, 1883-07-05

who tled from the despotism and rcli-
gious intolerance OF the Old World. The
perils Of the sea, the dangers of the vii
derness. the ferocity Of the savage. had
no terrors for our foTefatheTs Is they set
tied upon the eastern shores of this con
tinent. and disclosed to the world the
moral, religious and free principles. that
should thereafter govern them.aHd erect
ed beyond the scourge of tyrants the
standard of liberty. The men and wo-
men Of that day learned to think and act
for themselves. They infused in the
minds of their offspring the spirit of lib
eTty. freedom of thought, freedom of CON
science, and that the divine right OF
Kings to govern" was false maxim,
and a libel ON the natural rights OF man.
These principles took deep root IN the
virgin soil of America, grew and expand
ed with the growth of the colonies, until
through the expressions of the rulers of
the mother country, dissolved the ties
that united them, appealing to the God
of battles and the justice OF mankind for
the rectitude of their conduct, ard decid-
ed bv arbitrament of the sword the right
of the people to eIe ct their own rulers,
enact their own laws and enjoy civil and
religious liberty.
The specifications OF the particular
wrongs by Great Britain toward the col
onies have been read not only by you,
but To all the people of the nation this
day. that it may be kept as continual
memorabilia all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness; that to secure these
governments are instituted among men
deriving their just powers from the con-
sent of the governed"
That Declaration of Independence was
adopted on the fourth day of July, A. ID.
1776, by convention of delegates rep
rescnting the colonies at Philadelphia.
North and South the heralds of the
new born republic spread with the news
that the United Colonies had absolved
themselves from all allegiance to the
British crown, until that glorious De
claration had been rung out from every
church spire in theland and announcediby
the peals of a thousand cannon. From
that memorial day of 177G to the present,
the dawning morn of our national ami
vcrsary has found the camp-tires of
American patriotism lit it every city,
town and house i'll the land and the flag,
that emblem of our nationality, union of
States, power of government, liberty and
freedom, waves from million tlagstaffs
over Il united and happy people. Some
of the prominent causes that led to the
severance of the governmental relations
between the colonies and the mother
country were the denial by the then
King and his mi nisters of the rights of
the colonists guaranteed by the Magma
Charta Statute and common law of Eng
land to British subjects everywhere, and
among these were the enforcement of
taxation without representation, the al
teration and revocation of the charters
of colonies, laws imposed upon them re-
stricting trade, and the denial of the
right of trial by jury. These, and other
wrongs united the colonies, after repeat
ed attempts to redress them by petitions
to Parliament and addresses to the
Crown upon one common ground of hos
tility. That hostility provoked the long
conflict that finally severed
the colonies from the mother country.
The Providence that rules and con-
trolls the destinies of nations gave our
statesmen wisdom and our armies valor,
and after war of seven years duration,
the existence of republican form of
government was assured TO our ancestors
and their posterity. The CommandeI-in
Chief of the American army was sur
rounded by brave officers and brave men;
men whose patriotism made them brave
soldiers and carried them wherever duty
called; men who sacrificed family ties
and the comforts of home for the inhos-
pitable camp and the conflicts of battle;
men who loved their country better than
their kindred, their fortune or their
lives: men whose marches were some
times traced by their bloodstained foot
steps, These were the soldiers of the
Revolution to whose patriotism and he
roism no tongue can do justice, and
whose names are indeibly inscribed up
on their country's history and glory.
Let us turn from the conflict of arms
that established the independence of
America and reared the temple of Hber-
ty, whose arch has spanned the CONT
nent and beneath whose dome now dwell
50,OGh,G00 of native and adopted people
gathered from all countries and all climes.
to the contemplation of this people as
they lived and unfolded the principles
of free government, amid the peaceful
of its founders.
On the 18th day of April, A. ID. 1888,
the treaty of peace between Great Brit
ain and the United States was ratified by
Congress. That peace has never been
broken but once, the war OF 1872 And
we trust the peace and friendship that
now exists between that old, con-
and noble government and
Ouf own may never be broken;
that 1t may he DprDpfuaI. +bat
these nations with "one language, one
literature, one jurisprudence and one
destiny" may be able to settle national
if any arise, by honest diplo-
nacy;and we witness today on our north
ern frontier Great Britain using her in
iuence and power in establishing a
'hain of free, representative governments,
N which the people make the laws, under
1 system copied from our own American
and our people hail with Joy