The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-07-06

every obstacle, and yet lives; and to-
day we are celebrating the commence
ment of the fifth year toward the Sec
ond centennial of it's glorious life.
Mr. President, offer no apology for
the subject of this address. Criticism
you may freely visit upon the feeble
and inadequate powers of your orator.
My tongue may fail in it's office of Civ
ing utterance to adequate patriotic
sentiments to-day. 1t may be that my
words, as compared with the ever in
creasing grandeur of the subject, may
be as meaningless and impotent as the
babbling waters Of the brook. 1t may
be that / possess not one spark of that
oratorical fire ordinarily essential to
kindle fame of patriotic enthusiasm,
and therefore | will throw myself upon
the kind indulgence of my hearers;
but for the subject and the occasion
which have to-day called us together,
no word of apology shall fall from my
lips. The birthday of our country, the
memories it awakens, and the duties it
inculcates can never grow old while
the sun of the heavens casts its genial
rays on Freedoms land The lessons
it teaches can never be fully known
while Times fleeing hours still witness
its existence, for each day of its exist
ence adds a fresh page OF experience
and knowledge to be acquired for our
guidance and for the guidance OF those
who shall come after us, in preserving
and perpetuating the liberty which we
enjoy, aud the Government and lnstitu-
tions of our country, whereby the citi-
zen is made secure in that enjoyment.
A thorough knowledge Of our Govern
ment, it's origin and history, its objects;
and it's means and methods for attaining
those objects must be more and more
important as each new difficulty pre-
sents itself; as each new danger to lib
ertv arises; for, Mr.. President, danger
to liberty exists to-day, as it has always
existed. The mere possession OF liberty
does not preserve it to us for our enjoy
ment. All of the former republics at
one time or another possessed and en-
loved liberty, but lost it, and we OF the
United States should remember with
profit that III the majority OF cases
those former republics lost their liber-
ties not in time of war, when the minds
of the citizen was aroused and his at
tention directed toward public affairs,
but when attention had been wholly
withdrawn from public interests, when
the minds of the people were lulled into
fancied security by smiling years OF
peace: when the better and more en-
1 - e a.%
engrossed with private pursuits as to
totally neglect that higher and para
mount duty each citizen owes to his
country; when the better citizens be-
came Indifferent to and stood aloof from
public affairs and surrendered the
politics of their country to the idle, the
abandoned and the vicious-that class
which has always been the willing
tools of the INSCRIPTIONS and corrupt.
Then it was that expressions begun;
then it was that constitutional law was
by degrees encroached upon until 1T
was totally disregarded; then it was
that the priceless treasure of liberty
under constitutional safeguards was
easily wrested from it's possessors.
The people who would enjoy and per-
petuate freedom must, by their best
and purest citizens. be always on guard
with the most watchful and tireless
assiduity. 1t is truth no less applca-
bic to the conditions of men and nations
of to-day than to that of the people OF
all former times, that Eternal vigi-
lance is the price of liberty" 1t is of
the very essence OF wisdom that on each
recurrence of the National Sabbath
the whole people of this Union lay
aside the usual avocations of life;
Withdraw themselves f,om the usual
business pursuits, and review the orr
gin, history and progress OF the nation,
and repeat and iterate and reiterate the
words, opinions, sentiments and max
inns of those sages and fathers of the
Republic, whose almost herculean effort
and self-sacrifcing devotion established
and preserved us a nation. 1t is meet
that we celebrate each recurrence of
that day by the firing of canon, by the
Joyous ringing of bells, by bon fires, by
singing, by music, by reading speeches
and ofations, and by all the proper
means whereby patriotism may ex-
pressed. and veneration declared for
the benefactors who transmitted to us
our unimpared liberties. 1t is meet
that again and again we repeat the his
tory of our war for independence; that
again and again we repair to the ma
tional cemeteries and decorate the
tombs OF the heroic revolutionary dead
with the immortal flowers of the whole
nations never-dying love and patriotic
devotion.
Let us to-day contemplate the happy