The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-07-07

,r compared with some elsewhere,
l. think / may venture a modes
It doubt whether or not the compart
s son would in all cases result favor
l. ably to US.
# The political as well as the rel
= gious world is looking forward an
: not backward for its millennium
r and how long it will be before W
e reach it, or what tumultuors strug
t giles shall precede its coming, it j
r not vouchsafed US to know. Blu
e whatever of imperfectiOn there ma,
S may have been in the past, or exist
/ in the present management Of ou
] affairs, it but operates TO augment
/ the portion of the general good du,
/ to the perfections OF the design ant
t frame of our government. In thi.
? country there have been immenst
l special causes to hinder progress il
t many things which are highest. Oul
2 people have had a continent to sub
due. They have been from the star
In continuous state of migration
f Westward with the "star of EN-
pre-" from the Hudson, the Mo
hawk and the James, through for.
! ests, around the lakes, over the prai.
ries, across the great river, onward
still, over alkaline plains and vast
mountain chains, until the Golden
Gate opened out on the Pacific
Ocean, as if nothing less could
stop the march, = such has
been the popular movement
from almost the very day of the
Declaration. Yet for all this, we
may ask with confidence and patri-
otto pride, if there is not much in
our condition and circumstances
that COMFORTS with the sounding
phrases of the great manifesto"
Despite the struggle with untam-
ed nature, and of foreign conflict,
and the shock of civil war, the Re
public has more than held its place
in the grand procession of the ma
tons. Its territory has expanded
until the original thirteen States are
but fringe upon its vast mantle.
its bounds are marked by lines of
climate, and by two oceans, and
they are Joined by iron bands, so
that the breaking waves on one
shore are answered by those of the
other. Instead of Is, SO stars re-
presenting as many States, bedeck
the flag.
From scant three millions, our
population has swelled to more
than forty and three millions and the
augmentation of material interests
has more than kept pace with this
increase of territory and population.
But this material growth is a sec
ondary consideration, and is valu-
able only as it is made to contribute
to mans comfort, happiness and
Improvement. Nor must it be for
gotten that all this material success
might have been achieved, approx
mately at least, had British suprem-
acy continued. The prairies would
be as productive as now, the mines
Of the preciou metals are rich, the
coal-beds as vast and the cotton-fields
as fertile were we the subjects of
Victoria.
But in my opinion the independ- |
ence of the nation has acted with |
sympathetic force upon the personal
life of its citizens; the doctrine that |
by creation all are equal-not in |
respect to physical or mental power,
but in respect to duty toward each |
other, of right to protection and
personal development-has tended |
to give manliness to the poor, enter
prise to the weak, and hope to the
most obscure.
With all these evidences of ma
tional growth and prosperity before
us, with the large personal liberty
enjoyed, with peace at home and
abroad and the encouraging prospect
for its continuation, it is fit that
this day should be set apart and OBJ
served by mutual congratulations
and rejoicings. Whatever difference
we may entertain in politics or in
ethics, however widely religious
creeds may divide, whatever of per-
sonal dislikes may exist, round
this common altar of our coun-
try all true Americans, be
they such by nativity or adop-
ton, can on this day unite, forget
ting their differences and antag-
onisms in the common joy. And
on such an occasion, too, the feel
ings Of gratitude and love of coun-
try and of fellow countrymen, will
but be increased by the contempla-
ton of the fact that our institutions,
Indifferent as to what individual
opinions obtain, are only sClicitous
that the citizen shall be secure in
his enjoyment and assertion of /
them. Standing now ON this want
age ground and being asked what
have we to do? The answer would
be, much. On the brightest of our
festival days we should not resign
ourselves to indiscriminate praise,
or attempt to cast a vail over the
evils thatexist. That there is much
moral and political impurity, cor
ruption and peculation in office and
high places, that there are social dis
orders of various dyes is too true.
To remove or alleviate these affords
ample opportunity for the efforts of
the most patriotic and benevolent
of our people. While we may sin
cerely mourn the existence of these
evils, for myself feel none the less
certain that the heart of the people
remains as sound as ever. / am not
one of those who has been persuad-
ed that ours is the most evil and
of ages. That this is a ia
vorite view of many is true, and so
it has been in all the periods of the
past. In every age of every COM
which has preceded us,
there were those who, bewailing the
and moral decay of the
longed for the return of the
primitive purity of their people. So
it has been in our own history. John
at the head of the war de-
partment, in 1776, wrote bitter Ia
ments at the corruption which ex-
iSt6hd," and of fife Spirit of frapaciOus
and Unsuitable venality, which to
him appeared the most dangerous
enemy to America. He declared
himself ashamed of the age in {
which he lived. In Jefferson's time s
al Federalists looked for the univer-
sal dominion of French. infidelity,
and that the disasters which attend
ed the abortive attempt, at the close {
Of the last century, to establish (
4 republic in France would ere I
ong, mark our own overthrow. {
In Jackson's days all Wings de-
clared the country had gone to ruin.
During Folks administration the
excitement of the Mexican war de-
veloped as it was thought by many
l most unparalleled and dangerous
-ascalitv.