Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-07-06

describe. Resistance stubborn aud
oftentines bloody was encountered in
every century, but "Truth crushed to
earth will rise again." and thank
God, that the claim of the divine
right of kings at last is shown to be a
false one, and that the claim of the
right of self-government is establish
cd, and that good government can
only be continued when it rests upon
the consent of the governed.
believe In all the rights of man
claimed in the Declaration of In
dependence. 1 believe that sacred
instrumeaJ embodles, and was the
,culmination of all the struggles of all
the past, made by freedom against
slavery.
While do not criticise any man
for being loyal to the country of which
he is a citizen, cannot but feel that
the colonies of America were slow to
resolve in favor of independence, and
that their demands for justice from
the mother country were too re-
stricted.
It will be remembered that the
struggle which at last brought the
declaration and finally independence,
was not begun with that end in view.
1t came only when the pressing plea
of liberty could no longer be denied,
and self preservation demanded new
guards for future security. As the
late war tor the preservation of the
Union, in the beginning of which it
was declared that the war was prose-
cuted with no view of conquest, or
purpose of destruction of any of the
institutions of the country, but solely
for the preservation of the life of the
Nation, was afterward, and on the
grounds of enforced necessity, con-
Quoted with view of the destruction
of slavery, SO our revolutionary fathers
who, in the beginning of the struggle,
declared there was no purpose or de-
sire to separate from England, but
their struggle was solely for. the ad
'justment of grievous wrongs and a
guarantee of certain rights to be ex-
tended to them under British rule, af-
terward, and on the grounds of en-
forced necessity, solemnly proclaimed
that the United Colonies are, aud OF
right ought to be, free and indepsnd-
ent.
ST. months before the first guns of
the Revolution, Washington said: mo
such thing as independence is desired
by any thinking man of America"
And Jefferson said: "Before the 10th
of April, 1775, never heard a whs-
per OF a disposition to separate from
Great Britain. Of that historic day,
Bancroft says: "T'his is the renown.
ed battle of Concord; more eventful
than Agiucourt or Blenheim." The
events of that day demonstrated the
truth Of the eloquent words of Pat,
rick Henry, uttered in the halls OF
the First Continental Congress, in
1774, that "3ritga oppression has Of
faced the boundaries of the several
Colonies. TIE distinctions bet ,veen
Virginisns, Pennsylvanians, New
Workers, and New Englanders, are no
mora. am not Virginian, but an
American" The men of Massachu-
sets we're FIRST in battle; the men of
North Carolina. We're first in absolving
their allegiance to the Crown. Fol-
lowing close upon these great events,
the Second Continental Congress
again convened in Philadelphia. Han
cock, Franklin and the Adams were
there; Washington and Lee, and
Livingstone, were there; and Patrick
Henry aud Jay aud Clinton were
there. Illustrious fathers! Your men,
cries are eushrined in our hearts, and,
as to-day, so will we and our descend
ants forever do honor to your names,
in grateful recognition of your great
services in freedoms cause! The
blood of their brothers had been shed,
but patient endurance controlled and
they yet, even yet, sckno wledged al.
legiance to the King who had so spite
fully used them. They again petit
toned for a redress of their griev-
ances. Many warm hearts in Old
England went out in sympathy with
them. The great Earl of Chatham
had said: "For myself must avow
that in all my readiug-and l have
read Thucydides, and / have studied
and admired the master States of the
world-for solidity of reason, force
of sagacity and wisdom of conolu-
sion, under complication of difficult
circumstances, no nation or body of
men can stand in preference to the
General Congress at Philadelphia. The
histories of Greece and Rome give us
nothing equa! to it, and all attempts
to impose servitude upon such a
mighty continental nation must be
in vain"
The year Of l775 is studded with
repeated injuries, and numerous bat
ties, victories, defeats - Bunker
Hill, Montreal, Quebec, Falmouth,
Charleston, and others, and that year
OF all others we should regard, for in