The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1879-07-09
THE NEW REPUBLIC,

Founded on the patriotism, the enlghG-
eminent and the intelligence OF the whole
people. whose liberties were guaranteed
by Constitution, which thereby guar
anteed. the perpetuity of tive Republic.
Fellow citizens, no American citizen
who loves the institutions OF his couh-
try, no lover of liberty, and no phllan-
thropist in any part OF the world, can
contemplate the meeting OF America $
representatives on the Fourth day of
July 1875, without regarding this day,
and the memories it awakens, with sem
timents OF the deepest veneratlon, Inc
Colonies were devastated by the civil
war, by the war with the mother co1n-
try, and above all, by the cruel unre-
lenting war with her savage allies. SIN
gle handed and alone, the Colonies We're
to contend against the most powerful
empire on the earth, against the inter
necine war, raised by her owil.dlsatect-
ed citizens, and against the war with
the blood-thirsty savages OF the forest.
By day, no sound save the onward tramp
of the well armed and equipped and
highly diciplined soldiers OF Europe,
the rattle of their musketry aud the
roar of their artillery greeted the ears
of the. lily clad, hall fed, poarly armed
Continental militia. BY night the light
of conflagration lit up the picture OF
wretchedness presented by our suffering
country, and the lurid fash OF the enc
my's arms in the South and East and IN
the interior was reflected back by the
red CLEANS of savage warfare on the
Western frontier. Disastrous defeats
had, time and again, overtaken the
handful of the Patriot army, while the
savage Indian revealed in the blood OF
defenseless settlers, and roaned at will,
unrestrained, almost unopposed, made
drunken with the blood of his victims.
Every wind bore the appalling tidings
of new reverses antt-fresh disaster and
of ruin and bloody massacre. Devastar
ton and Death; like twin monsters of
destruction, rode triumphant on the
black cloud that shreWded like a pail
the only home of freedom. Again, III
the great battle for Liberty, fought by
man during thousands of years, it SEEM
ed that this effort must also end In fail
ure-dire disastrous failure, and fail
ure, which, to those who should dare to
promulgate the Declaration OF Indepen-
dence, could only mean an ignominlous
and felon's death. But that meeting
was an assemblage OF the greatest spirits
that the world has ever seen. In the
midst of defeat and disaster and ruin
their hearts qnailed not, Relying up
on tine Justice of the cause, they antcI
pated success, not from the logic OF the
events of life but seemingly by intuition.
They braved death They promulgat-
ed the Declaration of Independence, and
they authenticated. it to the NATIONS OF
the world, for they subscribed 1t in their
own proper nalces, In hearing distance
of the enemy's cannon, under the very
shadow of the British Throne, our pa
triot fathers publicly subscribed the
Declaration, and thus voluntarily fur
nished conclusive evidence to prospec-
tive prosecutors against them for trea-
son, and treason was death.
History furnishes us many examples
of lofty courage, noble daring and of |
martyrdom for the right; but upon no
other occasion has body of patriot
statesmen, so unanimously, so deliber-
ately and with such an exalted deter |
mination and motive staked their for
tunes, their lives and their all on a
cause apparently so hopeless Not only |
were they the champions of Liberty in
America; the cause they espoused was
the cause of the oppressed in the four
quarters of the globe. SO ably was that
cause carried on, so vigilant were these
founders OF the Republic in guarding it
from the insidious influences Of fanati-
cism, 50 carefully did they scan the
pages OF history, so wisely did thex,l
profit by the experience Of the past,
with such consumate skill did they wash
the grains of gold from the sands of all
time, SO happily did they combine the
useful and valuable into a system. so
faithfully did they perform the high
trust confided to them, that, not only
through the Revolutionary war. but
through the trying years that succeeded
its glorious close, through foreign and
domestic wars, even through the most
gigantic rebellion the world ever wit.
messed, through sunshine aud storm.
through war and through peace. the
magnificent structure then reared, with
the hearts of the American people for
its foundation has remained, unmpared,
mistaken, and without scar or
blemish to this day, aud is yet the hope,
and realization Oh the hope OF the whole
world.
THE FATHERS OK THE REPUBLIC
Aave passed away; but, more enduring
than marble monument or column Of
brass, there will remain to their memory
the monument, which, on that first