Morris tribune., 1886-07-07
GRAFTON.
Delivered By VIM. c BickneII, at Morris
July 3, 1886.

|u'J ~ lOoO'
should do great injustice to my
own feelings if did not begin what
I have to say with On expression of
deep regret that the position of orator
is not to be fillei by Elk. Gov. c. K.
Davis of st. Paul. In common with
you all, had hoped that we should
have the pleasure of listening to him
to day, not only as prominent and
representative statesman, but also as
a speaker whose words are invariably
those fifty chosen ones which may be
likened to "apples of gold in pictures
ofsilver." But it is impossible for
him to be present, and in conse-
quence, you have what I fear is only
the gloomy prospect of hearing I'm
dependence day" responded to by
one whose chief qualifications are his
loyalty to it, and few hours of
thought on the subject.
Time, with his ever moving chariot,
has brought us again to the annis
versary ofiour country's independence,
the day which we celebrate as our
nations birth day. 1t is the day on
which Americans leave their farms,
their shops, their offices and their
counters, and banishing all thoughts
of business, join in the sports and
festivities of the occasion, leaving the
business world to wag onward as it
may. It is the day when our thoughts
turn backward to the exciting time Of
1776, when our torefathers startled
the world by the production of that
famous instrument which we have
just heard read: Few among us can
reflect on those events without send
ing the blood courseing rapidly
through our veins, until in our im-
agination we seem to partake Of the
excitement of nthe time aud al
most to hear the bell that "rung for
liberty, broke and rung no more"
pealing forth the welcome sounds; In
our imagination we can almost see
the gray haired old nan standing all
day long in the belfry, anxiously
waiting to proclaim to the world the
birth of a nation. We can almost
Imagine the excitement that followed
in England as the tones of that bell
reached their shores announcing to
George third the death of English
tyranny and English rule in the
colonies and we can imagine the ex-
element soon after in the British
Parliament when that great commoner
and friend of liberty, Mr.. Pitt, arose
in the House and spoke as follows
"You have no right to tax America {.
I rejoice that America has resisted.
Three million of our fellow subjects
so lost to every sense OF virtue as
tamely to give up their liberties
would be fit instruments To make
slaves of the rest"
Too much praise cannot be given
that body of men that assembled in
Philadelphia one hundred and ten
years ago. They fully realized the
responsible position in which they
were placed: Chosen from among
their equals, they were to decide
whether that liberty which the ir
forefathers had cherished and handed
down to them should be given up
without a struggle or defended unto
death; like heroes they chose the
latter, and history tells US how well
they performed that duty. Every
where the declaration was received
with enthusiastic applause. At Phila-
delphia the kings arms were torn
from the court house and burned in
the street. AT Williamsburg, Charles
ton and Savannah, there were bon
fires and illuminations. At Boston
the declaration was read at Fareuil
Hall, while the cannon from Fort
Hill and Dorchester shook the city of
| the Puritans. AT New York the
populace pulled down the leade,
| statue of King George third and cast
it into bullets. Washington received
the message with JOY and ordered the
!. declaration to be read at the head O
each brigade. Every colony was
thoroughly aroused, and from the