Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-07-11
THE GLORIOUS FOURTH.
How it Passed Off Here-Hon.
Champ Clark's Speech IN
Fuu-Squibs.

Fu1l-Squlbs.
The Fourth in this city passed
of gleriously. Thousands of vlsi-
tors from morning till late at night
Z crowded the streets and public
places, were we'll taken care OF, and
enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Many sought Sportsman's Park in
the morning and witnessed Il splen-
did exhibition of ball playing, but
the larger portion of the crowd
went to Coons' park and there spent
the day. In the afternoon, Hon.
Champ Clark, of Pike, addressed
an immense, but very attentive
assemblage. The speaker was
presented by Maj. H. \. Ricketts,.
Mr.. Clark said:
ALL PATRIOTS DAY.
In his first inaugural, Thomas
Jefferson exclaimed:
eve are all Democrats; we are
all Federalistsi''
Animated by that generous senti-
ment of the chief apostle of humon
liberty, l say that, on the Fourth
of July, rising superior to all differ
ences of opinion, we should remem-
ber only that we are the children OF
a common country, the inheritors
OF common patrimony, bound to-
gether by common dangers, dis
charging common duties and travel
ing to a common destiny.
Upon this day the nations fattest
calf should be killed; and al! the
sons and daughters of America,
whether native Or adopted, should
be cordially invited to our Uncle
Sans gorgeous barbecue. The
scream of the American eagle should
for the nonce drown all party shib-
boleths; the starry banner of the
Republic should cover all party in
sigma; and every heart should
swell with pride in the thought
"Thank God ] am an American
citizen!"
Upon every day of the year, but
especially upon this day, every
American should chant these noble
words of Sir Walter Scott:
''Breathes there man with soul so dead,
Who never TO himself hath said.-
This is my own, my native land?
Whose heart nath ne'er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned,
From wandering on a foreign strand"
1t such there breathe. go. ark him well
For him no minstrel raptures swell.
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish caG claim:
Despite those titles, power ana peIt,
The wretch. conceutered al in self,
Living shall forfeit fair renown.
And doubly dying shall go down
To the vile dust. from whence he sprung.
Unweps, unhonored and unsuug.'
THIS Is FAST AGE;
and we are the fastest people or
the globe. We are all on a light
ming express train, going to-the
Lord only knows where. Our rule.
of action are formulated in thu
slang phrase, "Git up and git"
With us horse that cannot max,
his mile in less than 2:20 is com
mon plug; and the man who ha;
not outstripped all his fellows il
some regard is considered ''slow
coach"
If a genuine Yankee were ram.
med into a cannon at San Francis
co and shot to New York in two
seconds, he would jump up anc
swear that the powder wasn't gooc
or he would have made the trip IL
less time.
It is confidently asserted that th'
inventive genius of Brother iona
than will yet enable US to fly
through the air, even as our owl
bald eagle. Then we shall break
fast in the United States, dine il
Europe, take tea in China, stroll
on the classic banks of old Nile by
moonlight and reach home by mid
night-having circumflewn thii
terrestrial ball in less than twenty
four hours.
l love the go-a-head. .ativeness o
the American people. 1t is de
cidedly refreshing and salutary
But that very virtue may lead III
into error. We may injure our
selves by too much hurry anc
too much worry. We ar,
wearing ourselves out too fast
burning the candle of life at boil
ends. Truly speaking, we, as ;
people, never rest. Young Ameri
ca entertains d supreme contemp
for all things ancient, and eithe
knows nothing or cares nothing fo
even the earlier events of our owl
history. Samuel Adams, JOIN
Hancock and George Mason are a
much men of antiquity as Cicero
Julius Caesar or Scipio Afrieanus
while Washington and Franklin
appear as far renewed from us a
the heroes of the antedeluviai
world. The railroad, the telegraph
the telephone and the daily pres
have annihiiated time asles space
crowding the events of a year int,
the term of q single week.
This everlasting rush has led u
into an unbecoming irreyerence TO
the past. We are essentially icon
oelasts and have smashed to piece
all the idols erected by our fathers
There is growing disposition t,
poke fun at the Fourth of July
This is all wrong-absolutely-
unpardonably wrong. It should b.
to us the day of all days. Ths
grand event, which occurred ont