The Goodland republic., 1902-06-27
AMERIcAN INDEPENDENCE.

~
There have been democracies in an
cient times, in both Greece and Rome,
but nothing like the American repre-
sentative democracy. Popular govern
ment among the Geeeks was In fact an
arristocracy. It consisted Of a ruling
class and the helots or slaves. In
Rome there were the partricians-the
nobiIity-and the plebeans, the com
mon people.
Both Greeks and Romans had two /
separate words for man, and the Latin /
languages today perpetuate this dis
elimination. The term for common /
man in Greek was "anthropos;n in /
Latin, "homo;" and in Spanish is
"hombre." For a noble man in Greek |
the word was "aner;" in Latin, ''vir;;" /
and in Spanish is "varOn." Even to-
day the world has not OutgrOwn these !
Determinations which are embalmed |
in the forms of speech Of the babbling
nations of the earth.
The declaration Of Independence was
the enunciation of a new idea. "We
hold these truths to be self evident,
that all men are are created equal, and
are endowed by their Creator with Ger
tain inalienable rights; that among
these are life, liberty and the puruit of
happines; that to secure these rights
governments are instituted among
men, deriving their just powers from
| the consent Of the governed"
This immortal document bases hu-
man rights on manhood without any
qualification whatever. Before God
and in purview of the law they are
! equal They are endowed by their
Creator with inaIienabIe rights" They
cannot be given to them, they cannot
be taken away from them by human
enactments except as a penalty for
crime, for which they must be justly
convicted by unimpeachable witnes-
ses.
These rights do not have to be pro-
ven, for they ''are self-evident." The
sole sanction is the will Of God, "who
is no respecter of persons" Was there
ever anything like this before? In an=
other feature the declaration Of indie
pendence was "a new thing under the
sun" 1t was a notification and mega
ton of the heretofore universally pre-
vailing idea of the divine right of
kings to rule by inheritance without
popular sanction.
This was the bOldest challenge ever
made, and seemingly contradictory to
, the Scriptures, both old and new test
aments. But it was not thus contra
/ dictory to the Scriptures. In patri-
; archaI times before the food, men
were self governed, if governed at all,
or at most the government was prtri
archal, that is fatherly. The old world
was drowned because of the invasion
of human rights; because of the cor
= ruptiOn and violence resulting from
the reign of tyrants. The Biblical mar
ative states as much.
God protested through the prophet,
Samuel, against the demand of the Is
raelites for a king like the other na-
tions round about them" The request
was granted, under protest, but they
were told that they had rejected the
divine Ruler, and were forewarned Of
the miseries that should follow their
choice through the tyranny of their
kings.
The authors of the declaration of in
dependence were great students Of his
tory and were deeply versed in sacred
lore Their lofty ideals have never
been fully realized by any government
among men on earth; and not in our
own or any other nation to day. Slave
~ was IN existence and allowed from
the first under the constitution. 1t
was removed by tears and blood in the
most stupendOus conflict the world
has ever seen.
We have moved forward and upward
but the ideal is still distant and future
Of fulhlIment. 1t is true, and lofty as
the very mountain tOps-aye, as the
: very throne of God itself. In carving
out the course of empire and shaping
national destins the declaration Of in
!, dependence, as an ideal, is a glorious
line to hew to and as lofty as the stars
The isles wait for this law. It is SYN
bOliZed IN our banner. In the time of
the Judges the Hebrew poet sang:
sThe stars In their courses fought
: against Sisera." Thus will our union
: Of states, the stars in the azure field
: ever contend against oppression until
the world is free.