The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-05

and stripes" have led on as to victory-to tell
that we are one people, one Nation. 1t tells US
that America is for Americans and that Ameri-
cans are for America, and that no other nag is
worthy of place on Independence day. care
not where a man Yves corn PROVIDED ne mas
sworn eternal allegiance to that flag. Ii a man
is not willing to do that he is not worthy the
name of American. Fealty in this means fealty
TO liberty.
turn TO some practical thoughts OF the hour.
Our ancestors came to this country protesting
against religious and poltlcai tyranny. IL
was against tyranny that the trainers or the
Declaration of independence wrote in assert
ing themselves free and independent. The
first fame given to Thomas Jefferson was in the
Virginia Legislature in his assaults upon land
monopoly. He was bitterly opposed by the
aristocracy of the cold Dominion but he
won. The church was in partnership with the
State land monopoly and church monopoly
Jefferson broke it up. He secured the adop-
ton of a thorough system OF common schools.
His motto was Trust the people-teach the
people," Bitterly he opposed and ira
duced, but he knew he was right and thinking
people to-day believe he was right On one
occasion he wrote "The cities sometime may
rule the land-Duild them we'll
The great question confronting our Nauon
to-day is how to govern our munlclpaltles
Therein lies the danger or the safety TO our
American institutions. 1t is safe to say that ii
all good law abiding citizens would go 10 the
polls and vote with no regard Tor pollcy or
party, but to elect the best men to office, the
problem would be solved and safety to our
cities and our Nation would be assured But
the trouble is that party has been uppermost
or Indifference has caused the voter TO stay
away from what should be considered sacred
duty.
Letthere be in control those who have long
fattened from the spoils of office and run the
machines in our cities, when the city popula,
ton outnumber the country there is peril
to our Republic. The peril is all the greater
because the crisis is less imminent, ana 20
many gives no warning.
The problem of the city is to make it capable
of governing itself. To this end should be bent
all the energies of men, regardless OF party, In
order that we may maintain our institutions ON
a stable and sound foundation.
If time permitted l should be glad to speak of
many things pertaining to the exigencles OF the
times in which we live. Subjects OF great mo-
ment and Importance are more stringent I'm
migration laws equal and just taxation ana IN
tenlgent suffrage.
| believe in the Jeffersonian doctrine of
"equal and exact justice to all men"-to the
rich and the poor, to the farmer and the me-
chanic, to the banker and the miner, 10 the
scholar and the common laborer.
To harmonic with the spirit of the founders
of the Republic there should be no class leg1s-
lation; there should be no unequal or unjust
taxation; there should be the right TO worship
God according to the dictates OF conscience.
To aid and maintain this work the press should
he non partisan, and l am glad to see that
it is fast assuming that noble and independent
attitude. 80
The coming century will be filled with
events of greater moment than any preceding
it, Inventive and scientific discovery Will be-
come more perfect and potent In the advance
ment of civilization and the unity OF the races
Electrical discovery, now in its infancy, Will
become the great energy OF the future. Free
thought and right views, based on the eternal
truth, will be seen with clearer vision. Inc
, brotherhood of man and the fatherhood OF
God" will be q doctrine to more thoroughly
and truly permeate society. The Development
of higher thoughts, purer motives, nooier Prln.
ciples and aspirations, with more periect
governmental and social conditions OF lie,
will come as an inspiring force to mankind
There should be no words of sympathy for
| ! rIA DrIId fncfnr o0tQ 0n1
different creeds. No praise for those who
would encourage warfare between labor and
capital. No plea to urge for the indo!ent and
lazy who will not work. But there is some
thing to say when hard and graspfng monop-
oily combines to choke the Likelihood out OF the
Nation by crowding the mass OF worthy people
to the very verge of pauperism and ruin.
There is something to say when great corpora
tons and combines declare that men cannot
be elected to office unless they obey their be,
hests; when the courts are often corrupted
for place and pelf. 1t is time to speak boldly,
TO act wisely, and stamp down and out wrong
doing in what are esteemed high places. NO
fears, no threats, should deter from pleading
for humanity and human rights-that doctrine
promulgated by Washington and Jefferson and
contained in the Declaration OF independence.
Miss Minnie Powell sang the Battle
Hymn OF the Republic" She wore an
appropriate costume and was apprecla-
lively applauded. Then came the event of
the afternoon, the speech of Miss Shaw.
If did not already feel at home in San Fran
cisco, surely these events of to-day would wear
away all strangeness. 1t may seem somewhat
out of place for a citizen OF the Atlantic coast
to stand here ana say word in honor of my
country's birthday. And it might be as 1t
seemed if this were a San Francisco celebra-
ton. But it is more than that. 1t is not even
California nor Pacific Coast celebration. 1t
is Nations celebration, and whether the citi-
zen stands on the eastern coast, where the
| beams of the rising sun come as a glory of
| hopeful greeting out of the waters of the At
| lantlc, or on the western coast, bathed in the
| chromatic glories of the sun sinking into the
| Pacific whether at Niagara's wonderful beau
| ties, facing foreign nation; whether man or
! woman-every citizen may turn his eyes to-
ward the flag and forget all sections, all divi-
! sions, and remember only that this is my native
| land and that am citizen OF the greatest
! Republic that the world has ever seen. And
| therefore say, no man or woman is stranger
| to-day wherever the American flag floats.
! l rejoiced to see but the one flag in your pro-
cession to-day. However much we may re-
| spect, however much we may sympath1Ze with
! the poor and downtrodden of other nations,
| we should keep this one day sacred to the
| memory of our own Nation. / rejoice not only
| in the one flag that waved in San Francisco to-
day, but that your celebration has been Amer
| lean in another sense. 1t has not been a cele-
! bration of individuals, but of families. No
celebration can be American that does not take
! in the whole family.
| The Declaration of Independence was first
given to the world by Thomas Jefferson, but
| its spirit was born into this world hundreds of
years before that. 1t came to the world when
| the people gathered on the housetops of Joppa.
| 1t was given by him who said, whatsoever We
| would have others do unto you, do ye so unto
| them" 1t was that spirit which inspired the
| pilgrim fathers when they intrusted their souls
| TO God and their bodies to the Mayflower.
] AT the head of that group of dauntess heroes
| stood the Elder Brewster, and the welfare of
| the others depended much on his wisdom and
his courage; but the welfare of that company
depended no more upon Elder Brewster than
| it did upon Mrs Elder Brewster, with her thir-
teen small children. Since that time ours has
been Nation OF families, not a Nation OF indi-
| viduals AS our freedom has grown so has our
family life prospered; as the Nation grows
| purer and better the family life becomes more
perfect, and the freedom of the Nation and the
Nations perpetuity finally rest upon the integ-
| ritv cf its family life.
| For every brave man IN this Nations history
| there has been and there is brave woman
| In its hours of need the country has Quickly
nr,d 1T,