Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-07-21

Shall he, like Cromwall, advise, consid-
er, postpone decision? No. The Am
ericanism of Washington spoke in
stantly, he declined it. Like a Gibral-
tar, he hurled back the ocean tide of
Monarchy and the sea was still. See
him at Annapolis, come to render up
his commission to them by whom it
had been conferred; think what a COM
mission; think when it had been ac-
cepted; how it had been executed; and
how it had been resigned. The Faith
ers of the land are met in council.
But not a word is spoken. The past
rushed back upon their memory.
They recall the time when the Amer
lean people stood forth, burning with
indignation, but without PREPARATION.
without military supplies, without re-
sources but their their own strong
limbs and their own strong hearts,
like an unarmed giant single handed
and alone to meet the conflict.
While the perils of war had given
temporary strength to the confedera-
ton, peace developed it's fatel weak
ness. 1t derived no authority from the
people and could not appeal to them.
Anarchy threatened its existence at
home and contempt met it's
tative abroad. But through the gloom
there shot a flame which flashed
athwart the sky Illuminating the com
ing century, and kept bright the bea-
con fire of liberty. Tho reward of
thousands of years OF struggle for self
government is to be paid. During that
immortal gathering of 1887 the dan
gerous spirit of compromise seized the
members of the convention. The al
turing cry "Let us not put our labor
upon conclusions which the o people
will not adopt" was gathering strength
with each hour and threatened to DIES
troy the great object for which they
had assembled, But Washington
brought them to a sense of duty. He
said, IF to please the people we offer
what we ourselves disprove, how can
we afterward defend our work? Let
us raise a standard to. which the wise
and honest repair; the event is in
the hands of God" Party leaders in
every age and country have sunk into
oblivion or lead their party to defeat
by surrendering their convictions to
passions of the hour; but Washington
in this immortal speech struck the key
note of representative obligation and
enunciated the great principle of con.
stitutional government. From choas
comes order; from insecurity comes
safety, from di~sintegration and civil
war comes law and liberty. The gov
eminent of the states under the arti-
cles of confederation became bank
'rupt because it could not raise $4,000
wv, the government of the Union, un-
der the constitution of the U. S. raised
six thousand million dollars. The
government of the confederation
fled from a regiment which it could not
pay, the congress Of the Union saw a
million of its soldiers returning victor
ious from n of the greatest civil wars
the world has aver seen. In the COM
promise of the constitution the eye of
Washington saw evil and danger. AL
ready he could hear the voice Of nullif-
cation, and he could see the slave power
rise to secession. At last those fears
were realized, but the Americanism Of
Washington carried the Nat on
through that peril and still stands to.
day pointing the way to us.
On with the growing crisis does the
spirit of Washington travel until at
last Robert Tonnes proposes to call
the roll of his slaves on Bunker Hill
Warren aid not die to ~consecrate that
soil to such a purpose-and soon the
Americanism of Washington is incar-
nate in the person of Abraham Lincoln
whose startling challange in the great
debate with Douglass rang through
the whole land-a summons to battle.
GA house divided against itself" be said,
Cannot stand. Ibelieve this govern
ment cannot endure permanently half
slave and half free. I do not expect
the Union to be dissolve. I do not ex-
pect the house to fall, but I do expect
that it will to be divided" To
enforce that expectation he called a
million men to arms. Again the sword
of Washington cleaned in the fire war,
nor did it rest till the Union was saved,
No conquerer was aver accorded such
a triumph, no ruler ever received such
a welcome. 1t was the glory of the
people and the privilege of the cities
to receive him with every civic honor
at their gates and entertain him as the
savior of their liberty. Washington
was the only man who could take the
helm of state, as he wa the only man
who could stand against the teachings
of a century and the passions of
the hour. Hamilton and Adams
%vindicated the merits of the constitu.
ton with a force of reasoning. a
copiousness and variety of illustratiop,a
charm of style neversurpassed and that
will perpetrate the fame of their elo-
quence. But the eloquence that car.
ried it through was the eloquence of
Washington's life. The French revo-
luton defied God and dared the law,
Washington r%everenced the Deity and
believed liberty impossible without
law. He saved the infant government
from q fatal ENHANCEMENT in the wars
Of policy of Europe and expelled the
French minister who had appealed
from him to the people. Washington
was great in his goodness and good in
his greatness. In him was concentrat-
ed the purest and best of other mems
powers, the genius order, energy and
daring of the hero controlled and d.
rected by the judgment of the philoso-
pher, the wisdom of the sage chasten-
ed and purified by the disinterested-
ness of the patriot and the piety of the
Christian. R1nt from tho norotoe ~,