The morning call., 1894-07-05
ALL ARE UNDER ONE FLAG
With a Common Heritage of
Liberty.
MUST GUARD THE CONSTITUTION
Upon the Sacredness of That Instru-
ment Rests the Future of
the Nation.

GREENSBORO, n. c., July 4. 4.-Vice-Pres-
dent Stevenson was the attraction at the
Fourth of July celebration to-day on the
historic battlefield of Guilford Court
house. The Vice-President was received
enthusiastically and made speech in
which he said in part:
"We are not strangers. The historic
traditions of the old North State are as
dear to me as TO yourselves. The blood
that courses through my veins is that OF
the men who with your brave sires. little
more than century ago, first gave to the
world q declaration of American inde-
pendence; the men who have for all time
linked the name of Charlotte with that of
Ruuemede and made your Mecklenb urg
immortal.
"In the great struggle for independence
North Carolina played no mean part. Her
sons stood in the front ranks OF those who
first bravcd the hostility and resentment
of the British crown. Her sons were t. e
first to realize the necessity for separation
and the establishment of American inde-
pendence.
''It must not be forgotten. Mr.. Presi-
dent, that the love of liberty and the
in the Mecklenburg declaration of May 20,
1775. touched a responsive chord in the
breasts of the ancestors of many of those
l now address. In pledgng their lives
and fortunes to resisting British Oppres-
sion they sounded the keynote of the
national Declaration OF Independence.
which lis years ago this day was pro-
claimed BY the Continental Congress at
Philadelphia. To North Carolina, then,
belongs the imperishable honor of having
taken the first step toward securing the
American colonies independence of the
British crown.
''But what Of the future? What will be
the verdict of history as to the achieve
ments of the present generation? In all
that makes a State truly great is North
Carolina to lag behind or keep even pace
with her sister commonwealths in the GEN.
tury upon which we are soon to enter?
With an area of more than $4,000 square
miles. stretching from the seaboard 500
miles to the western border; with breadth
of 200 miles from north to south; with a
soil happily adapted to the supply of all
material wants; with a climate unsur-
passed upon the ontinent; traversed from
north to south, from pine forest to noun
tain Businesses. by railways; her noun
tains overflowng with every variety of
mineral wealth-in a word, so abundantly
blessed with natures choicest gifts North
Carolina, am persuaded. is just entering
upon a career of wonderful material pros
perity.
This, Mr.. President, the fitting hour
and place for this great emhlage Oh to-
day, the Fourth of July, there are no State
lines or sections. But whether our abiding
place is on the banks of the ST. John or
on the Columbia; whether 1t Is on the
Eastern seaboard or on the greatest father
of waters, we ara all Americans. Thank
God we are all citiZe ms of common coun-
try 18th one flag, common history and a
common destiny. Standing upon this his
toric spot, conSecrated by the blood OF
heroes. we lift up our hearts in gratitude
to God that he has been pleased to vouch-
safe to our fathers such country. Under
this flag we have in the largest degree lib
erty-not the license of anarchists, but
liberty regulated by law. The sons of the
heroes of Kings Mountain and of Guilford
can never forget that this flag is the SYM
bol of constitutional liberty; the eternal
symbol of IAN indivisible union OF inde-
structible States
LET US never forget that all our hopes
and aspirations are bound up in the
constitution of our fathers. Guard
this constitution as the very ark of the
covenant. At whatever cost the federal
union-this grand union Of people and of
States bequeathed to US by our fathers
must be the heritage of the future penera-
.tions of our countrymen. Let him be ac-
counted the common enemy who, whatever
the pretext, would weaken the chords that
bind together ali States ana sections of our
common country in fraternal union"