The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1905-07-05
FOURTH OF JULY
The Birthday of the United
States of America.
ESSAY BY SAMUEL L. COfFEY

On the 10Th of November, 1868,
at the dedication of Gettysburg
National Cemetery, the immortal
Lincoln u e d these eloquent
words: 'Four-score and seven
years ago our forefathers brought
forth upon this continent a new
nation, conceived in liberty and
dedicated to the proposition that
all men are created equal" In
this statement he had reference
to the Fourth Day of July, 1776,
the time of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, and
the real birthday of the United
States of America. The two
leading men in framing and sup
porting the Declaration were,
Thomas Jefferson and John
Adams, the one having written it
and the other being it's strongest
champion in debate. 1t is re-
markable coincidence in our ma
tional history that it pleased God
in his wisdom to remove these two
distinguished statesmen from the
scene of their earthly labors eX-
actly fifty years after they had
signed the Declaration, and on
the same day of the same month.
This was indeed a new" ma
ton, a novel experiment in
worlds history of nations, the
first real republic of modern times
and time and experience have
proven that it was, in truth,
conceived in liberty" and re-
cognizes all men as ''equaP' be-
fore the law, based upon the
Constitution of the United States.
Could such a new and untried
form of government be establish
ed and maintained? 1t was with
out precedent, without chart or
compass to guide it. If it could
be established. put into opera
ton, and worked we'll it would
be an incentive to other nations
to establish similar forms of gov
erement; but if it was found
to be a failure, then republican
form Of government was at an
end. The colonies existed under
the Articles of Confederation,
and this was perhaps the fore
runner Of the present form, but
the present form cannot be class
ed throughout with any of the
ancient forms of government. 1t
was this departure from all exist
ing forms that distinguishes it
from all other nations, either
ancient or modern.
Had there been no Declaration
of independence, which with the
Constitution are t h e Magma
Charter of our liberties, this
country most probably would have
been one of the dependencies of
Great Britain, as are Canada and
India. Our forefathers by force
of aims, were able to establish
the immortal principles contain
ed in the Declaration of indepen-
dence, and to-day the American
people have the estimable heritage
of h is, the grandest of all
achievements in the Western
Continent, or perhaps the world,
for themselves and their posteri-
ty for all ages to come. This
feeble experiment has grown UNI
til at the ptesent time all the in
dependent nations on the West
ern Continent have practically
adopted it, and two important ma
tions in Europe. Certainly it has
exerted much influence in modi-
flying the forms of government
of some of the great nations of
Europe, aiJ at the present time
there is a strong sentiment in
several of these nations in favor
of a more liberal form of govern
ment. The Democratic Republi-
can spirit is abroad in those
countries demanding popular
government for the masses in
stead of the present monarchal
form. In many respects the