The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-05-09
Mr.. DEPEw's ORATIoNA AT THE WASH.
INGTON CENTENNIAL.

Mr.. DEPEw's GRAFTON AT THE WASH
INGTON CENTENNIAL.
We celebrate today the centenary of
our nationality. One hundred years ago
the United States began their existence.
The powers of government were assum-
ed by the people of the republic, and
they became the sole source of author
ity, The solemn ceremonial Of the first
inauguration, the reveTent oath OF Wash
ington, the acclaim of the multitude
greeting their President, marked the
most unique event of modern times in
the development of free institutions.
The speaker then paid tribute to the
alertness shown by the colonists IN dis
covering and resisting any peril to their
liberties; showed how the Centen ial
Congress partially grasped and COM
pletely expressed the central idea of the
American Republic, and referred to the
doubt and debates of the year preceding
the sublime Declaration of Independ-
ence made in the name and by the au-
thority of the good people of the colon
les.
Mention was next made of John Han
COIh, SudIIcb SdllOllY bnC lllbb
Harrison and others, in the course of
which he discussed the central idea of
the Declaration of Independence, viz,
the sovereignty of the people, and detin-
ed the position of Thomas Jefferson
among the statesmen of the period.
He then discussed the necessity for
permanent Union and the sovereign
powers which it was obvious must be
placed in the hands of a central Con-
Gress, By the articles of confederation,
he said, the American people were lgnor-
ed and the declaration of independence
reversed. The states, by their Legisa-
lures, elected delegates to Congress, and
the delegate represented the sovereignty
of his commonwealth. All the states
had an equal voice without regard to
their size or population. 1t required
the vote of nine states to pass any bill,
and five coul block the wheels OF gov
ernment, Congress had none of the
powers essential to sovereignty, 1t had
no President or executive authority, no
Supreme Court with general jurisdic-
ton, and no national power, Each OF
the l3 states had seaports and levied dis
eliminating duties against the others,
and could also tax and thus prohibit in
terstate commerce across its territory,
Had the confederation been union in
stead of league, it could have raised
and equipped three times the number
of men contributed by reluctant states,
and conquered independence without
foreign assistance. But, willie the perlls
of war had given temporary strength to
the Confederation, peace developed its
fatal weakness, and even through this
Clmmeriap darkness shot flame which
illumined the coming century, and kept
bright the beacon fires of liberty. The
architects of constitutional freedom
formed their institutions with the wis
dom which fOrecasted the future. They
may not have understood at first the
whole truth, but, for that which they
knew, they had the true martyrs spirit
and the crusaders enthusiasm, Though
the confederation was a government OF
checks without balances, and of purpose
without power, the statesmen who guild
ed it demonstrated often the reslstless
force of great souls animated by the
Ipurest patriotism, and united in judg
ment and effort to promote common
good, by lofty appeals and high reason.
ing, to elevate the masses above local
greed aud apparent self-nterest to their
own broad plane.
The government of the republic by a
congress of states, diplomatic conven-
tion of the ambassadors of petty common
wealths, after seven years trial, was
falling asunder. Threatened with civil
war among its members, insurrection
and lawlessness rife within the states,
foreign commerce ruined and internal
trade paralyzed, its currency worthless,
its merchants bakrupt, its farms mort
gagged, its markets closed, its labor un-
employed, it was like helpless wreck
upon the ocean. tossed about by the tides
and ready to be engulfed in the storm
The response of the country was the
convention of 1887 at Philadelphia. The
Declaration of Independence was but
the vestibule of the temple which this
illustrious assembly erected. With no
successful precedents to guide, it aus
picIOusly worked out the problem OF
constitutional government, and of i'm
perial power and home rule, supplement
ing each other in promoting the grand
eur of the nation, and preserving the
liberty of the individual.
The deliberations of great councils
have vitaly affected, at different periods,
the history of the world and the fate OF
empires, but this Congress builded upon
popular sovereignty, institutions broad
enough to embrace the continent, and
elastic enough to tit all conditions or race
and traditions. The experience OF
hundred years has demonstrated for us
the perfection of the work, for defence
against foreign foes, and for self-preser-
vatiOn against domestic iusurrection, for
limitless expansion in population and
material develupement, and for steady
growth in the intellectual freedom and
force
Next, the speaker discussed the per-
sonnel of the first great Congress, and OF
the leading statesmen of that day he
said their character and abilities were 30
pure and great as to command the con-
tdence of the country for the reversal
of the policy of the independence Of the
state Of the power of the general govern
ment, which had hitherto been the in.
variable practice and almost universal
opinion, and for the adoption of the idea
of the nation and its supremacy.
Towering in majesty and influence
above them all stood Washington, their
President. Beside HIM was the vener
able Franklin, Oliver Ellsworth, Robert
Morris. Gonyerneur King, Elbridge
Gerry, Edmund Randolph and Pickneys,
all OF whom were leaders of unequaled
patriotism, courage, ability and learning;
while Alexander Hamilton and James
Madison, as original thinkers and states
men, ranking among the immortal few
whose opinions have for ages guided
- II - s,A a ,aA iha
destinies of nations.
But the multitudes whom no argu
ment could conyince, who saw in the
executive power and centralized force
OF the costltutIon, under another name,
the dreaded usurpation Of King and
ministry, we're satisfied only with the
assurance, "WashiDgton will be Presi-
deu. -" Washington will be President
was the battle-cry of the constitution.
1t quieted the alarm and gave conf
dence to the timid and courage to the
weak, The country responded with en-.
thusiastic unauimity but the chief with
great reluctance.
No copquerer was ever accorded with
such a triumph, no ruler ever received
such a welcome. In this memorable |
march of six days to the Capitol, it was
the pride of the states to accompany
him with the masses Of their people TO |
their borders, that the citizens of the |
next commonwealth might escort him |
its territory. 1t was the glory |
of cities to receive him with ever civic |
honor at their gates, and entertain him |
as the saviour of their liberties. He |
rode under triumphal arches from which