Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-07-13


Esq, our worthy and most excellent Chic
Burgess, who conceived this successful cen
tennial celebration of our town. This is q
great day because it is the recurring ami
versary of our National Independence rs
well as the one hundredth anniversary O
our existence as Borough. We are her,
assembled to celebrate the centennial o
our now wide awake town. We will not
all likely be present at the next hundrctli
anniversary. 1t is likely that 1 will be the
only one present at that coming celebration
/ was not here at the last centennial.
think my wife was sick or / was cutting
grass. But will not take up time with
these introductory remarks. l return tc
you and all the organizations present the
heartfelt thanks of all our people for your
participation in these ceremonies on this
great occasion. now have the honor OF
Introducing TO you, rs the Orator of the
Day, n gentleman who has lived among us
for 81 years, n gentleman of large judicial
experience and ability-the Hon. ALEX
ANDER JORDAN.
Judge jordan occupied about 35 minutes
in the delivery of his address. He said
the meeting was called for there objects.
First, to celebrate the centennial anniver-
sary of the Borough of Suubury. Second,
to celebrate the anniversary of cur Ma
tional Independence, and Third, to select
n spot in the public square, on which to
erect monument TO the memory of the
brave men who fell in the great rebellion
lie referred to the probable condition of
the place on which Sunbury is located, at
the time of its location 100 years ago, by
whom the survey was made, the reason
why its growth was not more rapid its
population in 1915, the number of brick
and other buildings at that time, and its
! present population and improvements.
In speaking of the second object, he re-
ierred to the oppressive system of taxation,
adopted by the British Parliament in ref.
erence to the colonies the total disregard
! by the King and Parliament to the appeals
made by the colonies for redress, and the
determination of the colonies to be free.
The adoption of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence ; the war and its glorious ter
mlnatlon our growth, prosperity, happy
form OF government, influence of our Re-
! publican principles in other nations, and
how our government could be perpotuated,
In reference to the third object, he spoke
Of the propricty and duty of living to erect
endorsing monuments to the memory of
the men who fell in battle during the late
rebellion of the loss of valuable life of
the strength of our government that it
could not be destroyed by the uuhallowed
touch of treason, and of the final settle
ment OF the momentous question of starry
ing, and the right of secession, and that we
could now emphatically sing, "This is the
land OF the free and home Of the brave"
According to previous arrangement Hon.
y. Jordan and Hon. Simon Cameron then
proceeded with axe, stakes and tape line,
together with the soldiers committee, a.
n. Brice, Heber Painter, Gen. Clement, 5.
II. Knowles and E. NJ. Bucher, 10 measure
of the site for n County Soldiers Monu-
ment to be erected in Market Square.
These gentlemen then measured, qn tl'n
s5Suna nna lUr the base agpose the re. re
sdon,t..Rt,S mad been made and stakes
driven, Gen. Cameron stepped to ono dido
and by invitation Of the Committee address,
cd few remarks in substance us follows
M Friends Of old Northumberland Coln-
W-I am proud to be among YOU to-day.
Since my boyhood days, and since l left
this portion Of Pennsylvania, to enter more
actively in the race Of life, very many OF
the old familiar faces have disappeared !
take pleasure in visiting your town at least
once in a year, and very frequently much
olteuer. l remember well the time when
you did not lave any railroads, and long
before the time when the canal was dug on
suggested that the canal should go on the
eastern side of the Susquehanna, because
Of the coal which filed these mountains,
bat the protector of that enterprise hootcd
at the idea and said the canal was intend
ed to be used in transporting the produce
of the rich farms beyond the western side
of the river, and so il went there. refer
with pleasure to the fact that l presided at
the first railroad meeting held IN your old
Court House to project the first railroad to
your town. The untold wealth underly-
ing the hills which surround you, as yet
but little improved and delved, will gradu-
ally populate and improve the valley, until
the SusQuehanna valley will be the richest
and the most pOpulous in the State. The
time will come when Northumberland and
Sunbury will form one city, a community
of interests and of population, all bent on
one object, Improvement. The time VIII
! come whom the bridges between SunbuTy
and Northumberland will be thrown open
to free travel, and other bridges will be
erected across this river +; aud some OF you
may live to see the day when Il large and
growing town will be built over on the
Blue Hill. These may seem like idle pro-
! phecies, but | have been accustomed To
look forward to the future, and you may
! live to see more than this fully realized.
! When ! left your midst, | thought ior
many years would come back here and
make this my home and my final resting
place, but that will not be so now. re-
member how | went forth poor boy, hut
did not go without friends. Everybody
/ in this county seemed friendly towards me,
and took me kindly by the hand. And let
me say here that kind words given to a
boy are worth tons OF money in after lie.
In later years the friendlincss OF the people
of your county has been warmly extended,
by both Republicans aud Democrats, and
/ have felt your generous words and acts
of approval MS you have said, 90 ahead, !,
Simon. And SO | say to you all, so ahead
and God bless you.
After the above remarks had been con-
cludcd, Judge Jordan and Gen. Cameron
went back to the stand.
A. N Brice, Esq, Chairman OF the Com
mittee to raise funds for Soldiers Monu'
ment, then announced the following sub
scriptions to that object.
Col James Cameron Post, $500 "
Hon A. Jordan. 200 0C
| Hon Simon Cameron oOO W