The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-06

4 i
they would die, for to then
it was better to die for the
right than, living, be oppressed b.
the wrong.
These principles were MOI, how
ever, wholly original with those o.
our noble forefathers who drafted
the Declaration Of Independence
The germ Of the sentiment which
they developed into a perfect growth
had taken possession of the hearts
and lives Of their martyred
forefathers a century before it
was declared by their noble
cons in this sacred instru-
Inent. And to understand this
and fully appreciate how thor
Oughly it had taken root in those
early days Of martyrdom for truth,
we need but to read the history OF
those times, when the people were
ruled-by an unrelenting theocrscy,
which deprived the citizens OF every
privilege which was in the least an
tagOnistic to ths ruling tyrant and
his followers.
Do you wonder that men and wO-
men Of those days were found who
were willing to, and did turn their
backs upon their native land, thus
ruled and oppressed, and facing
storms and privatiOns-starvation
and death-set out for a wilder
ness away beyond the seas.
Before them was an untried
land and an almost trackIess ocean;
but dark and awful as 1t was, and
looked to them, it was not so cruel
and pitiless a. the lurid, smoking
fires that were continually burning
AMI smouldering, the funeral piles
Of those they loved.
But 1t was not entirely for the
sake of escaping martyrdom that
they fed their native shores, but it
was that they might enjoy, and
have, and realizs liberty from op.
preston, that they might breathe
the pure air Of freedom in a free
land.
Thus the WatchWord and guiding
star of those Of our forefathers who
first took possession Of American
soil was-freedOm, freedom to think,
freedom TO act, freedom to worship
God, as opposed to dictation, Oppres-
sion and tyranny. 1t was these
early pioneers fleeing from Oppres-
sion and martyrdom, and those who
followed, filed as they were with q |
longing desire for another and g
different government, where they
might forever shake off the yoke and |
break the shackels of oppression
which bound and bore them down,
they and their fathers-that first
planted and nourished the seeds of
liberty and free government in
America.
scarcely had their ships got fully
und,r way, guided by the star
of hope, which to them never
set. but stood like a pillar of fire in
the western horizon-than they be-
gan to feel and understand that gov
ernments were made for mpn, not
men for governments, and that
they had no need Of crowned heads
and royal blood, but that they could
govern themsel yes. And while they
were yet up n the waves Of old At
lRntic far away from their northern
country, IN the cabin of the good
old May FlOaUer, with none other
than themselves and the ompipO-
tent presence of the great God of
Heaven and earth, who rules alike
upon the land d the seas, to wit
ness it, they made solemn compact
which became part Of the govern
ment Of the early colonies.
And now, standing upon the rock
ribbed coast OF an unknown wilder
ness 10 which they had fied-they
could only look back through the
dfesry, terrible past, and into the
dark AMI awful present, but to real
ize and know that they had hardly
commenced to pay the price that
mu' ,e paid before they could OBJ
tain the prize for which they sought {
but they were not despondent-for
they possessed hearts and souls that
glowed and burned with the
living fires Of freedom, fires
which could never be quenched,
but with adversely, famine and
death, only grew and blazed the ]
brighter. Failure to them was a
word unknown: victory or death for
Liberty's sake, was their battle cry,
and go they and their SONS and I
through the long, weary
years pressed forward toward the
goal with that grand determination
that can only be inspired by duty to
ones self, duty to country, duty to
Cod.
Separated from their mother cOun-
try and go far away from crowned
heads, and It'll 8, and Thrones, they /,
began to lose respect for them; and
having 6 ,verned and defended
themselves so well, they COM
menced to talk of independence.
England looked on amazed, but
the irrepressibe conflict was at
hand. There was no place for a
throne, no place for the palace Of q
king, prince or royal family in this
great western wilderness, dedicated
10 free government and to liberty.
These principles which had taken
pOss essiOR of them who, through so
many years, had breasted the storm,
stood like an impregnable fortress 10
shield and protect the young nation.
Better to them was the shrill war
whOOp Of the merciless savags-the
aro a6 linz. fhof cd