The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-05-03
HON. CHAUNcEr N. DEPEw.

"'fHk:MNA VIII
HON. CHAUNCET NJ DEPEw.
tice Of the distractions of philosophy. The
time, the country, the heredity and envir
onment of the people, the folly of its enc
mics, and the noble courage of its friends
gave to liberty after ages of defeat, Of
trial of experiment, of partial success ant
substantial gains, this immortal victory
Henceforth it had a refuge and recruiting
station. The oppressed found free homes In
this favored land, and invisible armies
marched from it by mail and telegraph, by
speech and song, by precept and example
to degenerate the world
Puritans in New England, Dutchmen in
New York, Catholics in Maryland, Hugue-
nots in South Carolina had felt the fires OF
persecution and were welded to religious
liberty. They had been purified in tie fur
mace, and in high debate and on bloody bat
tle-fields had learned to sacrifice all ma
terial interests and to peril their lives for
human rights The principles of constitu-
tonal government had been impressed
upon them 10y hundreds of years OF rug
gle, and for each principle they could Joint
to the grave of an ancestor whose
death attested the ferocity of the fight
and the value of the concession
wrung from arbitrary power They knew
the limitations of authority, they could
pledge their lives and fortunes to resist en-
quired the lesson of Indian massacres. the
invasion of the armies Of France from
Canada, the tyranny of the British Crown,
the seven years war of the Revolution, and
the five years of chaos of the Confederation
to evolve the idea, upon which rest the
that liberty and union are one and INSOFAR
able r 4
These men were not revolutionists they
were the heirs and the guardians of the
priceless treasures of mankind. The Brit
ish King and his Ministers were the revolu
uonistsI They were reactionaries seeking
arbitrarily to turn back the hands upon the
dial of time. year of doubt and debate.
the baptism of blood upon the battle fields,
where soldiers from every colony fought,
under a common standard, and con-
solidated the Continental Army, gradually
lifted the soul and understanding of this i'm
mortal Congress to the sublime declaration:
I'VE, therefore, the representatives of the
United States of America, in general Con-
gress assembled, appealing to the Supreme
Judge of the world for the rectItude of our
intentions, do, in the name and by the au-
solemnly publish and declare that these
united colonies are, and of right ought to
be, free and independent Stats"
To this declaration John Hancock, pro-
scribed and threatened with death. aIf1xed
a signature which has stood for 4 century
like the pointers to the North Star in the
armament of freedom, and Charles Carroll
tainted that among many CAROLS, he, the
richest man in America, might escape,
added description and identification with
''of Carrollton." Benjamin Harrison. dele
gate from Virginia, the ancestor of the dis
tinguished statesman and soldier who to-
day 80 worthily fills the chair of Washing
ton, voiced the unalterable determine
ton and defiance of the Congress
He seized John Hancock, upon whose
head price was set, In his arms.
and placing him in the Presidential
chair, said: I'VE will show Mother Britain
how little we care for her by making our
President Massachusetts, man, whom she
has excluded from pardon by public proc
lamation;" and when they were signing the
Declaration, and the slender Elbridge Ger
" uttered the grim pleasantly, I'VE must
hang together or surely We will hang sep
arately," the portly Harrison responded
with the more daring humor, 1T win be all
over with me in a moment, but you will be
kicking in the air half an hour after I am
gone" Thus flashed athwart the great
charter, which was to be for its signers a
as with firm hand, high purpose and un-
daunted resolution they subscribed their
names, this mockery OF fear and the penal
ties of treason
More clearly than any statesman of the
period did Thomas Jefferson grasp and di
vine the possibilities of popular govern
ment He caught and crystallized the spirit
of free institutions His philosophical mind
was sing1larly free from the power of
presidents or the chains of prejudice He
had an unquestioning and abiding faith in
the people, which was accepted by but few
OF his compatriots Upon his famous
axiom, OF the equality of all men before
the law, he constructed his system 1t was
the trip-hammer essential for the emer-
gency TO break the links binding the colo
mics to imperial authority, and TO pulverize
the privileges OF caste. Ii inspired him to
write the Declaration of Independence and
persuaded him to doubt the wisdom of the
powers concentrated in the constitution In
his passionate love OF liberty he became in
tensely jealous of authority. He destroyed
the substance of royal prerogative but never
emerged from its shadow. He would have
the States as the guardians of popular
rights and the barriers against cen
fralization. and he saw in the grow
ing power of the Nation ever-increasing
encroachments upon the rights of the peo-
pie. For the success Of the pure Democracy
which must precede Presidents and Cab
inets and Congresses, it was perhaps provi-
Dental that Its apostle never believed o
great people could grant and still retain,
could give and at viii reclaim, could dele
gate and vet firmly hold the authority
which ultimately created the power of their
Republic and enlarged the scope Of their
own uDerty.
Where this master-mind halted, all stood
still The necessity for permanent Union
was apparent but each State must have
hold upon the bowstring which encir-
cled its throat 1t was admitted that union
gave the machinery required to success
fully fight the common enemy, but vet
there was fear that it might become q
Frankenstein and destroyirs creators. Thus
patriotism and fear difficulties Of
Communication between distant commu-
mites, and the intense growth of provincial
pride and interests, led this Congress 20
frame the Articles of Confederation, hap
PLY termed the League of Friendship. The
result was not government, but ghost.
By this scheme the American people were
ignored and the Declaration of Independ-
ence reversed
But, while the perils of war had given
Temporary strength TO the Confederation,
peace developed its fatal weakness.
States passed exclusive and hostile laws
against each other, and not and disor-
der threatened the disintegration OF
society Our stock is stolen, our
houses are plundered, our farms are
raided. " cried delegate in the Massachu-
sets convention; ''despotism is better than