The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1901-07-05

Gentlemen:
wish at the outset to thank you for
the kindness manifested by the invi.
tation given me to address you. AL
though we belong to the same geo.
graphical section of Florida, and not
withstanding that hail from town
which lies at your very door, and
within three or four hours travel of
your city, this is the first opportunity
1 have ever enjoyed of speaking to an
audience composed mainly of the
people of Marion county and Ocala.
And approaching more highly than L
can express in words the invitation
extended to me, wish to thank you
sincerely, as do, for the opportunity
which it affords me of meeting and
addressing the people of Marion coun-
ty and of this section of the state.
lam also glad to be here and to
WItucSS luc CtIuChCCS vi elOWt h ohu
development which 1 see on every
hand. We all remember too well the
great disaster which overlook Flor.
ida's leading industry few years ago,
a misfortune the like of which no Sec
ton has ever experienced since civil
war killed and devastated in the
South more than third of a century
ago. This great calamity fell heavily
upon all portions Of South Florida,
more upon some sections than upon
Others, but today the tracings of its
lev fingers are almost obliterated, and
the town of Ocala-that gem among
the cities, of the state-thoroughly
imbued with the spirit of progress, is
still abreast of that wave of advance
ment now passing over the South,
and which embraces Florida, in its on
ward march. Situated in one of the
most fertile regions of the state, the
center of county, the resources of
which are unsurpassed, with people
active, energetic and progressive, no
city in Florida has brighter future
than has Ocala, and none I venture
to predict will surpass her in future
growth and development.
But my friends am pleased to meet
you for other reasons. We are all
American citizens, and as such no day
appeals more strongly to our pa
triotism, our love of home, Of coun-
try and Of liberty than does the day
whose anniversary We are now cele-
| brating. Diversified, it is true, are
the vacations which follow. Some of
us may belong to the so-called learned
professions; others may follow mer.
chantile and kindred pursuits, why
many may belong to that larger and
more important class, known as the
laboring classes.
But whether lawyer or physician,
| preacher or layman, merchant or
clerk, farmer or mechanic, our every
hearts throb is in unison with the
/ sentiments which gave birth to the
day we now celebrate, and we all
alike stand with uncovered head in
the presence of that flag whose stars
and stripes, even in the face of pass
ing history, are still the emblem of
liberty, as they are of national and
majestic power, and whose folds only
wave today, whether over native
land or foreign shores, as result
of the triumph of those principles
/ which make this day dear to every
true American heart.
But time was when the flag meant
| more for humanity than it does today
when the Declaration of Indepen-
dence was respected and revered by
those in high places, but that time
though recent, is not now: ard in
view of the events, of the immediate
past, the conditions which surround
the present, and the uncertainties
which cloak the future, it is fit and
proper that American citizens should
gather here and elsewhere through
out the land on this day to commem-
crate the birth of liberty on Ameri-
can shores, and to pledge anew their
devotion to the principles which have