Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-03-22
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encc. These amendments are faulcal
in the grand sense that they spring
legitimately and by the law Of nature
from the root idea of our national life
the political equality o fall men. In
these glorious amendments the old
Declaration has at last its true and full
Interpretation, and in this fact lies
their real significance. 1t Is the cur
rent slang of Democracy to denounce
them as wild, radical. and revolution
airy !; and many good men, by the in
cessant iteration Of these ringing
charges, have perhaps at times been
inclined to look on the movement for
ward Of the Republican party during
the last decade, even if right, as at
least dangerous. Nothing oftlie kind
the advance of the Republican party
has been the only safety Of the Gov
ernment and of the country. The for
ward movement Of the Republican
party, whose advancing steps, Won
through war, are marked successfully
by the three amendments, is but the
historical development Of u national
life. Just as our nation is the historical
development of all the ages gone. In
the flow Of time there was a historical
necessity for sucha government as the
Government ofthe United States. The
human race was about to move for
ward in its progressive march, and
a different sphere Of action and n
stronger impulse was needed. The
land was found in the New
World-a land free and clear from
the old impressions and traditions.
Our fresh aggressive people furnished
the motive power; and here In this
free land, and among a'people brave,
hardy and cut loose from the conven-
tional thought Of the Old World, and
by the very force of geographical posi-
ton Independent, was in the order Of
Providential history to he founded a
government suited to the wants Of
progressive humanity-representative
In nature and In its administration
representing not only its own citizens,
but the world and the life of history.
One from many-not one State from
many States, but one people from
many people Of many times and many
nations. In 1776 this new nation-the
child Of all the ages-was born. In
that year, by official act, we declared
ourselves a separate and Independent
nation, charged with a great mission.
BY the Declaration Of independence
we set forth the reason Of our being
the equality before the law Of every
man. This we gave to the world as
our reason for bringing forth a new
nation-humau liberty rs far as In the
order Of nature it could be given,
unrestricted, unlimited and uncondl:
tional. In 1850 we published to the
world the Constitution rs Il then
idea of human freedom, Of liberty, of
the independence of our race. This
Constitution Of 1889, conceived as al
experiment in fear and trembling,
brought forth in q time Of critical
danger, with the past all stormy and
the future all dark, was the first au-
thoritatiye Interpretation OF the
Declaration-the germ Of our political
life. 1t was imperfect; it was unfin-
ished; 1t carried in itself the possibili-
ties of trouble; but it was all the
national life justified then. If our idea
Of human freedom has changed since
then, 1t Is because We have grown.
The constitution of any country, if it
Is q true constitution, is but the evil
dencc Of the genius Of the people and
their practical idea Of government.
It may be written with us, or unwrit-
ten. as in England; but in every case
1t Is but evidence, and not the thing
itself. Hence the absolute necessity
Of constitutional change. A constitu-
ton which did not change, or could
not change, would clutch us with a
dead hand. Either It would mean
nothing at all, or 1t would represent o
dead people. The old Constitution
was largely q pro-slavery interpretl-
ton Of 4 free character, and rs such 1t
Is no wonder that 1t cramped the life
Of the nation, which was the
development of the political equal
ity seed idea of the Declaration.
Now at last the vigorous, healthy life
Of the nation asserting itself In spite Of
our complex machinery for constitu-
tional amendments, we have found and
proclaimed an honest and healthful
Interpretation Of the great charter
which was the historical basis Of Our
nationality. Now at last we chant the
immortal confession Of our political
faith, without reservation, OF condi-
ton, or limit. This is the meaning Of
the new amendments. They are the
new reading of the Declaration, inter-
preted according to the bettor con-
science of vi day. These amend
ments lay In the Declaration. Had
the Constitution of 1850 been abso-
lutely faithful, the Thirteenth, Four
tenth and fifteenth Amendments
would meyer have been needed, but 1t
was not. All that We have proclaimed
to-day was and Is In the Declaration,
but all men could not see 1t. Perhaps
even our fathers themselves did not
know the full meaning and import Of
their words and acts. "They builded
better than they knew" The early
growth of our national life, cramped
and depressed by the deadly poison
Of slavery-held down and bleached,
as It were, for years under a stone
now at last ressserts itself and
starts again In a natural, healthy
development. Now begins the new