The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-07-20
Musn,r cELEBRArE.

Mustn't CELEBHATEs
You may call this plea for the right of
unmalicious incendiarism; we can't help it.
The Democratic instincts Of Democratic
people should be preserved intact. When
TRISTAN BURGESS extinguished DANIELS of
Kentucky, it was because DANIELS had the
hardihood to propose that TRIsrAN's treacle-
loving constituency should be permitted to
dip but one side Of their bread in molasses.
1t is extraordinary that any Of the sovereign
Regulators Of this great country should pro-
pose so bold an invasion Of popular rights.
An irrepressibly patriotic small::boy burned
Portland, and destroyed millions of dollars
worth of property, because he had an un-
comfortable penchant for blowing off his ju-
bilant feelings in fre-crackers. It got up to
be sure, a bigger conaagration than he anti
cipated; and if he be good boy as all pa
triotic boys should be, he feels very badly
about the loss Of those few millions Of dol
lars and the destruction of q city.
Now comes Mr.. SUMNER, petitioner, and
petitions the sovereign people of this great
Republic through their representatives that a
law be passed preventing the importation
into this country Of foreign fireworks that
the Juveniles be not permitted to FIRE cracker
and torpedo away at the national greatness
and glory upon the Fourth of July to the
great danger of towns and FIRE insurance com.
panies.
We don't know what will come of it. We
appreheud that this Yankee nation will deem
this fragrant attempt to rob them of an in
herent, constitutional inalienable democratic
right, implicitly contained in the Declaration
of Independence, wrested from British tyran
ny by seven years of bloody strife, and which
is one of the reserved rights of the people
What, we should like to know, is the Fourth
of July for, unless it be to jubilate and hur.
rah and make noise, and be hvely2 What
would it be worth as national anniversary
and jubilation unless we can be permitted to
ring bells and fire anvils and gudgeons and
cannon and shot-guns and horse-pistols, and
have fife and drum, and 60 on picnics and
get up professions and.ssck races by day, and
have fire crackers, torpedoes, Roman candles,
rockets and firtations with pretty girls in the
evening?
If the professions are bore and the picnics
too much of a good thing, and the heat ex-
haustive the dust intolerable, and the babies
cross; and everybody tired, dusty
and dry, who cares? Isn'ti it celebrating
the glories of this great country and spread.
ing the American eagle we are ? And if q
FIRE cracker puts out an eye, or an exploding
anvil or cannon kills half dozen persons or
the display of fireworks in the evening results
in a conaagration which destroys town, isn't
that legitimate fun for the Fourth of July ?
And shall we not make tyranny tremble,"
and all that and show that we are patriotic
people?
The New York Tribune apparently second
ing Mr.. SUMMERS proposition would have the
whole of Uncle Sans children sit still and
keep mum because when there is an eclipse
OF the sun at Nootka Sound the tawny-skin-
ned, ill-clad uncombed and hideously ugly ma
tiyes get up fearful din to Christian ears
with sounding pans and unmusical bellowings
TO frighten away the monster that they think
is devouring their day king. But shall the
American people be prevented from hurrah-
ing and shouting and swinging their hats on
the Fourth of July, because the stupid Moot
ka Islanders behave bsdly-like the naked
barbarians they are, on the occasions of eclip.
ses ? Nay, verify
And if our unrestrained holiness and Bro
Their Johnathan irrepressibility is sometimes
expensive as in the case of the Portland fire !;
why, people other than children and OF other
occasions than Fourth of July celebrations
kindle great fires from small beginnings
An English monarch went to war because
his neighbor, the French king, put fun At him
on account of his corpulency. And our re-
constructed rebel brethren down in Dixie
went to war and cost this country much in
life and treasure in order to establish their
claimed light to whip negro or tar and fea-
Their Yankee.