The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-16
The Declaration OF Independence-The
Test Applied,

As WE anticipated, the Age, when brought to the
test, diecards the true democratic idea promul-
gated by JEFFERSON and the fathers of Che re.
puullc, and puts in its place the modern sham
notion of democracy, which is nothing more
than a very absurd kind of dristocrdcy. 1t de-
nies that the Declaration of Independence, when
it says ''ali men are created equal" means all
men. To support this view, it makes the
singularly weak argument, that the main part
of the Declaration being recital OF the griev
ances of the colonies against the mother country
the general statements in it must be taken
limited also to them. 1t is sufficient reply to
this that the document on itsvery face, viii
admit of no such construction. Fancy the ab
surdity OF saying, ave hold these truths to be
self-evident that all the people of these Colonies
are created equal !" jefferson, who drew up the
Declaration, was logician, and he reasoned in
this case from generals 70 particulars. He starts
out with certain truths of universal application,
and selt-evldent in their character; aud from
these he descends to the particular instance OF
the American Colonies.
We shall enter into no attempted argument to
pTooe truth which the Fathers well asserted
to be "selfevident." They said "all men," ald
they meant all men. The equalty OF any smaller
number as of the people of the Colonies, for
instance, would have been in no sense 'sclt
evident" except as it sprung from the wider
truth that all men are created equal. The
Declaration OF independence was an appeal to
the moral sense OF the world in justification Of
the lAmerican Revolution. The truths enun
ciated in it are the fundamental truths of
human rights everywhere. They were
so regarded at the time. "Let it never be Tor
gotten" was the language OF those great men
after the struggle was over and American indie
pendence had been achieved, "that the cause lor
which we have contended is The cause Of
Human Nature" The inteI pretatioD which the
AGE gives to the Declaration is the weak inven-
ton of later day, and of men who, while they
have no faith in human rights, are still fond of
mouthing the word Democracy They have
not the boldness to say, as Judge PETIT, OF In.
diana, once did, that the Declaration is a self.
evident lie; but they seek to rob it of its beauty
and power, and to make it set-evident non.
sense.
The trouble with the Age politicians, as we
told them the other day. is that they are not
Democrats. They do not believe in democracy
What they call democracy Is a sham and a
cheat. They believe in liberty, but it s tor
their own set merely. They believe in equal
rights, but for favored classes only. Kings and
despots have been good democrats" after this
sort. True democracy is something wider,
grander, nobler than this. 1t believes In the
rights of men by virtue of their manhood, and
independent of all external circumstances and
conditions. 1t strikes its root deep in the pro.
found truth of the unity of the human family
q truth which lies at the bottom OF our Chris
tianity, as we'll as OF our republicansm.
The Age winces at being called "pro-slavery,''
and then consumes column in showing that
the epithet is correctly applied. 1t acknow.
ledges that it defended slavery to the last, and
its spirit is Enthusiastically Dro-slayery now. We
accept it, however, as favorable symptom that
the term is beginning to be felt as odious. 1t
shows that the progress of the times IN regard
to the great truths OF human rights is beginning
to reach even to that low plane upon which the
AOp stands,