The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-07-07
Wednesday, July z, 1880.
FOURTH OF JULY GRAFTON.

FOURTH OF JULY CITATION.
The GRAFTON Of Mr. j. c. HaiLes, de-
lycred in the Pavilion in this city on
Monday afternoon. was as follows;
MR. President. LADIES AND GEN
TLEMES:-Upon the bell III tbs old
State House st Philadelphia is this in
scr,p.ion: Proclaim liberty through
cut all the land. unto ell the inhabitants
thereof" Verbs traced by an inspired
len. they have become . new. and con-
su mated prophecy 10 the history OF
civil government. They carry US back
10 tina, day which we have here met TO
csl.brste; the day when the Continental
Congress sat with closed doors deliber.
stinR upon the question Of independ-
ence: when the streets and shops were
deserted and the people gathered under
the spreading sltns. with bsted breath
and anxious hearts. High up in the
belfry stood the old bellman, with bis
hand upon the rope. waiting yet scarce
bouinQ for the signal. The drousy hours
wore on until tue hands Of the great
clock reached high noon, when Q quick
step was heard in the doorway; o
bright eyed lad rushed out upon the
steps. aud, waving mis- hand above his
head. cried: Ring, bsllman, ringr
and, with q wild, exultant crash OF JOY,
the old bell pealsd forth that bold, clear
bugls note OF freedom, "All men are
created squalp' Out through the quaint
colonial town, down the winding rivers,
across the broad Atlantic. and even to
the uttermost parts of the earth it went,
and to this day its echoes are throbbing
agai ost the feet of thrones and tanning
the smouldering fires Of liberty in other
lands.
1t 10 difficult for us. resting securely
beneath the protecting shallow Of a free
system. which nearly century OF pros
perity las warmed and quickened into
sturdy vig0r, for Us who inherited the
doctrine OF equal rights at our birth
and have imbibed 1t in every nour Of
our education. who have never been
taught n recognize any nobility s.ve
honesty or any royalty save truth, 1t is
difficult. yes, impossible for us to fully
realize the omprehensiveness Of vision
and the fortitude OF purpose which in-
spired the men who formulated those
words The voice of that bell was the
matin chime Of nav era In the life Of
human progress.
Never before in the chronicles of the
earth had q government been based
upon the principle OF absolute equality
Ia man. The Roman republic, which
for centuries withstood the world, whose
victorious eagles glittlered from the
sands Of Asia to the rocky shores of
Britain, whose glory inspired the pen
Of O Livy and the tongue OF o Cicero.
was a republic but In name. To the
freeborn citizen alone the right of suf-
frage belonged the inhabitants OF q
conquered province could never be aught
but slaves; aud between the patrician
and plebeian was o gulf of birth so
wide that NO triumph Of field or forum
could ever span it.
In Athens, that star Of the blue
E ,esn, the foster. mother Of the arts OF
Appelles aud Phydias. where the theme
Of liberty lent new melody to tha song
Of Sappho and fresh fire to the phillip
pics VI Demosthenes. the voice Of wealth
alone was heard in council and only the
vote IT the rich was counted
In Sparta aud Genoa the reins Of gov.
eminent we're in the hands OF al hsred-
itsry aristocracy, and Venice was ruled
by the ten councillors. whose nan,os
history writes in blood.
We search in vain, through the an
n - ~..., k1s~a - a
ds,nooraciss Of the past, for any unrs.
served recognition OF the common
brotherhood Of man. Il 70 true that
the poet Gang OF Il. the orator dsclaimed
OF il aud the philosopher dreamed Of il,
but there ives found no statesman bold
enough to make 1t On article IN his pc.
litlcal csssd or the foundation Tor the
fabric Of Q State. Il was considered 9
vision iit for the cool shades Of Academe
but 700 delicate aud chimericsl t. en-
dure the rude shock of battle or tbs
fierce disputatinns Of the market place
Iu cell, in cloiste, aud in study, Through
the gathering ages, bard, priest aud
scholar wrought with patient and loving
hands until they produced a theory
spotless in its purity and perfect IN IT,
beauty, but. like the statue from tn,
sculptor's chisel. il was powsrlsss snt
mute. The dsspet laughed ct its vsics
less lips and Knocked its nerveless arm
But, Pygmalion like, the men OF Cole
nisl timss touched it aud il ieAped int,
active. eager, eternal life.
The proclamation Of that doctrine q
that time was not only ia opposition /,
the voice Of Immediate self interest, blu
WAS ia utter defiance Of all the lessou
of history and the traditions and seuti
rnsuts Of the civilized world All 1t
tempts q even limited popular self
government had failed. The altar tire
Of liberty had pslsd aud become forgot
ten in the splendid blaze II empirs
The dogma Of the "divins right 9
kincs'' ives taught In the school
preached In the sanctuary. and unQues
sioned By the masses. England Va
the first military aud naval power i
the world. Her sails whitsned ever.
sea, her scarlet banners had hoated i
evsry CLINE. and ID was her beast thu
the sun never set upon her soil. he
navy was considered invincibls, he
seliiers had won laurels on huuire
fields and the commerce Of tbs worl
was filing her lap With gold.
The signers Of the Declaration rep
resented thirteen colonies. bound by y
tie, natural or artificial, save the com
mon desire for liberty.
They contaiued population of lss
than two and half millions, sratterc