The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-07-05
Eloquent Addresses by Scott N.
LOftin and ". B. Sheppard.
EXERCISES OPENED WITH Ma
TIoNAL SALUTE OF IS GUNS,
FOLLOWED BY FLAG RAISING,
oRAToRY AND SPORTS OF VA.
RIoUs KINDs-FINE FIREWORKS
DISPLAY AT NIGHT.

The Fourth of July celebration at
new Bay View Park on Bayou Texar
yesterday was a most enjoyable and
successful event in every particular
the first celebration of the kind, in
fact, which Pensacola has experienced
in many years-and large crowd was
present.
The moving spirit in the matter was
Mayor Bliss, who made the original
suggestion for holding a general cele-
bration there and for opening the new
park in that way. The suggestion was
Immediately adopted by the residents
of East Hill and by prominent citizens
in other parts of the city, with the
result which was so pleasing to every
one who attended yesterday.
The exercises of the day opened by
national salute, of As guns, fired by
special squad from Fort Barrancas,
at noon, and at 1870 the liberty pole
was raised and then while Chaffers's
Band played national airs a beautiful
new flag, the gift of Alexander Stod-
dart, was run up and unfurled to the
breeze. As the flag was being run
up it was greeted with a flag salute
of 81 guns.
Mayor Bliss presided at the exer-
cises and in a graceful manner intro
duced the speakers. The first speaker,
Hon Scott NJ Loftin, county soliei-
tor. was introduced as one of the
young men who was rapidly climbing
into prominence in the New Pensacola.
Mr.. LOftin spoke briefly, but eloquent
ly. in part as follows:
M of4;ng. A5draee
On the Fourth of July, 1776, there
was promulgated to the world the
grandest instrument ever devised by
human intelligence, animated by love
of human freedom. On that day was
launched the first government in the
worlds history voluntarily entered
into, and there was born a great COM
monwealth based upon certain fixed
moral and political principles.
Many nations had existed before
this, but all had been the result Of con-
quest, cession, purchase or evolution.
Before then parts of nations had en-
deayored to unloose the tie that bound
the part to the whole, but never be-
fore had people in convention as
sembled given to the world a reason
for throwing off the yoke OF govern
ment then existing and proclaimed
their principles of government; never
in all history was such a declaration
sent forth as that, which on that day,
with firm reliance on the protection
of Divine Providence for its support,
the members of the Continental Con-
gress pledged to each other their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred honors
to maintain, uphold and render efica-
cious.
Other nations boast of the liberty
of the individual, but this boosted lib
erty is merely the gift from some in
dividual who by accident of birth OF
fortune is the sovereign of these peO-
pie. But we as Americans have the
full measure Of liberty, not as the gifs
of a monarch but as the inestimable
and inalienable gift direct to man from
his Creator, and which has never beea
and never will be confiscated by any
power.
From that time to the present the
annual recurrence of this day has been
our peculiar national holiday. and
throughout the length and breadth OF
this grand and glorious republic it has
been the custom, not only to celebrate
the Fourth of July with the booming
of cannon, martial music and flag-rais-
ings, but TO have read again at pub