Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-07-08

stition walking hand in hand over
the graves of their victims, and
not a single voice to whisper,
"Hope to Aan.n
He stands there, the Angel,
his hands trembling with the
black record ofhuman guilt. But
bark! The voice Of Jehovah speaks
out from the awful cloud--'Let
there be light again. Let there
be New World. Tell my peo-
ple--the poor--the trodden down
millions, to 60 out from the Old
World. Tell them 70 out from
wrong, oppression u | blood-tell
them to 60 from this cd World
to build my altar in the New!
AS God lives, my friends, | be-
lieve that to be his voice! Yes,
were my soul trembling on the
wing Of Eternity, were this hand
freezing in death, were this voice
choking with the last struggle, l
would still, with the last impulse
OF that soul, with the last wave OF
that hand, with the last gasp Of
that voice, implore you to re-
member this truth-G0d has
giuen america TO The .freee. Yes,
as / sank down into the gloomy
shadows of the grave, with my
last gasp, / would beg yon to Sign
that Parchment, in the lame Of
the GoD who made, the Saviour
who redeemed you, in tho name
of the millions whose very breath
is now hushed in intense expecta-
ton, as they look up to you for the
awful words-YOu ARE FREE!"
O! many years have gone since
that hour, the Speaker, his brethren
all, have crumbled into dust, but
it would require an angela pen to
dicture the magic 0fthat Speakers
look, the deep; terrible emphasis
of his voice, the prophet like beck
oning Of his hand the magnetic
flame which shooting from his
eyes, soon fired every heart
throughout the hall!
He fell exhausted in his seat, but
the word was done. A wild MUIR
muir thrills through the hall. Sign!
All! There IL no doubt now. Look!
how they rush forward! Stout
hearted John Hancock has scarce
|ly time to sign his bold name, be-
fore the penis grasped by another,
another and another! Look how
the names blaze on the Parch-
ment! Adams and Lee, and Jeffer-
son and Carroll. and now, Roger
Sherman the Shoemaker.
And here comes good old
Stephen Hopkins,( Yes, trembling
with palsy he totters forward)
quivering from head to foot, with
his shaking hand he seizes the
pen, he scratches his patriot
name.
Then comes Benjamin Frank
lin the Printer, and now the tall
man in the dark robe advances,
the man who made the fiery
speech a moment ago; with same
hand that but now waved in such
fiery scorn he writes his name.
And now the Parchment is
signed; and now let word go forth
to the people in the streets; to the
homes of America; to the camp of
Mister Washington, and the Palace
of George the Idiot-King; let word
gosto all the earth.
And, old man in the steeple,
now bare your great arm, and
grasp the Iron Tongue, and let
the bell speak the truth.
Fifty-siG Traders and Farmers and
Mechanics haze this day shook The
shuckles OGMe world.
Hark Hank ! to the toll of that
bell
Is there not a music in the sound
that reminds you of those awful
tones which broke from angel lips,
when the news Of the child of
Jesus burst on the Shepherds of
Bethlehem?
For that Bell now speaks out to
the world, that:
esd has given the American
Continent to the free, the toiling
millions of the human race, as
the last altar of the rights of man
on the globe, the home Of the ap-
pressed forevermore
D~ATnrfx nrpJ NTnuA