Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-05-04

le Pearl street, through rear -
y, Broad, and up Broad TO uhis
Washington. As he stood upon the
n steps of the old Government building here,
Of the thought must have occurred 10 MN tnae
il was a cradle Of liberty, and as such CIV
q ing a bright omen for the future. In these
n halls In 1875, in the trial oil john Aenger,
IS had been established Tor the nrSV tIhe IN us
g history the liberty of the press Here the
r New York Assembly, in l184, made the pro-
test against the Stamp act, and proposed
Is the general conference, which was
S the beginning of the United Colonial
% action. IN this old State House in
/. l7Gl the Stamp act congress, the
d first and the father of American
q congresses assembled and presented to tho
: English Government that vigorous protest
o which caused the repeal of the act, and
@ checked the first step towards the usurpa-
d ton which lost the American colonies 10
# the British empire. Within these walls tho
Congress of the Confederation had comlnls-
5 stoned its Ambassadors abroad, ana IN mel
feotual efforts at government had created
s the necessity for the concentration OF Fed
:. eral authority, now TO be cOnsummated.
) The first Congress of the United states
gathered in this ancient temple OF liberty,
greeted Washington and accompanied HIM
| to the balcony. The famous men visible
about him were Chancellor Livingston,
= VEG L ItSlutll ubhh hN4Sth'h
|, Hamilton, Governor Clinton, Roger Sher-
) man, Richard Henry Lee, General Knox and
/, Baron Steuben. But we believe that among
/, the invisible host above him, at this supreme
moment of the elimination in permanent
triumph of the thousands OF years OF struS-
gle for self government, were the spirits or
the soldiers Of the revolution who had
died that their countrymen might ENJOY
this blessed day, and with them were the
Barons of Runnymede and William the
Silent and Sidney and Russell, and Crom-
well and Hampden, and the heroes aud
martyrs of liberty OF every race and age
As he came forward, the multitude in the
streets in the windows, and on the roofs
sent up such a rapturous shout that
Washington sat dow overcome with
emotion. AS he slowly rose and his tall
and majestic form again appeared, the
people, deeply affected, in awed silence
viewed the scene. The Chancellor sol
EMMY read to him the oath of office, and
Washington, repeating, said. II do solemn
~ swear that | will faithfully execute the
office of President of the United States, and
will, to the best of my ability, preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution OF the
United States Then he reverently
bent low and kissed the Bible, utter
ing with profound emotion: so help me,
God The Chancellor waved his robes and
shouted; 1T is done; long live George
" ''ilAAi@ A'AhH itNhANANAN VI va @''N
States!' Long live George Washington,
our first President!' was the answering
cheer OF the people, and from the beltries
rang the bells, and from forts and ships
Numbered the cannon, echOing and repeat
ing the cry with responding acclaim all
over the land Long live George Washing
ton, President of the United States.' It " u
No man ever stood for SO much to his
country and TO mankind as George Wash
ington. Hamilton, Jefferson and Adams,
Madison and Jay, each represented some OF
the elements which formed the Union.
Washington embodied them all.
Do his countrymen eXaggerate his viz
tuoss Listen to Guizot, the historian OF
civilization: Washington did he two great
est things which in politics it is permitted
to man to attempt, He maintained by peace
the independence OF his country which he
conquered by war. He founded a
free Government in the name OF the
principles Of order and by re-establlshlng
their sway Hear Lold Erskine, the
most fUmous of English advocates; you
are the only being for whom ! have an aW-
full reverence" Remember the tribute of
Charles James Fox, the greatest parlia-
mcntary orator who ever swayed the British
House of Commons: Industrious man, be- I
fore whom all borrowed greatness sinks (
into inSiguiticance.' Contemplate the ,
character OF Lord Brougham. PIE l
eminent Tor two generations IN d
every department of human activity and .
thought, and then impress upon the memo =
Ties Of your children his deliberate iudg- '
ment. Until time shall be no more will a (
test of the progress which our race has .,
made in wisdom and virtue be derived from /
the yeneratIon paid to the immortal name OF
Washington" 4 4 y I
We stand to-day upon the dividing line y
between the first and second century of |
p,ulttt1tinrp1 trnyrnrNu1npf Ibnra ara M ,
clouds overhead and no commissions under :,
Our feet. We reverently return thanks to =
Almighty God for the past, and with conf I
dent and hopeful promise march upon sure
ground towards the future. The simple =.
