The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-07-04
COL. HOWLETT'S ORA ION
An Eloquent Address Upon the Pro-
sreSS Of the
GREATEST NATION ON THE EARTH
From the Days OF the Revolution
Down Through Decades OF Time
TO the Present; Then "A glimpse at
futurity.

THE HERALD herewith presents the sd-
dress to be to-day delivered by Col. l.. s.
Hewlett, In commemoration Of the ma
tons birthday. 1t is safe to predict that
no other particular feature of the celebra-
ton will be more pleasing. The thoughts
here following are patriotic and full of
feeling, and they are couched in language
easily understood, yet nevertheless we'll
rounded, rhetorical and eloquent. THE
HERALD congratulates the orator on the
effort
Felloo Citizens:
1t is with deep feeling OF pleasure at
the honor conferred upon me by your
committee that l stand here to-day to
maintain our American custom of cele-
brating the birthday of our national in
dependence. 1t is indeed distinction
to be, for however brief time, the one
voice through which thousands OF patri-
otto hearts find expression.
1t 10 not An occasion where one stands
among his fellowmen as q teacher--for
who can teach the glorious impulse Of
Unborn patriotism Even words we'll
chosen to express this sentiment are but
as the painted rose to the living flower
1t is not day for dry. historical recital.
1t is not time for closely-argued dis
cussion OF party principle, however
wisely might be the truth put forth--but,
rather, our annual occasion for self gratu-
lation that we live in the land of the free
and home of the brave. Time cannot
weary US nor repeated utterance make
stale these phrases born OF freedom, up
held by war and sung over again in
peace. We know the theme--we know
the story, and we know the words, yet
would we have them again, as We would
have all phases of our national eelebra-
ton repeated every twelvenonth and
sorry will be the day for our people-msy
it never come-when we cannot revive
our country's story, standing by our
homes, face to face in joyous celebration.
The present is defined as point Of
time behind which lies all the past and
before which stretches all the future.
Standing on this point Of time, every
tick of the clock is taking from the fu-
ture and making of it past. Broad in
deed must be the sweep of that mind
that can in prophetic mood name coming
events faster than they are licked off by
the memorable passing of the hours, days
and years. Yet all history is made by
an unerring, onward tread, as sure-footed
as though the journeys end were known
and the fellow-travelers along the road
were boon companions.
Standing ON this point OF time and
looking back, what do we see? First, q
vast continent unmarked by any evidence
Of civilization. Not q human being
among all the scattered tribes living for
those high purposes which animate our
breasts to- day. There was q patriotism
that glorified conquest and shrunk from
humiliation patriotism that reached
for the power to tyrannize, and savage
glorification OF bravery that shrinks not
from butchery, but not the patriotism Of
q protected homestead and liberty that
loves to see all mankind free, asking no
conquest beyond security in rightful
possession. Next We see q few ships
creeping toward that continent, guided
by bold hand. and then more ships
aud more, until some of the nations Of
the world as it was four hundred years
ago left a few OF their people TO try their
fortunes. The British Isles were 80 rich
and overpeoplei that time was found for
religious quArrels, and a few came away
as final argument against dogmatism
to set up and fight for new dogmas. The
Netherlanders, corpulent with mercantile
success in the East, came trading across
seas and remained with their new land
of venture. France undertook to carry
the cross of Christ up every stream in
the new continent, became diverted by
the worldly occupation OF trapping and
hunting, ana remained to fight in the
front ranks for liberty. Germany fol-
lowed her Dutch cousin and landed in
the tair fields of Pennsylvania, where
patriotism swells to-day; while Spain
came for gold and found it. Later her
children to the south OF us began to fight
for liberty and they have been fighting
ever since. They have a bewildering sue
cession of phases to their Liberty, which
cannot be established by one great revo-
luton, as ours was, but must, perforce,
be fought over again every year, instead
of being settled once for all and then eel
ebrated on each succeeding fourth OF
July.
1t 10 interesting to note that in the be-
ginning and always, even to these later
days of the nineteenth century, they
have been coming. Never returning
these children of the liberty-loving ma
tions of the earth. The servile races
sent no colonies and have no lot in all
we own. Men with vigor from the pro-
gressive races struck out across seas and
were equal to every emergency on their
way to freedom. These were our FORE
fathers, and it is ktheir spirit which fills
our hearts to-day. They gave us liberty
and babe US hold firmly to it. On each
fourth day of July we shout back to
them our thankful admiration and say
we will.
And so we see them coming and COM
ing and never going back, ralIying from
the hillside and rallying from the plains
shouting the battle cry of Freedom.
At first it was but dim shadow of the
liberty that came later. Indeed, fancy
that they little knew how we'll they were
building. But there was growing spirit
OF discomfort at oppression and unfair
treatment from the government left be-
hind, and the rulers there grew alarmed
over 30 much shouting for Freedom.
Things we're getting serious, and the
rulers who never came except to collect
taxes, undertook some offensive reforms.
Now real reforms are never made by
rulers. They are always originated by
bold and able thinkers, and it transpired
that we were not without them on our
new continent. Franklin and Jefferson
and Paine we're the central figures in q
group that needed but Washington to