The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-07-01
Aohdfal
SPEECH or JUDGE RANNEK.

Gentlemen of the Conventions return you
nv most heartfelt thanks for the very
unexpected honor in being called upon
TO preside over your deliberations. | can
lay no claims to it, either by experience
or ability to discharge the duties of this
place. But it would be uncandid in me
not to say that have no fears whatever
of being able to guide the deliberations of
this body-of such a body of delegates
in such a manner as chat everything shall
be done deCently and in order. From the
faces | see before me, many of whom |
have not seen for many years, feel the
confident assurance that every gentleman
in the Convention will to see to it that
the Chair is added in every possible way
and that our work shall be done in
manner satisfactory to the people of the
State.
One hundred years ago at this hour,
our fathers were engaged at Bunker Hill
in deadly conflict, in a conflict with one
of the most powerful kingdoms of the
earth, whose navy whitened every sea,
and whose army was deemed invincible,
Your fathers were few and poor and scat
tered from Massachusetts to Georgia
through comparative wilderness. They
fought this great power, not for aggrand-
i2ement, not for wealth, not to promote
personal ends, but they fought to estab-
iish certain great principles-the exuali-
ty of all men before the law; the right
of all men to pursue their happiness ac-
cording to the dictates of their own judg
ments, when that happiness interfered
with nobody else's right; and above all,
the right to worship God according to
the dictates of their own conscienCes.
Applause.
In that conflict they laid aside upon
the altar of public good every proposes
sion and prejudice and difference ofopin-
ion that did not point to the main thing
to be gained by the contest. There was
Presbyterian Massachusetts, Catholic
MARYLAND, Episcopal Virginia. There
was Hancock and Carroll and George
Washington differing in these respects;
nevertheless they laid aside all these
differences of opinions upon the altar of
public good, and engaged in the contest,
pledging their lives, their fortunes and
their sacred honors. Applause.
1t was by such sacrifices as this that
your fathers made that contest grand
success. During the height of it they
emblazoned upon their banners these
great principles of the equality of man,
of his rights as man, of the right of
conscience never to be invaded by power
They emblazoned this upon their ban
Rers, and appealing to the God of battles
and the good sense and judgment of man
Kind they carried it to a glorious success.
2 Applause. Upon the termination of it
f. and to bind together more effectually still
the States that had gone into this con-
test, they adopted the Federal Constitu-
ton and erected State governments.
These principles were again and again
reiterated in all these States.
Among these principles thus laid as
the foundation of our institutions, none
was dearer to our fathers than the great
principle of fostering the enlightenment
of man. They appealed to the judgment,
conscience and intelligence of mankind
for selfgoyernment. The rising gen.
Grafton they were resolved should be ed
ucated and brought up to that standard
of intelligence that they might safely
exercise the great powers that they had
declared to be fundamental in the gov
ernmeut. Upon that foundation was laid
our school system. Applause.
l need not go into detail upon that
subject in this Convention. You will find
! it deliberated everywhere in the funda-
mental laws of the States. Money was
raised for this school purpose. To foster
the enlightenment and happiness Of the
rising generation, this sacred fund of the
: State was set apart [renewed applause,
to be applied to this purpose and this
alone. GApplause.1 No hand shall touch
i, no ecclesiastical power or sect or party
shall ever lay hold on any part of it,
( Great applause.
(. I may be pardoned, gentlemen Of the
Convention, for dwelling little on this
subject in personal alldsion on this oc-
Casion. More than twenty years ago l
was called upon to bear an unimportant