The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-10-08
Tho early citizens Of Massachusetts,
were loyal to their king, but
Principles of Liberty

and government which were in
corporated in the town OF Woburn. and
put in practice through its town mset-
ings $50 years ago, was the seed, plantet
Ey earnest, Lord fearing men, assidu-
ously cultivated BY their descendants,
which bore its fully ripened fruit in 1916,
when, under the inspiration OF Otis and
Patrick Henry, and though the courage
OF Adams, Benjamin harrison and their
colleagues, allegiance 10 King George and
royalty was forever sundered. How WISE
ly our fathers acted may be judged by
the line OF presidents from Washington
to Harrison and by a compar ison with
the royal personages who have in the
past century ruled the nations of Eu-
rope:
While, In the enforced absence of the
President from these festivities, it may
have been expected that should respond
to the manifestation of respect to him
and to his high Office which you have SO
heartily offered, it would not on this oc-
casion be becoming in me as q member OF
his official household to enter upon any
communication OF his administration.
The record which he has made and the
manner In which he has discharged the
high trust confided in him are known to
you all, and you can judge how worthily
be Is entitled to rank in the illustrious
Line of American Presidents.
Imay, however, be pardoned, as one to
the manner born, for saying that and
my neighbors take pride in pointing to
him as typical son OF Indiana. And
whom make this allusion, 1t leads me to
reflect upon the Influences which have
moulded the character OF the present and
last generation of men OF that broad re-
giop OF the Ohio and Mississippi Valley,
where now rests the seat of empire oil
tkis republic.
The northwestern territory, far greater
IN extent than most of the nations OF
Europe, was rescued from the blight
which had been fastened upon the terri
tory to the south of IL, and was forever
dedicated to freedom, mainly through
the Influence which emanated from the
political and religious sentiments of New
England and which had its worthy cx-
ppnept In Nathan Dane, a son OF Massa-
chusetts.
And when this territory was opened up
TO settlement, no portion OF the seaboard
states was more active in populating
II than New England; and while Mas,a-
chusetts sent its colonists in grent num-
bers, no part Of 1t made more worthy
confribution than the ancient town OF
Woburn. The Puritan who made this
second journey in search Of home a CEN
tury ago was somewhat changed from
the Plymouth pilgrim Of a century and a
half anterior, molfifled somewhat in his
religious practices, but be was
Essentially the Same
God fearing, liberty loving, enlig htened
man. As your ancestors who went out
from Charlestows, so he carried with him
the church, its ordinances and its teach
ings. He established the schoolhouse.
he instituted local self-government. He
inoculated morality and scbriety in the
community. Tho essence OF his political
creed was hatred of slavery and opposi-
tion TO its domination.
While 10 must be recognized that Vir-
ginia, New York and other OF the origi-
nal states contributed much to the de-
velopmsnt OF the northwest, the impress
OF NO other portion of tho old confedera.
ton was comparable TO that OF New
England, and the present generation OF
that vast region is indebted to IL more
than to all others com biued for the in
fuences which would mould the
character for good citizenship. In
no era OF our history has the truth
of this been more manifest than
In the political turmoil and aRita-
tion which preceded, and the intsnse
patriotism which attended the great up-
rising OF 1861.
The Free-Soil crusade which pervaded
The Northwest in the decade closing vita
the election OF Lincoln was pre-.mInent-
~ New Engl~ nd movement. And wue q
the great test of patriotism came because
oil toe armed rebellion TO dissolve the
union
It Was the Spirit
Formulated In Liberty and Union, now
and forever. one and inse parablsv which