The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1877-10-18
JOHN BROWN.
An Interesting History of Past
Events, which Every Kansan
will Read Regardless of
His Political Faith.
Address Delivered at 0sawatomie, Kan
sas, August 30th, 1877, by Sen
ator John ingalls,.
Upon the Occasion of the Dedication of a
Monument to the Memory of John
BrOwns and his Associates.

Mr. PRESIDENT We have assembled
TO commemorate with solemn rites, a sa-
crop anniversary upon consecrated
ground. Reverent hauds have summon
ed from the quarry and erected here, this
votive cenotaph, as perpetual and en-
during token and attestation Of remem-
brance and honor for the heroic deeds of
historic men. Labor has forgotten his
task and pleasure her solace, that this
day may be devoted to patriotic medita-
ton and the recollection Of august events.
The devotees of liberty have repaired
hither as pilgrims to their shrine, to ded-
icate by formal ceremony this monument;
as definite assurance to all the genera
tions of Kansas freemen who shall come
after them, that upon this day they re-
called with fervent gratitude the costly
sacrifices Of freedoms pioneers, and that
upon this day they renewed and repeated
their unalterable allegiance and loyalty
TO those ideas of truth and justice on
which the State was builded, and for
which these martyrs lived, and fought
and died. Most nations have had pre-.
historic periods OF fable and mystery
Their pregnancy and birth have been Oh
scure. They have emerged from degrad
ed and barbarous examinations. The
historian must vaguely or vainly conjec-
ture why Rome was builded on her seven
hills. or Athens on the Attic peninsula
The origin even of the great nations of
modern times is veiled in profoundest
obscurity. Their annals recede through
the twilight OF legend and tradition. and
are lost in darkness and silence. But it
10 not so in America The whole fabric
OF our social and political system has been
in int ~f
rupted light. The sublime spectacle of
the building of nation has been dis
closed to mankind.
In 1906 the territory in America claim
ed by England was divided into two
parts by King James the First, called
North and South Virginia, the former
extending from the mouth OF the Hud-
son to Newfoundland. and the other
from the Potomac to Cape Fear. Two
companies were Immediately formed for
the colonization of the country, and in
1907 the London company dispatched
three ships laden with los emigrants
who, on the 18th Of May landed at
jamestown and founded the State Of
Virginia Capt. John Smith. who was
the master spirit of the expedition and
has left history of the enterprise, says
that these colonists were "unruly sparks
packed off by their friends TO escape
worse destinies at home; poor gentle
men, broken tradesmen, footmen, and
such as were much filter to spoil and ruin
a commonwealth than to help to raise
one" They were mostly worthless, prot
ligate and dissolute adventures, having
no definite objects but to discover gold
mines or find "A passage to the South Sea.
They lived improvidently in idleness,
squandered their substance in rioting.
aud fell ready victims to the implacable
savages by whom they were surrounded
They were governed by harsh laws in
whose enactment they had no voice. and
for 100 years were reinforced by convict
ed felons who were sold as servants to
the planters. who also secured their wives
by purchase, the average price being one
hundred pounds of tobacco, at that time
worth about seventy five dollars. In
1911 Sir William Berkely, in his res
ponses to questions submitted to him by
the plantation committee TO the privy
council, gives a vivid picture of the State
of Virginia at that time. He estimates
the population at 10000, including 1000
black slaves and 5000 Christian servants,
Of whom about 800 were yearly import
ed, chiefly convicts from the prisons of
England. There were forty eight parish
es, and the clergy were we'll paid. but"
adds the Governor. II thank God there
are no free schools nor printing, and
hope we shall not have these hundred
years, for learning has brought disobe-
dience and heresy and sects into the
world and printing has divulged them,
and libels against the best government
God keep US from bothr !" The aspira
tions of this devout and lofty soul have
been realized. God has kept them from
both, and the history of that portion OF
America is living commentary upon the
value of a system which banishes the free
school and repudiates the printing press
In 1920 the passengers of the Mayflower
landed at Plymouth in North Virginia
"A grateful posterity," says Bancroft,
has marked the rock which first receiv-
ed their footsteps. The consequences OF
that day are constantly unfolding them.
selves as time advances. It was the ori-
gin of New England it was the planting
Of the New England institutions. In
quisitive historians have loved to mark
every vestige of the Pilgrims; poets OF
the purest minds have commemorated
their virtues; the noblest genius has
been called into exercise to display their
merits worthily, and to trace the conse-
| quences of their daring enterprise. As
they landed their institutions were al
ready perfected. Democratic liberty and
independent Christian worship at once
existed in America" For more than
| two centuries the C,lopies of North and