Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-07-04
Cur FOURTH OF July speech.

As this great daJt of JUBILEE drew near,
the question with as was, how is it to be OBJ
served1 And as WIS thought the observance
Of this anniversary should never be permit
ted to pass without the most enthusiastic
Foutpourng OF true-hearted American patri-
otisms We, without invitation OF audience,
concluded to deliver national address. We
thought in this wise: The birthday of ou1
national existence is at hand The anniver-
sary of the ffty-six "solid men," of this
continent, lifting Great Britain, is here.-
The recollections Of the labors which brought
forth our glorious Union returns-and how
shall we solemnize this memorable epoch in
the history of America? How shall we re-
new those rememblances and more firmly
| impress them upon our hearts? The thought
struck us, we viii make speech. True,
nobody asked us to make one; but since
LINcoLN's death nobody attempts to pre-
vent us; hence, with the walls of our sane
tum for an audience, and a good deal en-
barrassed by their dull looks, and imaginary
inattention, we spoke as follows:
With recognizing bow, we said.--
s'WALLs, CASES AND CHAIRS The pa
triotic heart of the Union has never been SO
stirred as now. Like powerful man in his
strength, the Union has been struck down.
Under Democratic rule it was the admira-
tion and envy of the nations of the earth
But the Abolitionists have destroyed it.
Four years of Abolition rule did for Amer
lea what eight hundred years of blood and
slaughter did in less degree in the Old
World
They have corrupted the morals of the
people.
They have financially ruined us as nation
They hsye declared that the people shall
not govern themselves.
They have prevented the real old fashioned
Fourth of July celebrations
They have discarded that noble principle
SO eminently American, No taxation with
out representation.
They have murdered liberty.
They have established tyranny
They have trampled under foot the laws
of God.
They have assumed all the rights belong
ing to the people. They disregard the Dec
laration of Independence, which we used
to descant on so beautifully and eloquentfy,
and which we used to read with much gusto,
especially those clauses that declare that
''All just governments rest upon the consent
of the governed, that the people can
throw off government and institute new
one more in harmony with their feelings and
interests How do these things stand, in
your opinion, now? What can we say about
these principles now? What country will
we refer to, to give practical illustrations of
tyranny now? What has become of the
classical illusions about the tyrants of Greece
and Rome-about down-trodden Poland,
Hungary, Italy and Ireland-about Nero,
Claudius, and George the Third. We can
now only use them as excellent principles,
but not binding upon us. We can now only
refer to tyrants with fresh appreciation in
our STANToNs, BUgLERs, MCNIELs and
MILRoYS, and our own diversion from the
sacred purposes of war cannot be equalled
by the desecrations of the Old World.
But, thank Heaven, the Democracy al
ways protested against the events which
lead to these melancholy results. They have
had no hand In sacrificing liberty; in the
hypocritical assassination of frcedom-and
in the destruction of our noble Constitution.
No, saddened and sorrow, in feeling as they
are, when those fond memories throng
around them, the Democrats can say with a
clear conscience that they are not guilty,
and we sincerely hope that ere another
FOURTH shall come around we will be able to
blot out al but the recollection, and that
hereafter, as heretofore, under Democratic
administrations, the FOURTH will be prac-
teal institution.
In this view, and in this spirit, we thanked
God that we were alone in our Office medi-
tating on the beauties of ancient Fourth of
July celebrations; and not out playing hyp-
ocrite in attempting to make impartial ma
tional addresses. May our Northern people
learn, before it shall be too late, that the
same>spirit that resisted oppression at that
early and memorable period, still animates
the American people, even if that heroic
war has been in vain, and those who were
then the oppressed have become the op-
pressors Odious as was the stamp act to
the Colonies of New England, it was not so
odious or half so oppressive as the aggres-
sive and burdensome policy of the Radicals
is to the American people at the present
day History proves that the British people
committed an error when they enforced ''tax-
alton without representation, and we hope
the Disunionists in this emergency will seek
to avoid the same mistake The above is
our speech precisely as it was delivered in
our sanctum. Who objects?