The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-01-10
WHERE ARE WE NOws

familiar to most persons of ordinary
J intelligence. So is also the fact that
those colonies, by n solemn act, called
the Declaration of Independence,
passed by deputies in n federated Con-
: gress, on the 4th day of July, l776, sep
; arated from the mother country, Great
. Britain, by declaring that "these colo
nies are, and of right ought to be, free
and independent States" That great
declaration of right went further, ana
. said that all governments are Instituted
for the benefit of the people, and that
they have at all times "the right to
alter or abolish their form of govern
ment."
In other words, the Declaration OF
Independence recognized the fact that
in all human societies and States, the
people thereof have the inalienable
right to govern themselves through
such modes and under such forms as
they (the people) may see fit to ordain.
This immortal instrument, penned by
Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, recorded
by John Adams, of Massachusetts,, and
endorsed by the unanimous vote of the
Continental Congress in 1776, is the
foundation and charter of American
liberty.
1t was conceived, written and adopt
ed at an era in the history of the New
World, famed for its purity and its
exalted patriotism. 1t was a grand
step towards the disenthralment of
mankind from the odious dogma OF
the divine right of kings (mere men,
born as other men) to rule over
States, principalities and Kingdoms,
as if they (poor mortals and often
fools) were of superior blood, knowl-
edge and virtue, and created by God
especially to rule over their fellows
q doctrine at war with common sense
and the experience of ages. All history
tells us that fools and monsters have
been born heirs to thrones, have reign
ed in blood and wickedness, and have
passed away, leaving their memories
accursed in the annals of subsequent
ages. The very idea of kingly or i'm
perial ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS III IL
with rare exceptions, is evidence OF
the ignorance, enslaved minds or de-
bauched sentiment of the people in
volved George III. ruled fifty-three
years in England. He was an ordinary
man in intellect, pure in his domestic
relations as husband and father, a.
tyrant over the people, and, in govern
mental science, simply fool, barely
having sense enough to become crazy
and require regent to be appointed to
rule while he was deranged. A num-
ber of his family had taints of insanity,
vet two of his SOILS reigned as Kings OF
Great Britain.
A distinctive difference between a
kingly and republican form of govern
ment is, that whereas the kings oldest
son, whether wise man or a fool,
reigns by pretended divine right;
while in republic, the people, the
great power who compose the nation,
periodically select from among their
eminent men, a statesman to manage
their affairs for given time, limited
by law. If one year they make an un-
wise choice, four years hence they can
profit by their own mistake and select
a wiser and better man-and If they
do not, they have themselves to blame.
In kingly governments they have no
voice as to rulers, but must accept the
elder son of the deceased monarch,
though he may be fool, llnave ormon-
ster.
These lines of demarcatiOn are broad
and plain.
In this country we started out OH
the broad platform of a republic
composed of independent confeder-
ated States-creating general agen-
cy or government to attend to
national affairs, and leaving each
State to regulate its own domestic
affairs to suit the wishes of its own
people. The system worked splen-
didly from its Inauguration in l776 to
!1S60-eighty-four years-till the great
national issue overrode its provisions
and deluged the land in war and
blood. That passed, the institutions,
so to speak, were rendered homogene-
Gus, and now the duty of patriotism is
to revivify its original principles, and
again leave the people free to select
their own officers, make their own
laws and control, through fairly chosen
agents, their own affairs-each State
for itself-and the Federal agency for
the affairs of the United States.
This is the mission of that portion of
the American people in opposition to
the kingly or controlling party now in
possession of the common government.
The opposing element embraces the
entire Democratic party, strengthened
in essentials by a rising power not dis
tinctly known by a common name,
but recognized in different localities as
Conservatives, Patrons of Husbandry,
Oranges, Free Trade Leagues, ETC., etc.
This brings us back to the question
"Where are we now?' Wesanswer, SO
I far as Texas, geographically the largest
state in the confederation, is concern
ed-we are right here in the breach,
struggling to re enthrone the genuine
principles of free, representative gov
ernment-struggling to lift up the peo-
pie and keep down king g-craft-strug-
Cling to ihaugurate purity in all public
affairs and drive out corruption-strIv-
ling to render republican government
great, just, pure and powerful-and to
, overcome the efforts Of mushroom mill