Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-07-03
THE EvER.GLORIOUs DAY.

~ " hhHNtlhNtA NAAu ~ mum W iihT
mortality that the very words thus
connected seem 10 bear with them a
designated charm. II has become to
US the day Of all days, the occasion
compared with which other OCCASIONS
become commonplace and their events
those Of minor consequence.
In order 10 approximately estimate
what Independence day Is to US, we
have but 10 consider the legacy which
those who made ~ conspicuous hand.
ed down and tho circumstances
under which thUy acquired IL. There
are now more people on the Pacilic
slope than were then on the Atlantic
side Of tho contineut-all ofit that was
Inhabited by white men then, aud
they were even more scattered and
had not 40 good an understanding one
part with another "a we have here.
Besides, there were those who pre-
ierred peace at the price u continued
tyranny, others Whose instincts aud
traditions caused them TO revolt at 70.
bellion, and Others still who were pro-
ie,sejly friendly IA order that they
might more effectively oppose any
scheme looking to autonomy; while
every city Of consequence was gar.
riaoned by British soldiers who
acted under orders from British
governors. IL would seem a. II the
odds, man to man, were enough 10
discourage any such hope as that the
present authority could be oveTthrown
ami new system Of government
based upon representation anu the
peoples will take It's place; but this
was only small part Of the discourage.
ment. The colonln,s were not organ
lied, there Was no cohoreacy In their
plans nor for a time In their movements,
they were poorly armed aud Of skilled
ana experienced leaders they had
none at all; while the government had
grand armies and abundant means to
hire others all Of whom were perfectly
disciplined, with trained and tried gen.
erals, unlimited resources, and creates,
Of all the prestige which Ia
born OF possession aud au.
thorlty backed by tho king
himself-a more potential factor then
than since. His name was alone a
tower OF strength because 1t stood for
complete and previously undlsputed
sway. The odds were something aw-
full to contemplate, let alone to exper.
lence In life and death struggle
such odds m no men IN any ago OF the
world, unless buoyoi up ana strength.
oued by faith which wltha Just
cause ami doierminel hearts make
meninvlnolblc, would have undertaken
to cope with.
The eight years that followed were
iilled with deeds Of hardlhood, valor
and determination In the midst OF die.
oouragoments and sorrows beyond all
precedent. The struggle OF the Swiss
against Austrian usurpAtion aud tyr.
anny-grand ne II was ami glowingly
as II stands out upon the pages Of his.
tory--was only one epoch corresponding
In magnitude with an uuceasing sue.
ccssion Of such on this soil from 1870
to 1854; winkelreld's soli.sacriiic.
ing devotion was paralleled many
times by Revolutionary patriots; and
the gallant struggle OF Leonidas with
his little band Of Spartans against the
Persian hordes Mt the pass of Therm0.
pylw-whilo cOnceding II 10 DO al that
history has made it-had in point 0f
valor, loyalty TO cause and disre.
gard Of personal danger nothing to
place It ahead II even abreast Of tho
mad dash of Wayne's ragged heroes
amid the storm Of iron and lead and
flame belohed forth from Stony Point
up the ptoclpltous heights aud against
the solid Rmparts-nothlng TO place Il
ahead Of a hundred such bloody ex.
ploits in which the fighters for freedom
were the heroes.
The boon was secured, the tyrants,
miuiUns were banished from our
shcres, the only por Get system Of gov.
eminent ever devised by man was con
structtd I'm lieu OF the fuudal,
unequal and oppressive method which
exacted our first Allegiance. The
grand truth contained Ia the DECLARE.
ton that resistance 10 tyranny Is
obedience to God had found such an
exemplihcatlou that thsworld believed
aud by degrees applied II, until now
n civilized ana enlightened monarchy
does not exist except In name; repre-.
seniailou, equality before the law,
exclusive power taken from the head
u the uaiion aud the people part clpat.
Ing In all public mcasurcs-thls is what
tho Patriots did for thu WORLD. But
whnt they dii for us, who IN All thing.
lead the world, cannot bee measured
no sums ami statements, cannot be
rccileu In the poor language OF man,
which at most can but express thiugs
Of ordinary moment. The harli.
hood aud heroism which brought
tho ToyOlutionisls together AT a
time whom their every move.
ment was watched and themselves
were placed under surveillance
and subjected u countless an.
noynces and outrages, aud heli
hem I'LL the Declaration OF la,
Experimental once a bill Of in