Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-08-06
london American, july 10th.

The annual banquet of the American
Society Of London, Eng, came off in
that city on the evening of July 4th, in
the Great Hall of the Criterion Res.
tnurant.
The leading guests Of the occasion
was Hon. Thomas f. Bayard. the Amer
lean Ambassador TO England, who pro-
posed the toast, of the evening, "Tne
Day We Celebrate, and was eceived
With great applause. He said;
Gentlemen: The toast that / have
10 propose is 1.-THE Day We Cele-
brate 1t is tho 120th anniversary Of
this day--a momentous day. One hun
dred and twenty years ago it was given
to the people of the English colonies on
the other side of the Atlantic to eman-
cipate themselves from the control of
the mother country, and TO test the
great question whether responsibility
generated power, aud whether it was
safe to place the fate of people in
their own hands. 1t was momentous
question, and believe that we can to-
day, and We could before to-day. have
appealed to the intelligent sense of
mankind as to. how that question has
been answered. Whether there has not
been proven by the course of events,
not always smooth, not always safe,
sraught often with peril and anxiety
there nevertheless is given the verdict
which | believe the heart of humanity
has echoed, that free people is the
safest form of human government.
Loud applause. Liberty is strength,
and there is no government so strong or
safe as that which is anchored upon
the affections Of the people over whom
1t rules. In other words it was the
test whether the voluntary principle Of
government should prevail or the invol.
untary, and l believe that there is moth
ing SO strong as liberal institutions,
and that it is the voluntary principle
of government that is the true principle
of government, and the only one that
contains within itself the doctrine of
growth and strength. We have lived
under il in Americas; the echo and the
impulse of it has been felt here in
England, and to-day there are no two
countries in the world in which the
hearts of the people form SO much the
strength OF the government as in those
governments under which the English
language interprets the thoughts and
the feelings of mankind. We are told,
and by the highest authority, that the
heart knoweth its own bitterness, and
equally do we know that the heart
knoweth its own happiness; and there
fore in the changing conditions of man
kind the happiness of the people,
accompanied, assisted and strengthen
ing the evolution of discovery, fits he
government TO the day, to the hour, to
the necessities that make for the happi-
ness and content of the people. Hear,
hear. 1t is not bard and fast
rule. There is nothing of the bed OF
the tyrant that stretched men or
Topped men to suit his government, but
it is the recognition that as what we
are pleased to call discovery, but which
think we will all admit to be Divine
power shedding light on the path OF
humanity, that as that light is dis
closed to ns, SO our government shall
adapt itself to meet it. This is nc
shallow thought; it is no shallow
meaning. 1t brings us up in reverence
before the Power which governs the
world, and teaches us that the
highelt wisdom of mankind is to under
stand and obey the Will that governs
the world. This is the voluntary princi
pls.
This is what is the meaning of the
DAY we Celebrate. " Let parliment.
heed it, lot presidents and congresse.
heed 1t, let autocrats heed it. The,
had better hoed it. 1t is whether
thore is in humanity sense for i'll
self preservation SO great that human
governments are bound to arrange
themselves to meet it. These are yer,
grave and perhaps heavy thoughts fo
an occasion fraught only with joy, witt
gratitude, with friendship, witt
patriotism. We are most happy to
day, in the. year of our Lord, 1896, tina
We, the A american Society, meet in tn,
city of London, and find ourselve
completely at home. Loud and pro
longed applause. We arc in the sam
atmosphere of liberty that breathe i!
the United States. We are here unde
the protection of law that, whateve
may be the details Of its arrange
ments, is the same in principle as ou
own. Think, for one moment! w
Americans, standing in the heart o
the city of London, and our honoret
guest, the attorney general, is the vef
incarnation of the law of the land
[Applause We do not differ iron
him. On the contrary, we touch hi
hand, and we feel secure. The sam
make property safe, that make char
acter safe in either country are quit
the same, and therefore you see, i
fact, that an American audience ca
meet the incarnation of tho law c
Great Britain, and find that he mean
the came things that we seek for in ou
own country. On smy right hand, tn
important leader of what ! believe /
be the most important profeRsion-th
distinguished member of the preseu
government of the Empire of Greg
Britain. Here, on my left, sits a dis
tinguished statesman and publicis,
seeking the same end as his brotht
on my right, through a different part
agency. A distinguished member c
the preceding administration, honore
by both parties, by both countries
[hear, hear to whom | think, we i
America are singularly indebted Th
most marked, tho most wise cor
mentary upon American institutions
is that of Mr.. James Bryce. So hUr
we are in the unObscured atmospher
OF courteous kindness, friendship an
confidence, that plant of slow growtt
that most essential plant in the moder
Garden of Eden. Because, my friend:
il you cannot trust man, what pleal
ure have you in his society? and
you can truet him, and his counsel ma
not argee with you, yet surely you ca
learn from him, and the lesson y0
will learn from him is that men-th
honest and honorable men-seek til
same end, but frequently reach it l.
different paths.