Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-07

~ AD1 ILL., July y ACbts MR. IL W.
| JAMESON, CH'N. Elk. Co9i.--DEAR SIR: |
comply with your request but with some
reluctance, as there must necessarily be
many imperfectiOns in my address, on ac-
count of the very short time allowed me
for its preparation. Yours respectfully,
S. WATSON.
THE ADDRESS.
1t is gratifying, nay fellow-citizens, to
witness so large an assemblsge of all classes
Of our county TO celebrate the anniversary
| Of our birthday as a nation.
1t is gratifying TO lay aside for one day
| the excitement, the bitterness, and, j am
almost willing to say, the degradation of
party strife, and 70 dwell upon the pure and
| patriotic example Of our fathers.
1t is most gratifying TO forget for one day
] the bitter and destructive war now ended,
and the still more bitter and fatal animosi-
ties that yet linger between brothers, and
/ with united hearts 10 render our homage
Of respect to oar forefathers for those wise
counsels and noble deeds that gave us ex-
istence as a nation.
II is now ninety-one years ago this day
since the United States Of America was
enrolled amongst the family Of nations.
In her beginning she was feeble in re-
sources and limited in territory. The
Mississippi bounded her on the west, the
Atlantic on the east, the lakes on the north,
and the Spanish territory of Florida on
the south. Now, the two great oceans of
! the globe are her eastern and western linz
its. The tropical sea of Mexico bounds
her on the south, aud her northern arm
rests itself on the frozen ocean Of the
| poles
In her infancy, communication through
ont most of her borders was carried on by
mere bride paths. Her rivers were navi-
| gated by the light canoe or the lazy fiat
boat, and on the ocean her sailing vessels
sought occasionally only the we'll known
| ports of the world. Now, the railway
! traverses every one of her States and al
most every one Of her territories, and i'm a
few short years its iron bands will unite
into one the great oceans that bound her
| Steamers are now on every one of her
| rivers, and on all her waters, carving on
them commerce greater than the foreign
commerce of any nation of the earth and
her fleets of steamers and sailing vessels are
on every ocean, and almost daily entering
| every known port OF the globe.
Al the close Of her struggle for existence,
she was fairly staggering under debt of a
few millions Of dollars. Now, after one of
the most gigantic wars known to history,
after exhausting at least six thousand mil
lions Of her resources, she is carrying upon
her Atlantean shoulders a debt of three
thousand millions, and is moving on unin-
terrupted in her grand career Of pros
perity. ..-
Has her advance in moral improve
ment and in her moral power been equal to
her rapid strides in physical greatness
For, after all, my countrymen, it is the
moral improvement and the moral power
of our nation that should be our highest
pride
With only physical greatness to boast Of
time will surely blot us out as a nation
and when it does so, we shall be remem.
bered as many Of the nations Of the distant
past are now emembered-solely by their
monuments Of mechanical skill, reared by
human hands.
But if we take pride in the higher
characteristics Of q nation, if we Gull
tivate our moral growth, our moral power
will be felt throughout the world. The
benefcent principles illustrated by our life
as nation will, like the principles OF
Christianity, spread their influence silent
and unseen among all the nations of the
earth. All will do her involuntary homage
and our nation, in its principle al least
and doubt not in its political power, will
live forever.
Many of us think that our forefathers
perfected all the principles of self govern
ment They did much. Enlightened by
the history Of the past, by the experience
of their own time, aud guided by the spirit
of the Purest patriotism, they did lay the
true foundations Of a natien's freedom and
of nations greatness Those foundations
were the great principle that all men are
born free and equal, aud with the inalen-
able rights Of life, liberty and the pursuit
Of happiness.
When our forefathers enunciated this
great principle, they knew that our insGtu.
tons were not then built upon 1t. They
we'll knew that thousands upon thousand.
of their fellow men in their orn country
were not free aud equal. But they believed
the principle 10 be the teachings of Chris.
tianity and the true foundation Of a State
And our wisest and best statesmen both
North and South, did hope that ali the in
situations Of our country would be con-
/ ibAAAiNA ~ AlAAN EtNdt tAAA plN. lut1 hDfCA
however, that they wOuld be conformed q
il by the silent influences Of the truths tina
they promulgated. But the acts Of man OF
the overruling power Of a divine Provi
dence have willed il otherwise. Ii has onl,
been accomplished through years of bite
political strife, and by the shedding @
rivers Of fraternal blood But il has been
accomplished, and the great fact is nov
acknowledged throughout the length an,
breadth Of our land Whether il be for gooC
or al, is not FOR me now 10 say, and is I'M
wise for al 10 speculate about For all
North and South, East aad West, withOu
one dissenting voice throughout our repub
lie. now admit that all men under our in
situations are free and equal, and that thi
great principle, or great fact as l may nos
call 10, is the cornerstone Of orr republic
And nothing, not even war teu-fOld NOR
terrific than the one we have passeC
through, can ever shake IFS everlasting
foundation.
Well, nay cOuHtrymen, has all been &C
complished IN rearing the structure Q
American liberty that can be accomplished
Have we Of the present generation nothing
TO do2 Can We sit quiet, and ENJOY az 90
leisure, the works of our iathers No, nay
Countrymen. much remains 10 be done.
The change that has taken place in oul
condition has thrown upon Is mass O
ignorance, and has given ignorance through
out our land a power that imposes uPoI
us the gTayest responsibility, s. responsible
ty far more momentous than that which
rested upon our foreiathers, for they wer'
aided IN their work BY a constituency, al
Of whom had been trained for years in ID,
practice and duties Of self government
What Is then this grave responsibility
What is then the duty OF the hour? Ia
my humble judgment, The highes, duly 0
every American citizen now is, to give dig
mats and elevation Go American labor
i may be asked, l. Dot American labo
D already dighi6ed and elevated DO ~
. no, hear its purity, its elevation and eva
it, wisdom sounded from Thousand az,
perhaps ten thonsand stumps throughou
the land Yes, and at the same tine W