The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-10-23
The American Centennial.
From the London Times

ence was founded are az hard. The IA
nous Fourth of July, indeed, on which
the Declaration of independence was
adopted by Congress was not drawn up
until two years later, in 1776, and the
deinitive treaty, by which the United
States we're formally acknowledged by
Great Britain TO be free, sovereign
and independent, was not signed until
1888. 1t was on the 25th of
November, in the latter year, that the
last position held by the British on the
coast of the United States was evacuated.
1t was natural the Americans should
seize these opportunities of celebrating
the birthdays of their Nation, and more
than one of the chief events of that mem
orable decade will probably be honored
by special commemoration. That which
was celebrated on the 9Th of this month
by a judiciously simple ceremony was
the first Congress, in which, before any
blood had been shed, and before indie
pendence was contemplated, the forty
FIVE delegates of the thirteen Colonies
drew up the Declaration of Rights which
the elder Pitt declared to be supreior to
anything which the histories of Greece
or Rome could show. The Colonists set
forth their claim as British subjects to
participate in making their own laws and
in imposing their own taxes, to the right
of holding public meetings, and Of petit
tioning for redress of grievances. They
protested against the maintenance of
standing army in the Colonies without
their consent, and against eleven acts
passed since the accession of George III,
in violation of Colonial rights and priv
ileges. The measures they proposed for
obtaining redress were peaceable, and,
according to Jefferson, it was not until
after the Battle of Concord" on the
10Th of April, 1875, that even 'a whisper
of disposition to separate from Great
Britain" was heard. But the course of
events was inevitable from the first. and
the Declaration of Rights was followed
in natural sequence by the Declaration
of Independence. England, or rather
the misguided statesmen who then con-
trolled her policy, exhibited an entire
incompetence to comprehend the nature
of the issue which was raised, and placed
the mother country in irremediable an
tagonism with her greatest dependency.
Pitt could discern the greatness of spirit
and largeness of view which inspired
the Congress which first met hundred
years ago; but to George III the Colon
lists were nothing but set of rebellious
Children, who must be either scolded or
dragooned into submission.
These anniversaries, it must be ad-
mitted, have a melancholy interest for
themselves, but the regret we may feel
is in no degree due to the fact of the
United States having become an indie
pendent power. We have long learnt
to recognize that result as one which was
not only inevitable sooner or later, but
which has been beneficial to both conn
tries, and our regretful recollections are
solely due to the folly which rendered
the separation violent one and attach
ed to it memories of hostility and i'll
feeling. There can be no reasonable
person who would wish this country at
the present moment to be burdened with
the enormous task of controlling, how
ever slightly, the wonderful destinies of
the United States. The conditions of
the problems which George III and his
ministers struggled so obstinately to i'm
pose upon thems selves are now obvious
to the dullest vision. At the time of the
Declaration of Rights the population of
the Colonies was about two millions and
half, of whom half a million were
slaves; and it might seem within the
compass of Great Britain to manage such
dependency. But where would now
have been the independence Of this coun-
try if a Nation of forty millions, animat-
ed by a strong and vigorous life and
working out its own destinies, were at
tached to us in the intimacy which the
Declaration of Rights very justly de-
manded? There must be some proper
,tion between the trunk of a tree and its
branches, and such a branch as the
United States have now become would
have utterly overburdened the parent
stem. The vast population and terrific
ry of India are, indeed, governed by us
with comparative facility, but they do
not strain our energies by strong indie
pendent development, and even there
our task seems at times too heavy for ue.
But we have only to consider the pro-
blems which the American people have
had to work out in order to be thankful
that, by whatever means, We were ex-
empted from the perilous duty of form
ally assisting in their solution What
would have been our position if the late
civil war had been waged in branch of
her Majesty dominions? and who would
desire that statesmen shonld now be con-
fronted with the perplexities presented
by the state of society in the South?
There is nothing unworthy in feeling
satisfaction at being free from such re-
sponsibilities 1t would have been i'm
possible for any statesmen to do justice
to them, and it would have been equally
dangerous to the United States and to
ourselves if we had meddled with them.
The United States had manifest des-
tiny and life of their own, and it is only
by their own unfettered development
that the true adjustment of their Nation
al difficulties can be obtained Much,
indeed, as we may justly blame the
statesmen of a century ago for the man
ner in which they dealt with the pro-
blem of their day, it may be doubted
whether they did anything more than
anticipate an error which, sooner or later
would have been inevitably made. They
did not understand the feelings and cap
acities of the American people, and 1t
XunI,ld baua bao,, yrantioalIyy I'm poSci III