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

Ill tne WOTlu. MS uOne, content
should and will possess the land, and
if those who, having this fair chance,
are passed in the race of life, they
may safely be left to the brooding
melancholy of discomfort.
The patriarchcal system OF the ear
lier ages of the world was failure.
Any temporary success was Obtained
in crude recognition of the equality
of rights. The one-man power of
that system of bondage could not re-
sist tho Unborn love of freedom in the
breast of men. The pure democracies
of later period failed, as we now
see they must have failed, by reason
Of their inherent weakness.
In every struggle for freedom in
the earlier ages there was a failure,
and IN every failure civilization was
paralyzed, and down into the dark
ness and gloom of the Middle Ages
progress and human rights were
plunged without distinctive ray of
hope. In the beginning of the new
era, contemporaneous with the beauti-
full doctrines of Christ, human rights
were snatched from the icy embrace
of the dead past. The struggles, at
one time in one place and among one
people, and another time in another
place and among another people, the
blunders of the advocates and de-
tenders of freedom during the nine
teen centuries of this era, l may not
attempt within this hour to reoite or
describe. Resistance stubborn and
oftentimes bloody was encountered in
every century, but "Truth crushed to
earth will rise again." and | thank
Gcd, that the claim of the divine
right of kings at last is shown to be
false one, and that the claim of the
right of self-government is establish.
ed, 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. believe that sacred
instrument embodles, and was the
elimination 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, canret 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-
strieted.
1t will be remembered that the
struggle which at last brought the
declaration and finally independence,
was not begun with that end in view.
II 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 a view of the destruction
OF slavery, SO our revolutionary fathers
who, i'll 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
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, and Of
right ought to be, free and independ-
emf.
Six months before the first guns of
the Revolution, Washington said: "No
such thing as independence is desired
by any thinking man of America.
And Jefferson said: "Before the 10Th
of April, 1775, | never heard a whis-
per of disposition to separate from
Great Britain" OF that historic day,
Bancroft says: "rhis is the renown-
ed battle of Concord; more eventful
than Agincourt 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
l774, that "British oppression has ef-
faced the boundaries of the several
colonies. The distinctions between
Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New
Workers, and New Englanders, are no
more. / am not a Virginian, but an
American!" The men of Massachu.
setts were first in battle; the men of
North Carolina were 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 and Jay and Clinton were