Nebraska advertiser., 1863-08-15

AANA EANN~
the world as a proud monument to llberty
and freedom.
The young nation with a population O
less than three millions of people, with
on, the emblems of nationality, wrested
from despotism the reluctant recogni-
ton of freemen's rights, aud the olive
branch of peace. And in her majesur
tread and onward march, inscribed upon
her banner, liberty and free government
and the full grown and intOlerable abuses
of centuries toppled down at her com
ing Her statesmen and her warriors
beaved the ground from under the feet Of
bigoted faith and slavish obedience and the
roar and dashing of opinions losened from
their accustomed hold, might be heard like
the noise of an angry sea. They saw in
this western country, the wilderness,
spoken of by the Evangelist in his vision
the asylum of prosecuted multitudes, "a
whom the wings of the great eagle had
been given, which sits uniformed upon
our national ensign, the place prepared
by God, where generations yet unborn
should rest from tribulatiOn.
With thoughts that breathe and words
that burn, our fathers gave ~utierance to
great political truths which must survive
thrones kingdoms and p~rincipalities, and
live when oblivion shall sit enthroned,
upon the tombs. of kings princes and po-
tentates, and endure while time shall
last. We have assembled here to pay a
lust and merited tribute of respect, to
statesmen and warriors, whose names
have come down to us with unblemished
honor, men whom fame has eternised in
her long and lasting scroll, and who by
their words and acts were b~enefactors of
their country, men at whose names the
heart of the patriot, shall leap with Joy,
and whose memory and deeds, shall live
while eternity itself shall last. Perhaps
the genius of America, never shone out
fuller or brighter or looked more like it,
self than at the period of the American
revolution. Our fathers saw with the
clearness of ~phrophetic vision, that the
Union of the States, wa the guardian Of
our best rights, the source of our highest
civil and political duties and the only sure
means of national greatness. A brief
view of the rise and progress of that
Union and the establishment of our pres
ent constitution and present form of gov.
eminent, as the palladium of all our hopes
as a free people and nation, is peculiarly
fitting and appropriate upon this occasion
and will show the genius and value Of
our government, and serve to impress
our minds with the mighty responsibility,
which rests upon US to hand down that
Union TO our posterity unimpaired by
cowardly inaction, and unbroken by the
villainies of designing demagogues and
blood stained traitors.
That the Union of this country, wa
essential 10 its political existence and
its prosperity and greatness was
known and avO@ed long prior to the per-
iod of the revolution. Animated by a
high and holy purpose, which inspires
heart and fires the soul, and reveals
the coming future with the ~clearness Of
Inspiration, the people Of Massachusetts,,
Plymouth Connecticut and New Haven,
as early as 1912, entered into a league
and defensive. which they de-
should be firm and perpetual, and
be distinguished by the name Of the Uni
ted Colonies of New England. Here
have the first germ, or first effort for
a more extended Union. It contained
provident and jealous provisions well cal
cuiated to give stability to the whole
transaction and under the author
lty of this early union, the New England
Colonies acted in fact as an independent
State, and this in fact was the first step
towards our Independence, and this lea
que or union was not dissolved until the
year 1856, when the charters of the New
England Colonies was in effect vacated
by a commission from King James the
II. The people after the dissolution Of
this earliest league, continued to afford
other and instructive precedents of asso-
Citations, firmly blfeving their prosperity
and national greatness, depended upon
a continued and perpetual union of Col
onies. We have an instance of one Of
at Albany IN 1922, bat a much
important assembly was held at the
same place in 1852. 1t consisted of
commissioners from New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Mary
land and was called to take into consid-
GRAFTON, the means of defending the col
ONES in case of war with France, which
was then impending, and with the know
reOge n acquiescence of the British
government. This convention unani-