The Shasta courier., 1865-07-22


by ever sitting near the fountain from which
they drank. by cherishing and praeticng
that sublime faith in the eternal and indie
feasible rights of man, that bore them trium-
phantiy over every obstacle till their princi-
pies were gloriously crowned with victory at
the last siege of Yorktown but one.
Never can q generation rise in this repub-
lie, and turn their eyes away from the Fourth
OF July, the day that symbolizes universal
liberty, without endangering the very exist
ence Of the nation. No new principles can
be superinduced upon those that now consti-
tute the chief corner stone of our constitu-
tional government. The life of the Nation,
in its progress, but unfolds and develops in
majestic grandeur and beauty the structure
whose foundations are laid amidst tell, suf-
iering and blood.
This day we celebrate must ever be the
luminous initial point that adds lustre to any
event in our brilliant history. We cannot
forget the day of our birth VIC would not
| forget the agony of those long years in which
noble minds and pure hearts wrestled with
| tyranny to save the principle of civil liberty.
/ Under the inspiration of Divine influence.
they went forth to battle and victory, and
| to-day we enjoy the fruit Of their labor. A
/ blessing so hard to win. so gloriously accom-.
/ plished, was not to be perpetuated without
being subjected to further, but not, we
think. severer tests Of faith and endurance
/ We may, without arrogance or boast, proud
/ ly claim that the children have not proven
unworthy Of their noble fathers in defense Of
a free government.
/ When secession reared up her hideous
visage, and stretched forth her hand to rob
/ the Union Of some Of her stars, loyal men
reached back and clasped with frmer grip
/ the patriot hands Of revolutionary memory,
4 to give the iron purpose, the nerve Of steel,
in the death struggle with the foul spirit of
disunion. The Nation rallied around the
grand old spirit of our natal day. and . lib.
/ erty or death, if not emblazoned upon the
/ battle flags of our mastering sqGadrons,
were written with points Of steel upon the
hearts OF cur patrioE soldiers. The spirit of
| rs re appeared in the youthful giant as he
/ spranc to the rescue OF the old fae, OF which
/ South Carolina insui,inely said, I've have
/ humbled the har Of the United States,1 and
then spread 90 the breeze the Confederate
1 symbol Of independence, that has brought
/ them more horrors than if they had each
4 been clad in shirt dipped III the blood Of
/ Nessus.
/ As we had so long lived in peace, possess
/ ated dead, we knew not the strength of our
affection for them till tie Vandars hand was
/ stretched forth to rob freedom Of the graves
/ Of her Dead aud give the Union a fatal stab.
/ If in our prosperity we were lifted somewhat
/ from the earth, the first gun fred upon Fort
! Sumter caused Us to touch the earth where
/ Warren fell and Moultrie fought. and the
I Nation, Antaeus like, rose in overwhelming
might to crush out the disturber of It's peace
and security. The inception Of secession, as
well as the formal act OF suudering the bond
4 OF union, practically annuiled the s6lfeyident
/ truth " that all men are created equal; that
/ they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights; taa. among these
are life, liberty and the pursuit Of happi,
ness"
The enemies Of freedom do not accept
these truths as part and portion Of mans
/ endowment in the original creation. The
existence of slavery did more than all other
/ things put together to perpetuatc the idea
/ Of q fundamental and irrecOncIable differ
ence in the equal civil and religious priyi-
/ leges of all men. This notion was repug-
nant to the genius of our Republic. There
/ can, of course, be no reciprocity between
| the master and the slave. 1t is the mission
of genuine Liberty to abolish all those ar
bitrary distinctions that the pride, or ava
rice, or power Of man has established over
certain class Of his fellows. l. is a glori-
Gus attribute of freedom to cultivate that
/ spirit of selfreliance, that resOluteness Of
! purpose, that irrepressible love for Intelh
/ gence and mental culture, that frees the man
| from the base, humlliating sense OF being
wretched dependent, a mere hanger on TO
| the moods of favor, influence, wealth. birth
or station; but being free born, he asserts
the rights of his manhood, he becomes a
personal center around which the power and
majesty of truth moves, commanding all the
powers of the thinking soul.
The Union embodies the idea or principle
| that binds together, as one mind and one
heart every son and daughter loyal to truth
and freedom. 1t is not possible, in the
nature of things, that freedom can exist
when truth, in any of its forms, is forbid
/ den to any class.
Tyranny erects its throne upon a people
| buried in ignorance and superstition des
potic power sways its scepter over race
| who are not permitted the right of tree
thought or speech. Time was vixen our
! Republic presented the phenomena of dav
darkness, the other half was the home of
! IlEut. IliC HA4uSiI4Co Va Jul tDCilASAtSG
had not the freedom of those States where
| the slave power ruled the dark spirit of
despotism, that seemed to come up from the
profound darkness Of the middle ages, took
seven other spirits worse than itself, aud
made the insane attempt to plant its hideous
root beside the tree Of Liberty. knowledge
was declared contraband, free speech was
pronounced a crime, censorship was laid
| upon the press. the schoolmaster was lin
/ tied in the nature Of the instruction he should
! impart, the iron chain of despotic thought
was drawn around the pulpit, bidding the
! Gospel, that proclaims the freedom Of man,
| to lie at the behests of the infamous slave
power: the best and noblest instincts of
manhood sank beneath the foot Of the Beast,
and spirit of iniquity was evoked that
| demanded the immense sacrifices of a bloody
war, stretching its terrible waste over
period Of four years, to cast it out. We see
in this great conflict but single grand de-
velopment OF the truths enuneiated by our
Declaration of Independence.
There were men who dared to strike out
from the chief cornerstone Of cur republic,
| and Law another of different character. lit
tie thinking that it would fall upon them
and grind them to powder. There were
men in America, who lifted up their hands
against intelligence, learning, morality, the
1 fan,il,- oou,pacr n fraa praSs and frpa Syaaob