Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-08-11

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. sion for declaring that they arc and O
right ought to be Free and Indcpend
: ent Nations. The word State, in thi
Q connection, is but SYNONYM for Nation
! 1t means any separate and distinct, sell
) sustaining commonwealth, whateve
[ be the form or nature Of its govern
5 mcnt, or tho name il bears. In tn
f very sentence in which it was declare,
} these former British Colonies wor
) thereafter, and of right ought to be
: Free and Independent States, the king
, dom of Great Britain is properly, il
the same meaning, styled "tho State o
Great Britain" speak from the re
cord.
The awe" therefore, that spoke ant
made tho Declaration were in reality
the Colonies themselves, proclaiminl
! the Declaration through their Repre-
: sentatiyes-.eaeh Delegation beinl
: clothed with iulI' Power 10 do 80 Dy
, their several Colonies respectively
, The very caption Of the paper, as il
stands on the journals of the body that
, made il, is in these words:
ain Congress, July 4th, l776.
"Thc unanimous Declaration of the
Thirteen United States of America
1t was the joint Declaration of the In
, dependence Of thirteen separate States
severally, of which Georgia was one.
Who composed the Congress through
which or by which the United States
thus spoke2 What was the origin
the nature, and powers OF this body
and how did they thus become the
United States OF America2 A
BRIEF COLONIAL HISTORICAL SKETCH.
This leads to brief review of con
temporancous history outside of the
text, but which is necessary for a
thorough understanding of its mean.
ing. Be il remembered, then, that
these Thirteen Colonies were distinct
andseparate political Societies planted
or then existing under separate char
tiers from the British Grown, which
secured to each the full right of perfect
government overall their local, internal
affairs respectively. In theirorganiza-
ton they had no more relation to each
other, than have the present Colonies
Of Jamaica and Australia and their
political relations towards the mother
country were not different from those
which connected the kingdom of Han
over in Germany with the Crown Of
England All the British Colonies in
America, or elsewhere, acknowledged
common allegiance to the same Brit
ish Grown, This was the only connec-
ting link between them, and the only
tic that bound them in any way to the
Government of Great Britain. The
people of these thirteen American
British Colonies were no more subject
to the control Of the British Parliament
in the regulation of their internal,
municipal affairs, and no more subject
TO rightful taxation, than were the
People Of Hanover The People of
Massachusetts, under her chartered
rights, stood in the some political rela-
ton towards England and his Parlia-
ment as did the People of Hanover.
So likewise stood the People of New
Hampshire, Virginia, and all down to
Georgia-the Youngest and smallest in
population on the list. An Tic Colo
nies had grown up and prospered un-
der the acknowledged and iDcstimable
right of Local Self-Government, with
exemption from legislatlon-of taxa
ton or other kinds-,except such as re-
ceived their own voluntary consent.
1t was upon this principle that most of
the emigrants hither, had quilted the
Monarchical Governments of the "Old
World, and had sought refuge in these
Colonies whore they could enjoy the
great natural rights of civil and relgi-
GUS liberty as set forth in the paper we
are commemorating.
Upon these principles these Thirteen
Colonies had sprung into existence, un-
der separately organized Governments,
within the period of century and a
half proceeding, and had greatly pros
pered not, however, without many
intervening struggles between them,
the Crown, and the Parliament, over
the great essential rights upon which
they were founded and to which their
growth and prosperity were due
This struggle approached the culminat.
ing crisis In l764-'G5, upon the pass
age OF what Is known as the stamp
Act. by this Act OF Parliament all
contracts, notes, deeds, bonds, writs
and public documents were required
to be written on Government stamped
paper which was to be sold by officials
at q iixed price; and from the sales of
which largo revenue was expected to
be derived from the Colonies. The cx-
cltement produced by the passage of