The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1890-04-12

Gus people. History forever settles
this point by telling lis that before
Congress agreed to consider definite
ly the question Of Independence took
a recess of four weeks to give the del
egates an opportunity to go back to
the people and learn What was. their
general Judgement and when they
returned to their seats there was no
longer any doubt as to what course
they should pursue. We thus see that
our definition Of Statesman is correct,
/ it is one who learns the general Judge
ment of his constituents and is gov
erned by it, and the legislator who
does not do this is presumptuous in the
extreme and unworthy Of the title, for
says Bancroft-'FThe people collective
ly are wiser than the most gifted indi-
vidual, for ali his wisdom constitutes
but part Of theirs. When the great
sculptor of Greece was endeavor7
ing to fashion the perfect model
of beauty he did not passively imi-
tate the form Of the loveliest wo-
man OF his age; but he cleaned the
several lieneametts of his faultless
work from the many. And 50 it is
I that Il perfect judgement is the result
| Of comparison when error eliminates
erro- and truth is established bv con-
curing witnesses, The organ Of truth
s Tie inrisable decision Of the unbias-
: Sd world; she pleads before no tribun-
al but public opinion; she owns no
safe interpreter, but the common mind;
she knows no court Of appeals, but the
soul Of humanity. 1t is. when the
multitude give counsel that right pur-
poses find safety; theirs is a ixedness
that cannot be shaken; theirs the TN
derstanding which exceeds in wisdom;
theirs the heart Of which the large
ness is as the sand of the seashore."
Whoever pruned the Declaration of
Independence was only recording the
exigences of the times as they were
forced upon and dictated by the peo-
/, pie. And Sirs! it is to the people, the
ones who formed our armies; the ones
who lifted their eyes to heaven and
before a just God uttered solemn
VOW as they drew their swords from its
scabbard to maintain it or to perish
with it that we really are indebted to
| for the Declaration of Independence.
Having conclus'vely shown that no
person could properly be called a
Statesman unhl after the Declarattiion
severed our connections with England
thereby establishing a nation and fur
thermore having proven that the sem
timents inculcated in that instrument
we're not due to any scientific or phi
losophic research of the Statesmen,
for in the supposed speech of John
Adams in the Continental Congress
we find that he says-"The injustice
Of Englana has driven us to arms;
and blinded to her own interests, for
good she has obstinately presisted, till
independence IS now within our grasp.
We have but to reach forth for it and
it is ours" while on the. contrary the
sentiments incorporated i'll that instru-
ment originated among and were rati-
fed by the people. We will now re-
trace our steps to the commencement
of the bloody drama Of the great Re-
yoltnion. It has been said that the
Statesmen awakened the people to a
knowledge or realization Of their dan
ger and the infringement upon their
rights; that they fred them with a spi-
rit Of freedom; thatthey kindled the
fame of liberty that is burned through
out the ages; that old Fanieul Hall,
''the cradle Of liberty" was shaken
with oratory surprising that Of Demos
themes in his palmiest days. AL, Of
these statesments are very fine themes
for hyperbolical elaboration by the de-
| Tenders of the Statesmen, but stripped
. of their gloss and cooled to a normal
temperature we think they diminish
somewhat in force. While we deny
that this was the work Of Statesmen
since none existed as yet, still for the
sake Of argument we will grant that
it was the work Of Statesmen. We
wish now to call your attention to y
slight distinction between Statesman
and an Orator; not all Statesmen are
orators, and not all Orators are States
men, 50 an orator might have accom-
plished much in stirring the people to
action and still he would not be called
a statesman. There is no instance in
history of an entire people being rous-
ed by the advice, Of her Statesmen.
i IF there were no other causes the
Statesmen could have accomplished
! nothing. It was not the Statesmen
who awakened the people to a knowl-
4 edge Of their danger and caused them
to resist; they cultivated the spirit Of
1 resistance because of the weight placed
upon them by England. We admit
J! the truth to an extent that the States
,,,o,, Ala son, ,nthinu towards hastenino