The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-05-01
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May every bosom feel
Fired with a noble zeal,
The pride they obtand TO enjoy and defend.
We, who remaining, with locks thin and hoary,
Your tolls In the field, to your sons still re-
count;
Proudly, ye stand mid the heroes OF story.
AS towers Ger the the hills our own snow-erest-
ed mount;
Loud, where the cannon roar'd.
Warm, where the blood was poured,
With Hooks bounding. thick as the foes falling
then,
See the green valley teem
Far, where the silver stream
Shines. like your swords, spread at rest through
the glen.
Spirit Of him who at Vernon Is sleeping,
Bend In thy glory, and smile on our mlrthi
See the glad millions the jubilee keeping
Which thou didst procure by thy valor on earth.
Stlll hallow'd be the day,
When we have passed away,
And years over years. shall like foods roll along
Then, may posterity
Still be inspired by theei-
"FREEDOM AND WASHINGTON" ever the
song.
City Clerk George @. Burgess then read In
clear and telling tones Washington's inaUgu-
singing the following hymn entitled "Wash-
ington," written by Rev. DIR. Thomas Hill.
WASHINGTON.
Washington, glory and pride Of our land.
Wider and falrer his fame ever grows;
Stronger than ever Its buttresses stand;
Brighter his star than the day when t rose.
Calm as the ocean when smoothest il flows,
Reused like the waves by the storm In its rage;
Prudent IA hufa aUulff In hla
Hero and conqueror patriot and sage.
Heavy the load on his shoulder he bore,
Darker than midnight his cloud-eoyered day;
Stronger he grew as the burden grew more.
Boldly thro' darkness he held on his way.
Leader thro' darkness, he led into light,
Led by the wisdom that Is from on high;
Glory he sought not, he stroye but for right;
Fame he ne'er thought of,-hls fame cannot die.
Glory forever to Washington's name.
Mr.. James r. Baxter then delivered the
following .oration which was received with
great favor:
MR.. BAxTER's GRAFTON.
1t Is thirteen years since we, as a people,
Joined together in celebrating the Centennial
Of American Independence. and yet, as a
matter Of fact, this year more appropriately
marks the Inauguration Of our Independence
than the year whlchiwas selected. to mark
that auspiclous event.
The thirteen years between 1776 and 1850
were years Of trial; years Of doubt and dan
ger, In which the actors themselves in the
great drama then being enacted, had no con-
ception Of the Importance Of the parts which
they were playing, nor forecast of the issue OF
the plot When the boom Of eaunon ceased.
and the smoke Of battle lifted from the scene,
the people of the thlrteens colonies found
themselves facing. difficulties and danger.
which they had not hitherto considered. They
were distinct and independent communities,
with conflicting aims and interests, and each
withal jealous Of its respective rights hence
the suggestion Of National Republic to
which these rights would In a measure DO
subordinate. was necessarily received by
many with disfay0r. A Republlcl men ex-
claimed, such a scheme Is impractcable.
The country is too large and the means Of
communication between the colonies too DIFF
fcult for such government to maintain it.
self. 1t was a period Of peril, and
the lew wise men, who comprehended the
gravity OF the situation, regarded It with the
deepest solicitude.
Hitherto, the thirteen colonies had been
resist the aggressiOns Of England, and hav-
Ing achieved more than they had dreamed OF
when they unitedly entered into the conflict,
theY were not In the best mood TO make the
sacrifices necessary to form Republic, In
which their individuality would, inla meas
ure,sDe lost hence ares0luti0n not TO set over
themselves government, TO which they
would be obliged to render obediance, was
widely prevalent. At this time, II may be
truthfully said. that the kind Of government
most popular with the people, was the one
under which they had achieved independ-
ence, which was Congress composed Of
representatives from the various colonies
Yet this form of government had proved
ITSELF In many important particulars 10 be
wholly inadequate to perform the Onerous
duties deyolying upon It, since II possessed
no power to enforce its will. At the outset
when II convened In dangerous emergency,
without Limitation Of authority, its action
was prompt and effectual; but the first effort
made to perfect II by defining Its powers, re-
the wiser statesmen Of the period realized
that such a government was powerless to
maintain authority for any considerable time
over the eonfederated colonies, which It was
plain to see were held together by bonds of
temporary self interest. which were at any
moment liable TO part asunder.
IL Is interesting to study the evolution Of
ideas, which out OF chaos of jarriDg elements,
united In forming that unique governmental
system, which has for century proved it.
self to be the best which the world has
yet witnessed.
The first important scheme towards chang
Ing the unstable form Of government, under
the guidance OF which the colonies were
drifting into confusion, was formulated by
Peletiah Webster. whose work, "A Disser-
tation on the Political Union and Constitu-
tlon Of the Thirteen United States Of North
America" was published In 1888. In this
scheme, Webster proposed to divide the
Representatives OF the States into two
houses. and to establish Federal court
with powers somewhat similar TO those ex-
ercised by the present United States Court.
his plan also embraced public departments
with their respective heads.
But this scheme Of Webster met with a
cold reception, and was generally regarded
as Utopiaa, although we now see that Ii
contained the germ Of the system ultimately
adopted. For time 1t seemed as though out
OF the chaos Of conflicting theories, no ac-
ceptable plan could be evolved. when. two
years after the PRONUNCIATION Of Peletiah
We5ster's plan, Noah Webster, the subse-
quent author Of the dictionary which bears
his name, published his view In a pamphlet
entitled Sketches Of American Policy"
The central idea Of Noah Webster, and Ons
Of great practical importance. was. that for
the welfare as well as the safety Of the
States, a new system Of government should
be established, which should act not on the
States as such, but directly upon individuals.
and that Congress should be endowed with
plenary power to make its laws effective.
Thus was struck the key note Of nationality
which continued TO vibrate above the dis
cords q partisan strife until 1t obtained
recognition.
Yet the idea Of Webster was not generally
favored, nor should this seem strange 10 any-
one, who has observed the uncertain char
aeter OF public sentiment upon Important
questions; for diversity Of opinion Is NOT
confined to the speculative fields Of philoso-
ply and metaphysics, but finds In the arena
OF practical affairs an equally eongenial
range, and questions which should find their
solution In the common experience OF the
race, are kept In agitation with a never firing
zeal,
Discouraging indeed was the outlook for
the establishment OF National government,
and Congress, apparently realizing this.
largely occupied itself with the necessities
Of the hour. especially with questions OF
raising money 70 pay the public indebtedness
and TO defray the expense OF government.
In vain II appealed to the States for pc
cunlary relief; Indeed, its appeals became so
frequent and so piteous that Ii earned for
itself the contemplate title Of government
Of supplication. Foreign powers cared not
to make treaties with government power
less TO execute them; hence the cOmmeres
Of the States was at the mercy Of lawless
adventurers. To some minds, emancipation
from the somewhat severe rule Of the mother
country began IN unmixad