Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-24

that they desire to repudiate their honest
debts, and by unjust taxation depreciate
the value of property belonging to those
who spent their money to develop the
country
Birmingham and the Birmingham dis
trict are pointed out as living witnesses
here at home where foreign capital built
up great city, opened up mines, estab-
lished industries and built railroads with
out which this particular section today
would be only % farm or forest.
No reasonable man, or one who appre-
ciates development and progress, will de-
ny the truthfulness of this argument, and
who does not appreciate this industrial
advancement. And we will go further
and say that by such capital cities have
been built not only in the south, but
throughout the north, east and west.
Even before the hidden treasures of the
south were thought of immense manu-
featuring cities had been built in the
north and east and the wheels of indus
try marked new era for America, fur
nishing work for the laborer and COM
forts for the people. But go ask the
puritan or cavalier why his ancestors
left the eastern shores to cast their lot
and make their homes among the wild
men of the west; why they left those
countries of civilization, where cities had
stood for ages and the click of industries
already become palladium of greatness.
Ask them why they gave up home and
friends and peace. bought by the blood
of their fathers, to enter the wilds of an
n pfpu ftrl1n 1ttpIr nd fhn
traitorous red man by day and roamed
the wolf and the bear by night? Ask them
what personal ambition or patriotic mo-
tive prompted them to bring the mother
and the nursing from the home of COM
fort and civilization to the barren forests
of America. Then carry this, their an
swer to the people:
To breathe the air of freedom is the
highest ambition of every nobleman The
crowned heads, lords and moneyed kings
of Europe made serfs and slaves of those
not born with blue blood in their veins,
or who did not inherit i'll gotten gains.
Across the Atlantic they could see blue
canopied sky and a sun kissed land I'M
stained by war and oppression. To 1t
they would go and there leave their pro-
geny to reap the blessings that intuition
taught would follow their efforts to
establish government of equal rights to
all, special privileges to none. and under
which every man is freeman, king and
a lord. tut
This same intuition of the fathers
turks today in the mind and breast of
every patriotic American. While the
country has prospered and progressed,
while the people of the south have seen
cities grow up like magic, while the peo-
pie OF this Immediate section have wit
messed the bowels of the earth opened
and treasures brought to the surface that
have built up industries by the thousands
and caused the world to stop and ponder
at our natural wealth and prospective
| future, yet rather than see the brawny
arms whose labor built these industries
| and whose brain, bought by money de-
| veloped these resources made slaves and
serfs to the money power. we had rather
see this district swept back to barren
| waste and become again the Indians hap
by hunting ground.
This is true Americanism. Europe
may make slaves of her peasants, but
| the poor of America will remain as free as
the bird that floats the air, until this re-
public crumbles and falls. Personal priv
ilege, justice before the law, the right of
| free speech and free ballot with guar
anteed hope that an honorable ambition
| to rise by ones own efforts to the highest
pinnacle of greatness enjoyed by free
people, is all they ask and all they desire.
| They covet not the honors, station or the
belongings of others. but demand the
| equal right to stand before the flag as
! free as any man 1t protects.