OF these hundred years paraly2e the II
Imagination, and we contemplate the vast Il
lccumulatiOns OF the century with awe and
pride. Oar population has grown from "
four TO sixty i've millions. It's center, NOV c
ing westward five hundred miles since n
liS1, is eloquent with the founding Of cities
and the birth of States. New settl ments, II
clearing the forests and subduing the prai- r
}les, and adding four millions TO the few -
thousands OF farms which were the support ,
Of WashingtOn's Republic, create one of the \
great grainHries OF the world and open ex- -
haustless reservoirs OF National wealth, T.
During this generation, u civil war Of N
mequaled magnitude caused the eXpendi- -
ture and loss OF eight thousand millions Of
dollars, and killed six hundred thousand
and permanently disabled over u million
young men, and yet the impetuous prog .
ress of the North and the marvellous in
dustrial development OF the new and free
South have obliterated the evidences of de-
structiOn, and made the wal u memory, '
and have stimulated production until our y
annual surplus nearly equals that OF A.,
England, France and Germany combined. !
The teeming millions of Asia till the patient \
soil, and work the shuttle and loom as their n
fathers have done for ages, modern
Europe has felt the influence and
received the benefit OF the incalcu- {
liable multiplication OF force by inventive
genius Since the NapolcOnic wars; and vet,
only two hundred and siXty-nine years after
the little band Of pilgrims landed on
Plymouth Rock, our people, numbering
less than one-tliteenth OF the inhabitants Of
the globe, do one-third of its mining, one
fourth OF its manufacturing One-ifth OF its
agriculture, and own One-siXth Of its wealth.
Steam and electricity have changed the
commerce not only, they have revolution
lZeu also the governments of the world.
They have given to the press its power,
and brought all races and nationalit es into
touch and sympathy. They have tested
and are trying the strength of all systems
to stand the strain and conform to the con-
ditions which follow the terminating
influences OF American Democracy. Al
tine time OF the Inauguration of Wash
ington, seven royal families ruled as
many kingdoms in Italy, but six OF them
have seen their thrones overturned and
their counties disappear from the map
OF Europe. Most OF the Kings, Princes.
Dukes and maTgrayes OF Germany who
reigned despotically and sold their soldiers
Tor foreign service, have pas ed into his
tory, and their heirs have neither preror-
atiyes nor domain. Spain has gone through
many violent changes and the permaucncy
oil her present government seems TO depend
upon the feeble life of an infant Prince. |
france, our ancient friend, with repeated
and bloody revolutions, has tried the
government OF Bourbon and Con-
y%ontion, OF Directory and Consu.
late, Of Empire and Citizen King.
OF hereditary Sovereign and Republic,
Of Empire and again Republic. The Hans
burg and the Ilohenzollern, after conyul-
sions which have rocked the foundation OF
Their throne, have been compelled TO con-
cede constitutions TO their people and to
divide with them the arbitrary power
welded 80 automatically and brilliantly by
Maria Theresa and Frederick the Great.
The royal will Of George Ill. could crowd
the American colonies into rebellion and
wage war upon them until they were lost
TO his kingdom, but the AUTHORITY of the
Crown has deyolved upon Ministers who
hold office subject TO the approval OF
the representatives of the people, and the
equal powers OF the House OF Lords have
become vested In the Commons, leaving
10 the Peers only the shadow of their
ancient privileges. But to-day. the Ameri-
can people, after all the dazzling develop