Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-07-05

| ter at that & Ge, which, he said, to al
American ~ to-day was inexpressl
bly, Notifying; recited the story
| OF the declaration of war and thu
triumphant Justification of the meas
ure, and said:] There hsl
been since question about the right Il
navigate the Mediterranean free from
sll dangers OF loss Of persOnsl freedom
1t Is due 70 the government of Grea
| Britain to add that In following uI
this example. L nd Exmouth, with his
fleet, put aal stop to all further pre-.
lenses Of these bsrbarians to annoy the
navigation of that sea. France has
since occupied q portion OF AIg ers,
and the abolition of slavery there was
one Of its early decrees. Thus has hap
pened tbs H. ration If that supe re.
gion Of the sorld, the nurse y Of more
of its civilia idon than any OF ser from
further danger relspsing to bsrba.
rism, and Am3rica may fairly
claim the credit of having initiated
in modern times freedom over the sur
face OF its domains. have now done
with the second example OF the pro 'ress
OF freedom as enunciated In the csle-
brated scroll set forth bu Idr d years
ego. America had contributed greatly to
this result; buta moment was rapidly
approaching when emergency W As to be
evoked in q region much nearer home.
The younger generations now cOmiog to
active life will doubtless be astouished
to learn thaz not much more than q half
century since there survived q class OF
men, hsrbored in the West Indies, sue
cessors of bold BUCCANEERS, who, in the
seventeenth century, became terror to
the navigation OF these seas. They will
wonder still more when l tell them tn at
both ships and men were not only har.
Lored in some ports of the United States,
but were actually fitted out with q view
to the plunder t0st might be levied on
legitimate trade by their couatrymen,
and the people Of all other nations in
and around the islands in the Caribbean
sea. L shall touch this matter
no further than to show that
not long after adequate preparations
were made to remove this pestilent an
noyance, and to re.establish perfect free.
dom in crossing these waters. This
work was 50 effectively performed
in 1924 that from that time to this, Ber-
sonal liberty has been as sure there as in
any other best protected part Of the
globs. Such is my third example of the
PiROGLOd1 vi ITE6uOIQ
under the trumpet call made one hun
dred years ago. 1 come now to fourth
and more stupendous measure following
that call. Toe worldwide famous au
thor o! 1t had not been slow TO grasp the
conception that the abolition OF all trade
in slaves must arsolutely follow as q
co-ollsry from his general principle. The
strongest proof Of it is found in the crig.
NH h Al
rectly charged it as one Of the
greatest grievances inflicted u a
liberty by King George, in that he
countenaneed the trade. The passage is
one OF the finest in the papsr and de-
serves to be repeated to day. 1t is In
these words: "He (the king has waged
a cruel war against human nature itself,
violating Its most sacred rights OF life
and liberty in the persons OF a distant
people who never offended him, captur-
ipg aud carrying them into slavery in
another hemisphere only to incur mis-
cradle death on their transportation
thi:her. This piratical warfare, the op-
probrium of ipfidel power, is warfare
of the christian king of Great Britain
determined to keep open m arket where
men should be bought and sold. He has
prostituted his negative for suppress
ing every legislative act to prohibit
or restrain the execrsble commerce.
There Is no pass age so fine as this in the
declaration, but unfortunately, it is
too hard upon some interests
close at home, which proved strong
enough to have dropped nom the final
draft, but though lest there, its essence,
almost coevil with tie fist publication Of
Granville Sharp, in England, Oh the
same subject, undoubtedly pervaded the
agitation sbioh never ceased IN either
country until the final legislation Sc
cured 8 victory. The labors of Sharp
aad Wilfor for the release of Clsrkson
and Baxton, as well as many Others,
have placed them on an eminence of
honor throughout the world, but their
struggle, which began in 1887, was not
terminated for period of twenty years
On the othtr hand. 1t appears from the
statuts book In 1894. that IL was enacted
by the congress of the Uaited States in
these words: "That no vessel shall be
fitted for the purpose Of carrying on any
traffic in slaves to any reign country,
or procuring from any foreign
country the inhabitants thereof to
disposed of as slaves. This act was fol-
lowed in due course by others, which,
harmonizing wit the action OF foreign
nations, believed to have put q stop
to me of the vilest abomi, ations CON
Quoted on the ocean that was ever per
miited within the records Of time. But
all this laboricus effort had been directed
only against the cTuelties practiced in
the transportation OF negro slaves over
the, seas. 1t did not touch the question
of his ex sting condition, or Of hs right
to be- free. This brings me to the fifth
AMI greatest of all the fruits Of the char
ter OF Independence he proclamation
OF liberty 20 captives through great
part of the civilized world. The seed
that had boen sown broadcast over the
world, fell mnch Of 1t, as described in
the scripture, some of it sproutipg tcO
early, as in France, and yielding none
but bitter fruit; but more, after lying in
the ground many years, produced resu Is
most prosperous to the advancement of
mankind. 1t would be too tedious for
me to 60 into the details, describing
the progress of revolution that has
changed the face of civilization. The
principle enuncisted on our precious
scroll has done its work in Great Brit
ain and France, and most of all in the
immense expanse OF territory OF the au-
tocrat of all the Russias, who, of his own
motion, proclaimed that noble decree
which liberated from serfdom at one
stroke twenty.three millions of the hu.
man race. This noble act will Iemain
forever one Of the greatest steps toward
the elevation of mankind ever taken by
the will of sovereign Of any race, in
any age. But, though freely conceGipg
the spontaneous revolution Of the czar
ia this instance, do not hesitate to af-
fem that but for the subtle essence in
fused into political sentiment by the
great declaration Of I776; he would
never have been inspired with
that lofty msgnsmity SO essential
to the comp e.ion of the work,
/ come next and Last to the remem-
brance of the fearful conflict for the
maintenance OF the grand principle to
which Se had pledged ourselves at the
very outset of our natl nal career, and
out Of which we have, by the blessing of
the Almighty, come safe and sound.
The history Is go fresh In our minds that
thers is 10 need Of reeallin its details;
neither would do so, II the So were on a
day coDsecrated liks this to the bar
mony of the nation, Eever was the first
aspect of any nation surrounded
By darker cIouds, yet viewing
as We must it's actual issue, at no time
has there ever been more reason to re-
j1ice in the present, and to look forward
L. r. n