The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-06-29
The Declaration OF independence.

The Declaration OF independence.
When, in the course of human events,
it becomes necessary for n people to
dissolve the political bands which have
connected them with another, n to
assume among the powers OF the earth
the separate and equal station to which
the laws of nature and natures Goo en-
title them, a decent respect to the opln-
ions of mankind requires that they
should declare the causes which lmpei
them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evi-
dent: That all men are created equal
that they are endowed by their Creator
| with certain ~inalienable rights that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness; that, to secure
these rights, governments are instituted
among men, deriving their inst powers
from the consent of the governed hat
whenever any form of government be-
comes destructive of these ends, 1t Is the
right of the people to alter or abolish 1t.
aud to institute u new government, lay
ing its foundation on such principles.
and organizing its powers in such form,
as to them shall seem most likely To
effect their safety and happiness. Prh
dence, indeed, will dictate that govern
ments long established should not DO
changed for light and transient causes,
and accordingly, all experience hath
shown that mankind are more disposed
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than
to right themselves by abOlishing the
forms to which they are accustomed.
| But, when a long train OF abuses and
usurpations, pursuing invariably Inc
same object, evinceS a design to reduce
them under absolute despOfism, IL is
their right. it Is their duty, to throw
| of such government. and to provide
new guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sutferance OF
these colonies, and such Is now the
necessity which cOnstrains them to alter
their, former systems OF government.
The history of the present king OF Great
Britain is 4 history of repeated injuries
and usurpatiOns, all having In direct OBJ
ject the establishment OF an absolute
tyranny over these states.
70 preye.this, let facts be submitted
to q candid world j.,
He has refused his assent to laws the
most wholesome and necessary for the
public good.
lille has forbidden his governors to pass
laws of immediate and pressing import
lance, unless suspended in their opera
ton till his assent should be obtained ;
and, when so suspended, he has utterly
neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for
the accommodation Of large districts of
people, unless those people would relin-
Quish the right of representation to the
legislature; a right inestimable to them,
and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative
bodies ut places unusual, uncOmforta-
Bile, and distant from the depository of
their public records, for the sole purpose
of fatiguing them into compliance with
his measures.
He hasdissolved~ representative houses
repeatedly. for opposing, with manly
6rmness, his invasions on h rights or
the people.
lie has refused, for a long time after
such dis~sOlutions, to cause Others to be
elected whereby the legislative powers,
incapable of annihilatiOn, have returned
to the people at large for their exercise /;
the state remaining, in the meantime,
exposed to all thu. danger, OF invasion
from without and commissions within.
population of these states; for that pur-
pose, obstructing the laws for naturali-
zation of foreigners; refusing to pass
others to encourage their migration
hither, and raising the conditions OF new
appropriations Of land.
He has obstructed the administration
Of j~ustice. by refusing his assent to laws
for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on MS
will alone for the tenure Of their offices,
and the amount and payment of their
salaries.
He has erected. q multitude Of new
Offices, and sent -hither swarms Of officers
to harass our people, and eat u their
He has kept among us, in times of
! peace,s standing armies, without the
consent Of our legislature.
He has affected to render military
Independent Of and superior to- the
lie has combined With others, to sub
Fject us tot jurisdiction foreign. to our
constitution, and. unacklowieaged ny
our. laws; giving bis assent to their acts
of pretended legislation:
For Quartering large bones OF armed
troops among us: sas
For protecting them, by q mock trial,
from punishment. for any murders
which they should commit on the in-
/ babitantS of these states: ~.
For cutting OF. our trade with all
parts Of the world:
For imposing taxes upon us without
-FOUR consent; 90.
For depriving US, In many cases, of
ths' benefits OF trial by jury.
For transporting US beyond seas to be
tried for pretended offenses:
+ For abolishiag the free system OF
English laws in Q t1etghboFing province,
establishing therein an arbitrary gov
eminent. and eniarging It's boundaries,
80 as to render It, at once an example
and 1T instrument for Introducing the
same absolute rule into these colonies.
For taking away oilg charters, abOl-
jshipg. our most valuable. laws, and
altering. fundamentally, the powers OF
our governments"
For s~uspending our own Legislatures.
and declaring themselves invested with
power to l~egislatea for us in all cases
whatsoever.
he has abdicated government here,
by Declaring as out OF his projection
and Waging War against ~.
He has plundered Our seas, rayaged
our coasts, burnt our towns, and de-
strOyed the lives OF our people.
He is, ut this time, transporting large
4 armies OF foreign mercenarie3 To COM
plefs the works of death, d~esOiatiOn and
tyranny already begun, with circum-
stances OF cruelty and psridity scarcely
paralleled in the most barharOus ages,
and totally unworthy OF the head OF a
civilized nattUh.
lie has c~OuSLI6luoQ OuI lcltOW -CiIiLCuo,
taken captive ON the high seas, to bear
arms against their country, to become
the execnttOners Of their friends and
brethren, or to fall themselves by their
hands. .oN
lie has excited domestic instructions
among US, and has endeavOred to bring
ON the Inhabitants of our frontiers the
Werciless' Indian savages, whose known
rule Of warfare Is an undistinguiShed
destruction of all ages, sexes, and con
, ditiOn6s
In every stage of these expressions. VIC
have petitiOned for redress, in the most
humble terms; our repeated petitions
have been answered only by repeated
injury. A prince, whose character is
thus marked by every act which may
define a tyrant, Is unfit to be the ruler OF
: o free people.
Nor have we been wanting in atten'
ton to our British brethren. We have
warned them from time to time, Of
attempts made by their legislature to
. extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction
! over us. We have reminded them Of
! the circumstances OF Our emigration
and settlement here. We have appealed
! to their native justice and magnanimity
and we have cOnjured them, by the ties
of our common kindred, to disavOw
these u~surpatiOns, which would inevita
bly, interrupt our connections and cor
respondence. They, too, have beer