his serene eve; then
the undaunted John Adams and two
others. Now Jefferson reads the Dec
laration of Independence and loudly
proclaims the fundamental principle
upon which it rests: All men are
created free and cqual.' 1t is said his.
tory tells you what it meant. The
scepter of royalty is flung back across
the ocean; the prerogatives of nobility
are trodden into the dust; every man a
king, every man baron; in seven OF
the original colonies the shackles OF
the black man struck off; almost eve-
rywhere the way prepared for gradual
emancipation. No recognition Of tie
right of property in mani says Madi-
son. Let Slavery be abolished by
law! says Washington. Not only the
supremacy OF old England is to be
shaken of, but new organization OF
society is to be built upon the basis OF
liberty and equality. That is the Dec
laration of Independence. All men
are free and equal! Not even the
broad desert of the Atlantic ocean
stops the triumphant shout Behold,
the nations of the old world are rush
ing to arms. Bastiles are blown into
the dust as by the trumpets of Jericho,
and like pillar of fire by night and a
pillar of cloud by day, the great
watchword of the American Revolu-
ton shows for ever the way to strug-
Cling humanity. Long continued ap-
plause.) All men are created free and
equal Whence the supernatural pow
er of these seven words?
Turn your eyes away from the
sublime spectacle of 1776, from that
glorious galaxy Of men whose hearts
were large enough for all mankind,
and let me recall yon to the sober year
of 1887. There is Springfield, the
capital of Illinois, one of those States
which owe their greatness to an
ordinance originally framed by the
same man whose hand wrote the
Declaration of Independence. In the
hall of the assembly there stands Mr.
Douglas, who initiates an eager crowd
into the mysteries of popular sove-
reignty." lie will tell you what il
meant, when the men of 1776 said
that call men are created free and
equal" He says:
mo man eau vindicate the charac
ter, the motives and the conduct of the
signers of the Declaration of Indepen
dence, excepthpon the hypothesis tha
they referred to the white race alone
and not to the Authorization the,
declared all men to have been createc
free and equal-that they were speak.
ing of British subjects on this cont
nent being equal to British subjects
born and residing in Great Britain
that they were entitled to the sam,
inalienable rights. and among then
were enumerated life, liberty and tn,
pursuit of happiness. The Declaration
of Independence was adopted merel,
for the purpose of justilying The
colonists in the eyes of the civilized
world in withdrawing their allegianc,
from the British crown, and dissolvinl
their connection with the mothe
country"
What? Is that all? Is that littl,
heap of quicksand the whole substruct
ure on which new Organization o
society was to be built? The whol,
foundation upon which the proud an,
ponderous edifice of the United State
rests? They did, then, not mean al
men, when they said all men. The,
intended, perhaps. even to disfranchis
those free blacks, who in FIVE of tn
original thirteen colonies, enjoyed tn
right of voting. They meant but tn
white race. Oh no. by no means tn
whole white race; not the Germans
not the French, not the Scandinavians
they meant the British subjects
british subjects on this continen
being equal to British subjects borl
and residing on the other side of tn
great waiersl" daughter and ap
plause.
There Is your Declaration of Inde
pendenee. diplomatic dodge. adopte,
merely for the purpose OF cxcusing til