Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-07-05

derive its power from the consent
of the governed" still remains to
every true American citizen a rich
legacy, more to be coveted than
Imperial honor, worlds OF material
wealth or kingly crowns.
For twelve hundred years prior
to the making of that declaration
by our forefathers, kingly tyranny
had trampled in the dust every
form of government that derived
its power from the people, in utter
disregard of human rights, and in
open violation of that immutable
command of God, when He said,
"Let us make man in our own inn
age, after our likeness, and let
him have dominion" If there is
any truth in the Scripture, the
right of government was from the
beginning of creation given to man,
Including, of course, woman and
for five thousand years in all gov
srnments of the earth the right of
the people to manage their own af-
fairs and elect their own rulers, was
the universal law, and not until
near the eighth century, when
Pepin, father of Charlemagne, and
Charlemagne, himself greater than
his father, burst with their splen-
or upon the benighted States of
Europe. They, with the aid of the
Church, established an opposite
theory of government, that the rul-
ing families received their power
by divine law, from divine authori-
ty, and that it descended in hered-
itary line from father TO son, that
the ruler owed his authority and
power to a dispensation of God,
given directly into their hands, and
that absolute and abject obedience
was the duty of the people. In
few centuries they had changed the
theory of government which had
lasted for five thousand years, and
established that of abject submits
sion for the people, and divine right
for the ruler. Thus one by one the
governments organized by the peo-
pie were swept out of existence
More than three hundred republics,
large and small, which dotted the
surface of Europe, were destroyed.
This is brief statement of the his
tory of government, and it was in
opposition to this long and uninter-
rupted reign of despots and des-
potism that our forefathers, one
hundred years ago, took the first
steps that had been taken to-
ward universal equality, moral
and religious freedom for all man
kind. To-day one State stands alone
self-possessed and confident, main
tanning the principle of the right
of the people to govern themselves
that is the Republic of the United
States of America. We began one
hundred years ago this day to re-
verse the course of history for a
thousand years past. Little by lit
Ito we have invaded and undermin-
ed, and occasionally destroyed, else
where the theory of hereditary sue
cession and divine right. The peo-
pie of the East turn their eyes
imploringly TO the West for coun-
sci and courage. Europe is every
where moving for free government.
The great Queen who sits upon the
throne of the British Empive, more
than the equal to any ruler that
yields executive power, said when
the people of Spain placed the
Prince Alfonso upon the throne,
that she would not recognize the
new government of Spain until she
was informed whether or not that
government was in conformity with
the wishes of the people
Great Britain is day by day en-
tending the elective franchise to
her people, and the time is not dis
tant when they will all enjoy,
without distinction of condition
or caste, the inestimable privileges
that we do. We who live in this
centennial age and hour of our Ma
tons life, look back over the his
tory of the past and see the spark
of patriotism that flashed upon the
world one hundred years ago, grad
ually expanding its refulgent light,
until to-day it shines forth in all its
accumulated intensity and splendor,
inspiring q steadfast and abiding
confidence in the perpetuity of our
free institutions and government in
every American heart, and send
ing hope and JOY to millions of un-
fortunate subjects of kings and
monarchs beyond the broadAtlantic.
While our great and glorious Re
public has thus maintained the
cause of human Liberty at home,
and inspired it abroad, it has not
been wanting i'm attention to the
development of its vast material
resources, attainments in Art,
Science and Literature, and above
all, the universal education of
the masses of the people
At an early day it inaugural
ed system, and has ever maintain
it, of Free Public Schools, nowhere |
else to be met with in the whole
world, that places liberal educa-
ton at the very Threshold of every
family, high or low, rich or poor,