The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-07-18
GEV. ELRFIEbD's FOURTH or JULY
s"EECH.


JU'y Grafton at Painsville. The
main points Of that memorable AL
dress f. reported by tine Cleveland
HcrD16, are given below
MR. MAYOR AND FELIOw-CITI-
ZENs: There is no day OF all the 365
upon which il is so fit for the Ameri-
can citizen to pause and look back
ward ss well as forward (; il is q ma
tional mountain top from which the
observer may get q wider horizon.
On this day you and and every man
has thoughts which do not come to US
on any other day. The questions
which arise first in my mind to-day
as look around me are, What is all
worth? what has it cost ? and what
| will IL cost to continue il and keep US
what we ought 10 be ? As we sweep
/ the circle Of the past we see that our
real history includes some go years,
and we are impelled 10 ask what has
happened in that time, and what has
been achieved and how it has all been
brought about.
The brave men who came to found
government on this hemisphere
met six groups Of dangers, each q
world history fit and profitable to be
studied The emigrants in the hrst
place, found an unknown world and
n wild nature full OF terrOrs to the
| imagiLatiOn. 1t cost centuries of strug-
giles To get a man brave enough even
TO look upon il, and when he went
back to the old world he had seen
only the edge of it. Why, 1t was
many centuries before the bravest
nRYigatoTs dared to double the Cape
OF Africa, where It wSs believed q ter
rible giant of destruction held sway,
and seized the venturesome vessel in
its deadly grasp. And it was such
horrors as these that girdIed this new
found world about, and only the har-
diest dared TO brave them. The vol
unteers came, however, and set about
the work Of civilization and govern
ment. But with their best and truest
efforts il was nearly hundred years
before they could say they had
fixed the plan. Many OF the first
corners grew almost discouraged, but
they persevered, and ere long the
slow but fast-increasing emigration
swelled their numbers and renewed
/ their courage. That was the first
danger which menaced the pioneers
of the new world.
The next danger was that wilder
than nature-five hundred savage
tribes. As late as the year 1906, with
q largely increased population, We
held treaties with eighty Indian ma
tiOns, as they were called. What
must it have been to the fathers, with
wild nature and the still wilder ma
tives Think of the 5000 miles to
market il the settlers wanted an ax,
or a pOund of nails, or tools OF any de-
scription, they must send across the
water to get IL I; every comfort, and q
great many of the necessities must be
got from Europe. And yet, against
all these terrific dangers And discOm-
forts the fathers fought their way. 1t
took whole century simply to get 8
start.
The third danger was outside of our
selves. The three first kingdoms OF
Europe said, This Is field for our con-
quest and they proceeded to culti.
| Vate It. Spain, under whose auspices
the fair land had been discovered,
seized the southern belt from Florida
to the Pacific F; France went further
north and took the CsnAdas and
England took the territory lying be-
tween, but did not push her conquest
far. Having thus divided the terri
tory, those three powers spent a GEN.
tury in war and diplomacy to deter
mine which should take the whole OF
\ it. 1t would have been q great ca
lamity IL any of the Latin races had
got it; the country in the hands OF
A ho
been an incAlculable evil, whose ef-
fects would have spread and advanced
and been felt in ali this broad land to-
day. But to the honor Of the Anglo
Saxon race. England, with a terri
tory not bigger than the State OF Ohio,
Wrenehed Canada from the Gaul, and
finally secured the whole OF It. And
thus was the third great danger pass
ed.
The fourth danger came from the
gradual enerOAchment on our liber-
ties by the great power which had
rescued US from our third. 1t came to
be the feeling of those who had set
tied here that they could not endure
to be ruled by an European power
They felt that God had marked this
land out for one people. And out oI
that came the Revolution. When ]
look back upon that period OF Oul
history, and thiCR upon that great
struggle and the men who made 1t,
am filled with admiration, and aston
ishment, and thankfulness. Fellow
citizens, you and think we hRvG
seen the troubles and dangers OF war
but pause and reflect that during thai
struggle one out OF every three men
tWenty-One years OF age and oYel
were drawn into the ranks to uphold
the national existence, while In oul
last war we never got as far as ont
out of seven, although on the UniOI
! side we put q million In the field
Bot the men of the Revolution wert
the chosen OF the world. And the
seven years Of war had this one re
sult-tO cut off all the bonds which
bound us to the balance Of the world
except those Of peace. That was th'
fourth obstacle.
Now there was a fifth. Having Sc
} cured our independence, and a fai
start to become powerful, all tn
Kingdoms of the old world became
Jealous. 1t wouldn't do to have III
for rivals they intended to keep US |
body Of traders, They would not sd
NIT that the United States weru
founded for the glory Of God, IS thel
] claimed for their own governments
! but simply as q market for their pro
, dueers. We were not allowed Il
: make even q hob nail, and 1t wa
made q penal Offense by them for on
: of their sailors to buy more than thre
yards OF cloth in one OF our ports
= Governor SpOttswoOd, Of Virginia
) did all he could to keep us down, an
sent word RcrOsss the water that b
was sorry he couldn't prevent thu
people from making their garment
} of the wool raised by themselves. No
. q pine tree three feet through bu
: was held to be the personal prOpeTt
r OF the King, and heavy pensltie
] were inflicted upon any who dared I
5 cut them. And ali this was to enabl
1 them to live by our Grudgery. Tn
J result was that when We finally bt
9 came free we had to start from tn
e beginning in the manufacture {
everything we needed, and 1t too
4 the first twenty-five years OF our In
dependence to make ourselves sci
= suppOrting. No sooner was this daI
VI bhhA NhO hO<Hh
O question came up. The old wOrl
g ruled the sea and this resulted III tn
y war OF 1872, for our independence o
the sea, just as the war OF 1876 va
g for our Independence on land.
g was a second war of independence
d Aud when It was ended we were FRI
/ on the sea and independent on IL
land.
e The sixth danger that meDaced
= was the question whether We had til
d power to hold our unity and 1t wi
e for this the war of 1S6l-5 was Tough
1f Aad great as was the cost, it Wi
l. cheap for the result attained. Th
war settled that revolution, and di
Ii union, and treason could never thri'
10 in this fair land, while its people r
u mained brave, and honest, and tru
Now, my friends, let us CLAN
Is briefly at what has been attained
d, ter and through these six great dsl
3 gers. Here we have territory lRrg
r than all Of Europe the twenty-sevt
le kingdoms Of the Old World will q
ce filI the balance against us. We ha'
is made ourselves one on the sea al
one on land. And now, haviI
T. achieved these six great victorie
ut what have we as q result to-day
ss FOrty-flve millions Of people, brsy
y, intelligent, powerful. But the resi-
lis achieved tOrough those victories OF y
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