The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-07-31
Hon. =. \. Cox ON Our National Ami.
yersary.

u
Independence Day, Hon. ;. >. Cox made
the following address:
MR.. cox's SPEECH.
Having spoken so often the past eight
years on these occasions | vainly sought
To decline for this day. One thought only
for my short talk. This day is dedicated
TO civil liberty. Is not this phrase an an
achronismy The Fourth of July is :" In
dependence" day. The declaration was
entirely unanimous; nor was IL intended
TO be so much in the interests of human
nature and abstract liberty as Of home
rights, colonial autonomy, and cis-Atlantic
defiance. The celebration of this day, is
therefore, not an apotheosis to the beauti-
full goddess! 1t is rather the memory OF
an armed man. Ii recalls Fabius and
Washington, Plato and jefferson. Ii
reminds Us OF fight and philosophy. We
have had enough revolution-revolution
at the South, God knows, too much We
had il during the civil war and since! We
should forget the vagaries OF our recent
history and come TO the facts of our peril
Gus present. The Declaration was pano-
piled dream, an armed venture the Con-
stitution which followed Is written
chart. II celebrates the fact accomplished.
Ii anchors us. Our independent venture.
our starry dream is over. 1t is century
old. We must sail now by the chart or
we must wreck Departing from the
charters and rowing like pirates, the party
in power for more than decade has out
ragged and outlawcd every sentiment OF lib
erty and broken every written or tradition
airy restraint upon central and local tyran-
ny so that the party out OF power. becom-
ing conservative of law and order, contests
with the party in power,
which revolutioniZes 10 overturn
both. This cannot last without
imminent peril. How shall il be ended
Only by the union of good men of all
creeds and parties TO check the revolution
ary and elevate the conservative. Name
one element Of freedom which our fathers
fixed in the Constitution as organic and
quickly you find its infraction by the dom
inant party. The nebulous statement OF
our wrongs i'm the Declaration are en-
starred in the Constitution-aye. and since
1857 we have added some of the lunar and
vapory ideas of more recent date as amend
ments: but these all are of no moment be-
fore the irresponsible cabal which by mall
versation. corruption, covctousncss, reck-
les sHess, and wrong doing have made adj
ministratiOn a soothing and law "A by-word.
Need particularize. Shall read you the
"Record y of Congressional usurpation 7
Shall | tell you that whereas we used To
have only hundreds of bills "A session we
now have thousands. and that most OF
these thousands are without the proper
purview of Federal legislation: What are
they? Grand schemes of money spending !;
schemes of water and land communica-
ton devices 10 get money for fayorites in
the way of notifies, tariffs. centennials and
charities (; schemes for red men. black men
and white men: godly schemes for pious
! IN.
over which you can leap; and schemes
about great States which, lying PROSTATE.
we trample upon. l. there one element OF
civil freedom named in the Declaration
or reserved in the Constitution which this
administration has conserved. or which IL
/ has not tried To abridge and destroy
What mockery 10 tell Louisiana that She
derives her just powers from the consent
of the governed that she Is an equal State.
according in her music with the
Federal constellation. What scam
dial to tell South Carolina that
taxation and representation go to-
gethcr! What sham TO talk 10 Ar
kansas about being fifty organized-be-
tween Brooks and Baxter-so as to effect
her safety and happiness How simple
our talk of the tyranny of George Ill. over
the colonies. while the uninpeached
Il
State and individual. and wears the spot
less ermine; and the lofty Moses" Gov
ernor of South Carolina. escapes indct-
ment by the dignity of his office. What a
commentary, the Calling guns of Casey
and the imprisoned Legislators of Louisi-
ana. on the impeachment of the British
ring for "dissolving representative
houses ~ What irony in the reproach
that King George destroyed naturaliza-
ton, with the Republican bill from the
Foreign Affairs of the House to uncitzen-
ize. denationalize those already naturalized.
II they happen 10 sojourn abroad! Think
of our revolutionary Indictment against
the English king how Ii might be
translated by the recent editions of our
political lexicon, Did the stupid king in
terfere with the judiciary? Well. did not
Cong ess enlarge the Supreme Court To
crowd its bench for a purposey Who car
ried out that purposes The Executive
who desired in his memoranda" 10 repeal
the legal tender. and who signed the pres
cnt currency law. The king made swarms
OF harassng and hungry officers. Yet we
rather like our honest custom-houscs. post
offices, and Internal Revenue Depart
ment. The king kept the military above
the civil. did hey He cut off trade. did
he? Well. his schemes were a. Il little
finger compared 10 the lons of our tariff
swindlers. He transported our fathers
incriminated to foreign tribunals, did hcg
He violated Magma Charta hv destroying
the jury OF the vicinage: What did the
thirty-six Senators do who voted the
transportation of the fearless editor and
the penal muzzle of the press?
u was under the cloud of bat
tie that the Republican party passed the
r..ft h.r ~. haf
wide Mediterranean of discretionary.
usurped powers. where for four long years
they voyagcd nj will. When challenged
they promised they would give back the
spoils of war with the return OF peace. But
what RIGHT betrlycl have they ever re-