Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-07-26
NO. ~.
fPUBLlsHEp BY HRquEsr.1


v conscious that | have not been selected
u view Of any supposed superior ability abov
a that Of Htauy others who might have bee
obtained. l will accept it, therefore, as
d compliment and feel happy in assuring 20
that it IS esteemed a privilege TO address yo
. on this occasion. I may be permitted t
: adopt for motto, The following sentiment :
The spirit Of 20, and The prime pies of til
Declaration Of Independence" Noble sent
: inent, demanding noble words; but l fe,l
that shall not be equal to the grandeur o
: the theme, nor be able TO meet tie expceta
tions of this large :,sseTHbsgc:
That was noble spirit, those we're nobl
utterances, the upspringngs Of noble hear: $
What mighty spirits raise in memory Oh tht
heart and p: IS before the soul il mystic Us
ion, when We look back to lTEG, and the pg
riod of the Revolutionary Struggle. When
| stand in the mystic presence Of those ma
jestic personages, who mOulded that age, and
made Il honorable by the sub.imi,y OF their
thoughts and The splendor of their achieve
ments, weuld iain to put my. hand upon my
mor.h and remain awe stricken and abashed
There was Good and philosophic franklin, WHO
MT only drew the lightning fFeur fIN ,gSgals
but seat the living FIRE ortrutk flashing through
the hearts Of his countrymen, and as il touch
Cd ALMOST to inspiration by that electric pow
err with which hs loved to play, he rang the
bells of BpH1aB freelRona! . a...aa.
There was Patrick Henry, whose c1drion
notes. clear and ShriIl, rang out for Liberty
When others counssled delay in the fiery iu-
patience OF his soul lie exclaimed, what is is
gentlemen wishf What would they have I!
Is life SO dear, or psace so sweet, as to be
| purchased at the psies.of ekeEias and slavery
Forbid it Almighty God | know not what
/ course others may take, but as for me give me
liberty or give me death"
There was mild, and yet heroic Washing
/ ton mod st anl unasiuming. yet in the
simple grandeur of his soul towering like the
oak above his fc44ows. See him as he stands
in the midst of that august assemblage which
confers upog ,hi4Rs the chief cou11nand OF the
armies of Independence Eear him Il
bag it may be remembered by every gentle
man in the room, that this day declare with
the utmoet sincerity that do not think n.y.
self equal to the COMMAND arr ghonorol with
as to pay sir, beg leave to assure she cor
gress that as no pscuniaty consideration
could have induced me- TO accept this arduous
employment, do not wish to make any profit
by IL, will Keep an exact account of my
| expenses, these doubt not they will discharge
and this is all THAI desire" Sea him, when,
before engaging 10 .1hoFe Rwfal conflicts, ne
cossary 10 his coqRry's freedom, he turns
aside, and kneeling inrthe quiet wopds, seeks
the aid Of God in h lmble prayer Or, sec his
soldiers, enlisted without hops OF pay, rsar ch
| L Al AL.
might track them by their blood. They,
were struggling for Liberty, net for them
selves alene, but fer you ana Rac. ltn-
AMI there was Jtlf,rson, stern and grand
in intellectual strength, whose eaeefs.l, stcstfy
pen Traced the mneral words Of the Decla,.
alton of American Independence, the key
noe Of VIII ch is, We hold these truths 10
be self evident, thata men arc created free
and equ Il that they are endowed by their
creator with crrta'h iIdl enable rights that
among these are lie. liberty and the pursuit
Of happiness that TO secure these Tiebts'
governments are instituted among men,"
Sec, too, that vast expectaut mu,titulc
that crowded all the streets and avenues 0flhe
city Of Philadelphia, on the 4th day of July,
I776, and pressed AROUND the bdiIling III
WHICH AiG NhtititNNtdt CbiiSINS5 SILL Nl-H
the final vote upon this Immortal Declaration
was about to be taken See that old church
spire 10 which, as to posi- OF honor, au olL
man is hoisted up ia ring the Bell and a
boy is placed half way TO catch fhe Ct i re eye
aud give the signal. Who shall tIva,ai!yr that
scche Of excited gladnp,s and cxul All joy
whlch followed when the vote for F dom
was anlounc.d. Ring ring said the boy
and the old man pulled the rope and swung
the ponderous bel, but its notes were lost in
the still louder peal Of The peoples wild acclaim.
l. b"rty Liberty! was shouted from ihuu-
sand tongues. The spirit Of IS was the spir-
1t OF Liberty, and the Declaration Of Iude'
pendencc was an hortst expression Of that
spirit in words. TrJc slavery existed in the
colonies, but it was by the avaricc Of the few,
and the Indifference TO say the least Of The !
British power, and the nation loathcd it. 1t
was the spirit of that age, living and working
III the hearts of the people, that abolished
slavery in Massac hUsetls, Rhode Island, New
y orks aud elsewhere.
The religious denominations of that age,
almost without an exception, drnonnced the
crime. IL was not far from this period that
j )hn Wesley wrote that almost inspired sen
tence, slavery is the sum of all villanics"- |
Then bred Hopkins of Rhode island and
Edwards Oh NJ lssLchIsgtts, and hosts of such |
names who SI.itcd in branding slavery. Then, !
too, lived Free-bnm Garrotson, a man iami- |
liar to the MeIhUdisis Of Delaware, New
Jersey, aud Maryland, who stopped short ia |
his dcvotons at the family alter and shouted /
out, Lord the oppressed shall go free" Such I
are some OF the indications tf the spirit Of
that ag.1. l Will name but one more The /
watchwOrde with which our soldiers marcLtd |
to battle when attacking British position
in Canada was Liberty or death" And the
coat OF arms adopted by Virginia was that
o. the figure of the Godess of Liberty with |
her right arm lifted in triumph on high, her I
foot upon the neck Of PROSTATE Monarch /
whose crown had fallen from his head while |
over all were inscribed the words, "sic sempcr
tyroIiHuS." 80 let it be ever 10 tyrants.-
How well the present attitude of Yirgnia,
tyrUnizimg over her crushed and suffering /
slaves, and making war upon that govern
meut for which she then so proudly led the
van in the fierce conflicts Of the Revolution,
bow well all this agrees with the spirit of /
that motto, leave for you to determine -
Our fathers loved liberty AID fought for it,
Hhey announced 10 the world, in the Dcclnra-
tion OF Independence, their honest belief in .
the universal equality o men in ull natural .
rights. They regretted that this truth was
not universally applied hut lived and died
hoping aud believing that this inconsistency /
could not long contnue--that slavery weud .
gradually and surely die ont under the force
of the benign institutions which they had cs-
tablished. And this was the effect for
time. But alas the syren song Of hope de-
ludrd the nations ear aud the good work was
cut short ere us c,.mpletion Liberty went