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

W Tile hlugS III u language Sau ouu
terrible as the trump of the Arch
angel. You have trampled on
mankind long enough. At last
the voice ofhuman woe has pierced
the ear of God and called Hisjudg-
ment down! You have waded on
to thrones over seas of blood-you
have trampled on to power over
the nEcks Of millions-yOu have
turned the poor mans sweat and
blood into robes for your own deli
cate FORMS, into crowns for your
annointed hrows. Now Kings
now purpled hangmen ofthe world
for you come the days of axes
and gibbets and scaffolds-for you
the wrath Of man-for you the
lightnings of God!
Look How the light Of your
palaces on fire. flashes up into the
midnight sky!
Nov Purpled Hangmen Of the
world-turn and beg for mercy !
"Where will you find 1t?
mot from God, for you have
blasphemed His holy laws!
mot from the People, for you
stand baptised in their blood!
Here you turn, and 10! q glib
bet!
"There-and a scaffold looks you
in the face.
"All around you death-and no.
where pity!
"NoW executioners of the human
race, kneel down-yes ,kneel down
upon the sawdust of the scaffold =
lay your perfumed heads upon the
block-bless the axe as it falls
the axe that you sharpened for the
poor mans neck.
"Such is the message Of that Dec
laration to3Man, to the Kings of the
World! And shall we start back
oppressed when our feet press the
very Threshold of Freedom? Do
| see quailing faces around me,
when our wives have been butch
ered-when the hearthstones Of
our land are red with the blood Of
little children?
"Who are these shrinking
hearts and ALTERING voices here,
when the very dead of our battle
fields arise, and call upon us to
sign that Parchment or be accursed
forever?
SIGN |! if the next moment the
gibbet's rope is around your neck!
SIGN! If the next moment this
hall rings with the echo ofthe fall
ing axe! SIGN! by all your hopes
in life or death as husbands-as
fathers-as men-sign your names
to the parchment or be accursed
forever!
S1GN-and not only for your
selves but for all ages. For that
Parchment will be the Textbook
of Freedom-the Bible Of the
Rights of man forever!
"SIGN-for that declaration will
go forth to American hearts for
ever, and speak to those hearts
like the voice of God! And its
work will not be done, until thro'-
out this wide continent not a sin
gle inch of ground owns the sway
of a British King!
NAY, do not start and whisper
with surprise 1t is a truth, your
own hearts witness it, God pro-
claims it. This country is the prop
erty OF a free people, and their
property alone. God, / say, pro-
proclaims it! Look at this strange
history of a baud of exiles and out
casts suddenly transformed into a
PEOPLE-look at this wonderful
Exodus of the oppressed of the
Old World into the New, where
they came, weak in arms but
mighty in God-like faith-nay,
look at this history of your Bun
ker Hill-your Lexington-where
a band of plain farmers Knocked
and trampled down the panoply
of British arms, and then tell me
if you can, that Ged has not given
America to the FREE!
ut is not given to our poor in
tellect to climb the skies to pierce
the councils of the Almighty one.
But methinks / stand among the
awful clouds which veil the bright
ness of Jehovah's throne. Me-
thinks | see the Recording Angel
pale as an angel is pale, weeping
as an angel can weep-c0me trcm-
bling up to that throne, and spread
his dread message
''Father ! the old world is bap-
tized in blood Father, it is
drenched with the blood of mil
lions, butchered in war, butchered
in persecution, in slow and grind
ing oppression! Father-look with
one glance Of Thine Eternal eye,
look over Europe, Asia and Afri-
ca and behold, evermore, that ter
rible sight, man trodden down be-
meath the o~ppressor's feet-nations
lost in blood-Murder and Super