The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1876-02-03
Col Philips spaecs ca The Centennial Gel.
ehrati9a.

biii relating TO the CentenHisl Ceicbra
of american Independence.
Mr.. PEIHIPs, of Kansas Mr.. Chair
man, tiisil not coOsame much of yoal
time. | desire very briefly To state
why ,hinl. ihls House should vote fol
TIC centennial appropriation.
do not believe there is q man in this
House who will deny that our Govern.
.ment IS ially committed TO tins celebra-
ton. Undor authority Of an act Of
Congress iha Executive Of the United
States has invited the governments of
foreign nations and the people OF those
nations through their governments 10
be present. Those invitations have
Geen accepted by nearly all Of them.
Appropriations have been MADE, accord
ing Il the different modes Of those ma
ti0ns, TO meet the expenditures in
volVcd and 10 90 their share toward it.
Having therefore invited this co opera
lion aud expenditure on their part. ii
would certainly bc very remarkable
circumstance II our Government dcclin-
ed TO give auy aid to the enterprise IL
self. The appropriation will do as much
for the chhra ter OF tho centennial as
the money Will do. Shonld we ADOPT a
Iess liberal poiicy-apd bayo no rear
ofit--we need not be surprised if for
elgn nations tal.o less interest in it and
do less foT,E. We bare COMO INTO this
matter, and il bchooyes Us tc see that it
is done Gccenily.
The design of making it, rs far as
practicable. seli-sustaiBing, was good
one. Thrce-fourths Of The amount 10 be-
expended viii como from private and
state enterprise and libcraity. The re-
meiudrr va srr asked 10 give. think
that, uGdcr the circumstances, we gei
of cheap. IL is only three and a halt
rents apiece. Where IL tho person vino
refuses to give it? As general rule
our political festivals are sustained
purely by popular movements. EST
mates for bunting, bsrbccucs, and fire
crackers do not appear IN our budgets.
Our average Fourth July celebrations
do not need them John. Saith, Sam
Joacs, and Jonathan Edwards resolve
themselves into three committees, or
invitations, rhetoric, and catables, and
forthwith the occasion" is grand sue
cess. This international centennial can
rot be done in that way. This Is the
boiled-dOwn essence OF all the FOurths
81 July for hundred years. 1t is not
nll for ourselves. We htvo inspired
orr people with love fer tho national
air on tho martial fife and drum, and the
reading Of The Declaration OF lndepcn.
cnce has boon Ike he voices Of the
lively praclos. Now we throw the gales
wide open TO all the world. We invite
them 10 bee our growth and prosperity /
10 study the theory and examine the
practical working of a government of J
tho people. If il ia worth celebrating
at all, il is worth doing well. Uncle |
Sam knows the value of a cent exactly. /
lie is waxing rich and strong because
hs knows it. lie expects rs 20 study |
that matter very closely, but he also ex-
poets us 10 remember that lie WAS never
mean about it, lie Will wear his ira
'iitional white hat, but be will brush II /
when he cocks it among the rayions.
lie has invited all creation, and while 1
he has demanded prudence from us, he
will not thank US FIR parsimony. He
feels that BIO ewes ibis to his place in 4
modern civilization and owes il to the /
down iroddcn Of MI the. oarih
| think there is proba5iv not n man
within The sound 81 my voice who does
not believe that if we refuse this aDpfo
praiion the exhibition will not be the
snccsss that am sure every American
desires il To be. II we make this ap
IL is important that we do
IL at once. Ia hundred days our guests
" i'll begin 10 come.
Nor do believe that city rivalrics or
jealousies viii enter into this. We
could not all DO born in Philadelphia
but Uncle Sam was born thore He
stakcd of his first claim around that old
hall. Ia that hall, a hundred wears AGO,
n handful OF brave men met 10 cast The
die Of our national fortunes Their cir.
instances were full Of en- barrasement.
There r,as bnt little more than three
millions of people in all our colonies
They wero without resources and con-. :
paratively without credit. They scarce
" know how far they would be sustained
in what thoy did. They confronted one
oftho nj ghuest empires on earth. There :
hey uttered The Declaration of lnde. I
pondenre, and nation was born. They
lid tar more. They did higher and bet
er. Unawsd by power and unchecked
BY conservatism, they uttered tho grand
I'D words that rings in oar ears from
Happy school-boy days and which sent
| thrill through the heart Of struggling,
all over the world: 1--WE
hold these truths TO be ssfevident, That
rod created all men equal" II was
lot 'glitiering generality" II lie.
..srod that in the Government hen fcrn
ID all men should bo equal in in the 7
yes OF the law.
We can look back, nay friends. Look
,sck over that hundred years. We can =
oe the ship OF state rocked ia many a L
torn. We can remember, not without =
tear, the brave men who died for il.
nd the wise men whose whole lives
we're gwen 20 developing the genius Of.
he American Government, whose lives.
ounded on principle; are rs illustrious
$ a martyrs death. We can recall those
rand old words, and here, in this noon y
ide Of the nineteenth century, with the y
ho picture Of the saved and redeemed
4,