The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-05
TILE OLDEST INHABITANTS.
Their Annual Meeting Yesterday in
the Carcaran DuiI.Iinu

Their Annual Meeting Yesterday in
the CorcOran Building.
The annual meeting OF the Association
of the Oldest Inhabitants OF the District
of Columbia was held yesterday at the
headquarters of the society in the Cor
coran Building.
The proceedings opened with business
meeting at which the following officers
We're elected for the ensuing year: John
William Boron, Jacob Veihmeyer, n. d.
Larner F. W. Brandenburg. Joseph Prath-
er, B. c. Wright. G. H. Langley, P. NJ.
Dubant, A. H. Raglan, and Rudolph Eich
horn, vice presidents; Joseph Prather.
treasurer; DR.. J. T. Howard, correspond
ing secretary; Benjamin w. Reiss, re-
cording secretary; ]. A. Wineberger, mar
shall.
The Declaration Of Independence was
read, according to custom, by Smith
Thompson, and this was followed by the
singing of America" in chorus by all the
members.
The address was delivered by Henry E.
Davis, a well-known member of the Dis
trict bar. He referred to the Declaration
of Independence as the chart by which the
people OF this country must depend 10
ascertain where they are and whence
they came. Mr.. Davis reviewed the petit
cal lifetime OF the nation, holding that
through the Declaration of Independence
this country and the world have been
leavened with the leaven of political lib
erty. The Declaration OF Independence.
he declared, was an act. not a political or
philosophical essay, and the only result
possible was war.
Continuing tho sneaker said In mart
Too much Importance has been given
the mere words Of the immortal paper
Jefferson wrote, and he pointed out that
while that paper declares that all men are
equal and entitled to liberty, yet the man
who drew 1t was himself the owner Of
human property. The heart Of the Declar-
alton of Independence is in the act which
gave birth to it, and not in its phrases.
The act was protest against a tyrannical
king aid his more tyrannical Ministers,
and a warning that, other means falling,
resort would be had by the people CT the
American colonies to the sword.
1.-The advancement and progress Of this
country sprang from this resort to the
sword. and it is destiny that we and the
other nations of the world must resort to
the sword even today. Without taking
Sides We may say the Boer and the Eng
lishman, the Chinaman and the allied
powers, are today fighting for what each
believes is right, and that is all our
fathers did. The people of this country
were born in blood, they walked through
blood in childhood and young manhood,
and until God changes human events we
will continue to walk through blood he
continued.
While protesting the greatest admira-
ton and respect and love for the Declare
ton of Independence and the Constitution,
neither amounts to an unalterable creed.
To blindly follow their text would be to
destroy our progress, and the very life OF
the nation Ii would be as the man who
placed an iron band around a tree and
then expected it to grow. The country
must flourish or decay; 1t must grow or
die, and taking into account the marvel
Gus growth in territory of the United
States 1t is not difficult to read our des-
tiny
THE world is today engaged in war in
many places, and the sword is the ulti-
mate debater in all things, every prin-
ciple in the history of the world having
sooner or later been vindicated by the
sword. Christ himself declared: 4 come
to bring not peace, but sword and such
will be the history of the world until in
deed the peace of which Christ preached
has filled the world"
Among the members present were: An
drew Barbour Sebastian Bauer, Charles
Behrens. Washington o. Berry, James 7.
Boiseau. William Boron. S. Thomas Brown,
j. d. Cathell J. w. Clarke, ]. Madison
Cults. w. d. Crampsey, James Croggon,
Rudolph Eichhorn. Anthony Gaegier, ID.
Geneau, S. D. Houck, Andrew Jackson. A.
B. Jackson Thomas II. Langley. T. V.
Noonan, Thomas Oliver, Smith Thomp-
son, Jacob veihmeyer, J. H. Cathell w.
II. Williams, Max Lansburgh, L. Wend-
helm, John Marbury, jr., Joseph Prather,
B. c. Wright. A. II. Raglan, J. T Howard,
b. W. Reiss and ]. A. Wineberger.