Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1876-07-13
OLD HUNDRED.
How Greenevtlie Commensurate
The Glorious Fourth.

gone with It's pleasures and pains,
joys and sorrows. II has come
and gone for ninety and nine years.
Yet no such Fourth, as this, the
one hundred.h, has ever before
come and gone. 1t stands out pre-
eminent 10 its majestic grandeur
to all others. Hancock, Washing,
ton, Jefferson and their illustrious
compeers, certainly saw a Fourth
that astonished and COMPOUNDED
kings and princes, as they listened
to the new, and then heretofore un-
beard Of principles. These men
we're truly wise; they lived a cen
fury before their time, aud it res
NAMED for US to see the complete
practical workings of their enlarged
theories of government. They, in
their day and time saw the truth
studiously inculcated in the minds
Of the people. The people we're
in a very advantageous mood, at
that time, for receiving new iieas.
They only received them-they
knew nothing Of their practictica>
bility. Oppressed and %downsrodeu
by a cruel and ruthless tyrant, they
seized with alacrity any expedient
that promised surcease from the
existing woes. Republicanism was
a golden dream ; promised great
liberties and an enthusiastic people
remembering their dire oppression,
almost promised themselves unbrid.
led license. They rushed almost
unanimously to war, conquered
and we're au independent people.
A numerous people thus suddenly
emancipated from abject vassalage
and Immediately assuming all the
powers of an independent and free
nation must have been in great
danger of swinging to the opposite
extreme of sIavery-license. Ow-
ing to the prevalence of wise eoun-
sci, this hard fate was warded of
by our fathers.
Our system Of government was
not in the beginning what 1T is now;
We cordially admit that the fathers
IF the Constitution saw a perfect
Republican Government. With
prophetic vision they saw an huns
dred years in the future; but the
people we're 10th to cast off many
of the very prominent principles
of the monarchy, from which they
had just been separated: Great
masses more slowly AMI none the
less surely. Jast so with the mass
of The people. They are slow and
reluctant to give up their customs
and traditions: but when they once
get 10 motion, no power on earth
can stop their onward progress.
They move onward Oaward i! to
the final coasummatlon of the de.
sired object. Thus has it been
with our people. The spirit of
Progress has been gradually NOV"
ing onward to a more perfect
UNION" a more perfect Republic.
And we are persuaded, we frmly
believe that government by the
people is no longer q matter for
demonstration, but that it is an 10.
controvertible, established fact.
We believe that the Centennial
Fourth was the only day in the
history of our government when
we could truly celebrate the hide
dependence Of our Republic, To
day our Government boasts, and
proudly, too, of absolute freedom
free of the vitiating and baneful
influence of License. We are free
and Independent and we are proud
of it. We are a Government Of
men:
Who know our rights; aud knowing,
Dare maintain.
No "seryile slaves Of the lordly
Turk" are we. The sun of liberty
has risen in this country and that
never to sci. A people who have
been accustomed to absolute liberty
for q century, can never be en-.
shaved, as we'll might you attempt
to chain old oceans bounding bill
lows TO Der craggy shores, or force
a precipitate retreat of the wild,
raviDg Cyclone. Once free, for.
ever free.
Truly we enjoy great blessings
in this. They are all due to the
transactions on that ever memora-
BILE Fourth. But while we are 30
fortunate, what has independence
day dore for the world? What is
the example of our Government ac-
complishiBg in the world that is for