The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-06-04


horses, wounded, flung theiS riders and
the last rider perished, and the Hercyn.
ian forest became the scene Of Rome's
humiliation? The sword, the brave
sword, the triumphant sword Of Armin.
ius. While passing through France last
January my nerves tingled with excite
ment and rose in the car, the better to
see the battlefield Of Chalons, the
mounds and breastworks still visible,
though nearly five hundred years ago
they we're shoveled up. Here, Attila,
the heather monster, called by himself
the "Scourge OF God for the punishment
Of Christians" his life massacre Of ma
tions, came to ignominious defeat, and
he put into one great pile the wooden
saddles Of his cavalry, and the spoils OF
the cities and Kingdoms he had sacked,
and placed on top Of this holocaust the
woman who had accompanied him in his
devastating march, ordering that the
torch be put to the pile. What power
broke that sword and stayed that red
scourge Of cruelty that was rolling over
Europe? The sword OF Theodoric and
Actius.
To come down to later ages, all intelli-
gent Englishmen unite with all intelli-
gent Americans In saying that it was
the best thing that the American colo
nies swung of from the government Of
Great Britain. 1t would have been the
worst absurdity Of four thousand years
II this continent should have continued
in loyalty to throne on the other side
Of the sea- No one would propose
Governor General for the United States
as there is Governor General for Can
ada. We have had splendid Queens in
our American Capitol, but we could
hardly be brought to support a Queen
on the other side of the Atlantic, lovely
and good as Victoria is The only use
we have for Earls and Lords and Dukes
in this country is, to treat them well
when they pass through to their hunting
grounds in the far West, or when their
fortunes have failed, reinforce them by
wealthy matrimonial alliance. Imagine
this nation yet part Of English posses
sions! The trouble the mother-country
has to-day with Ireland would be a
paradisaic condition compared with the
troubles she would have with US. En-
gland and the United States make ex-
cellent neighbors, but tho two families
are too large to live in the same house.
What a godsend that we should have
parted, and parted long ago But can
think of no other way in which we could
have possibly achieved American inde-
pendence. George the Third, the half
crazy King, would not have let us go.
Lord North, his Prime Minister, would
not have let US go. General Lord Corn
wallis would not have let us go, al
though after Yorktown he was glad
enough to have US let him go. Lexing-
ton and Bunker Hill, and Monmouth,
and Trenton, and Valley Forge, were
proofs positive that they were not will
ing to let us CO. Any committee Of
Americans going across the ocean to see
what could have been done would have
found no better accommodations than
the London Tower. The only way 1t
could have been done was by the sword,
your great-grandfather' sword. Jeffer-
! sons pen could write the Declaration Of
Independence, but only Washington's
sword could have achieved it. and the
other swords bathedj heaven.
So now the sword has its uses, al
though it is sheathed sword. THERE'S
not an armory In Brooklyn, or New
York, or Philadelphia, or Chicago, or
Charleston, or New Orleans, or any
American city, that could be spared.
We have in all our American cities a
rufian population who, though they are
small in number compared with the
good population, would again and again
make rough and stormy times II, back
OF our mayors and common councils, and
| police, there were not in the armories
and arsenals some keen steel which, II
brought into play, would make quick
work with mobocracy. There are in
every great community unprincipled
men who like 0 row on a large
scale, and they heat themselves
with sour mash and old rye and other
decoctions, enriched with blue Wit
riol, potash, turpentine, sugar of
lead, sulphuric acid, logwood, stryeh-
nine, night-shade, and other precious
Ingredients, and take down whole
glass with q resounding "Ahm OF salts
faction. When they get that stuff in
them, and the blue vitriol collides with
the potash, and the turpentine with the
sulphuric acid, the victims are ready for
any thing but order and decency and
good government Again and again, in
our American cities, has the necessity
OF home guards been demonstrated.
You remember how, when the soldiers
were all away TO the war in 1894, what
confagrations were kindled in the
streets OF New York, and what negroes
were hung. Some Of you remember the
great riots In Philadelphia at fres
sometimes kindled Just for the opport&
nifty Of uproar and despoliation. In 1870
. hiss at q theater would have resulted
IN New York city being demolished had
It not been for tho citizen soldiery. Be-
cause OF an insult which the American
actor Edwin Forrest, had received in
England from the friends Of Mr.. Mac
ready, the English actor, when the lat
tor appeared In New York, in Macbeth,
the distinguished Englishman was
hissed and mobbed, the walls Of
the city having been placarded with
the announcement: "Shall Americans
or English rule In this city?p Streets
were filled with crowd. insane with
passion. The riot act was read, but II