The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-05
The Fourth Revived with
Much ECIat.
Continued from Page Five.)
lg purport and application of their

ing purport and application of their
Words.
Shallow sophists haze criticised the
declaration that all men are created
:, nal. The great men of 1776 were
akng of the rights of man and the
or alton and alteration of government
AMI in that respect they declared the
equality of men-eQuality before the
aw, equality in the right to life, Ii
betty and the pursuit of happiness.
They knew, as we know, that all meE
dr.. not equal in capacity, in physical
strength, in personal beauty, in the
pos> ession of property. in social con-
dition, nor in any other Of the Incl
dents o. accidents OF birth and tor
ne. But in that which goes to make
q man, his rights they declared with
[. rvor and force that 'all meE are
created equal.
1.-THE rank is but the guinea stamp
mans d man for a that"
The declaration that "all men are
created eQual' has been thus under
stood and endorsed by the hard COM
mon sense of the people of North
Cc.rolina fur to this hour it is in the
first article of the Constitution of lhc
state Indeed the whole preamble to
the declaration, With slight change,
now constitutes the first three sec
tons of our State Constitution.
Prior to our Declaration of these
great foundation principles of gov
eminent at Philadelphia, 12S years
ago this day, governments We're
founded on force and were maintain-
ed for the exercise of special priVi-
leges by the poSseSsCrS of great wealth
who usually constituted themselves
hereditary nobility. A standing army
applied the force, the minds of men
we're dominated by a state church and
courts, where they existed, were Of
ficered by judges appointed by the
sovereign All these, king, nobility,
judges, army and church were paid
out of the earnings Wrung from he
very toilers whom they were organic
ed to keep in subsection. They took
from the mouth of labor the bread it
had earned. 1t was treason, punish
able by death, in is most horrible
form. TO even suggest q change in
this government which those in pow
er declared to be the best of all pos
Sible government and existing by di-
vine right.
It is we'll once a year in this busy,
hurrying age to reread the magnii-
cent declaration which gave us libcr-
t. as well as independence. In this
arc striving to secure, and not entire
~ without success, the real control Oi
government without alarming the
people by a change of it's outward
form, it is well to consider the evils
Of a government of money by money
and for money, from which we were
rescued by the patriotism and sacri-
flee of themselves rY the generation
of 1875. 1t is we'll once a year at
least to renew our allegiance to a
government of the people and to
lcaIZe that as the spirit of the equal
ty of all men before Cod is the Spirr
Of the only true religion the world
has ever known so the spirit of the
equality of all men before the law is
the spirit of the American Declaration
of Independence. While these shall
abide in us we shall remain free. ZAP
rs and Independent and worthy de-
Scendents Of the martyrs, patriots and
sagcs whose tolls and Suf1erIn!<S won
for us the priceless blessings of civil
d"d religious liberty.
After the singing Of the hymn
America" the benediction was pro-
nounced by DR.. NJ. M. Marshall and
the meeting was over.