Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-07-06
Special to Evening Teller.

Sei"eu tne + curtin with a rOusing cele-
pration. The address Of the day was
delivered by Hon. b. $. Grow of Lew
iston. MIR. Crow said:
We are met to honor the birthday
or great nation. From forty five
United States sovereign, from a land
whose expanded sway spurns now the
rocky shores Of either side OF the con-
tinent and stretches it's mighty en-
pire from the Antilles to the far ORR
entail isles there comes to us the happy
greeting of patriotic people,
For the moment we turn our faces
backward, and gaze In retrospect
along the path our nations feet have
trod. We see an immortal band of
patriots, gathered together. 100 years
ago today. to sever once and for all
the ties of government which bound
them to their tyrant mother land: we
read the lofty setting forth of their
principles of government: I'VE hold
these truths to be self-evident: That
all men are created equal: that they
are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalenable rights; that among
these are life. liberty and the pursuit
OF happiness" We read their firm
VindicatiOn of their course: "Prudence
indeed. will dictate that government
long established should not be
changed for light and transient caus-
es: and accordingly all experience has
shown that mankind are more dis
posed to suffer, while evils are suffer-
able. than to right themselves by abol-
lshing the forms to which they are ac-
customed But when a long train of
abuses and usurpations. pursuing in
variably the same object evinces a
design to reduce them under absolute
despotism. it is their right. it is their
duty. to throw off such government.
and to provide new guards for their
future security" We turn to their
concluding words of faith and mutual
pledging: with a firm reliance on
the protection of divine providence. we
mutually pledge our lives. our for
tunes and our sacred honor"
Thus was launched forth our ship Of
state to try it's fortune with the ma
tons Of the earth.
1t was tiny nation, at first. this
newborn republic of our forefathers,
and. in the eyes Of the world. and in
significant one. There was about it
none Of the pride pomp and circum-
stance of the governments of Europe.
none Of the spoil and splendor Of the
oriental despOtisms. 1t was founded
/ nj y inc in, 1afv y,
for plain principles Of truth and just
ice and there was no rosy path
stretching before the feet OF those who
| first guided the caravan of our des-
| TIMES. To succeed in securing the
! freedom Of their land to our forefath-
ers thus gathered together, meant
years of self-denial, OF patriotic ef-
fort and unselfish devotion: to fail in
/ their high emprise meant DEATH Or
the one hand was honor and glory
only attained by toll and hardship and
peril; on the other hand was defea'
with it's weary years of suffering o.
silence and the grave. o. brave heart!
they were who formed our country!
ancestry! O. noble names our patri'
otto forebears "who loved the name o.
honor more than they feared de- tn.
Sentiments like these-sentiments o.
self-gratulation and praise and graft
tude-are fitting only for an occasion
such as this The duty Of an Ameri
can citizen. aside from this one da,
in the year when we come together t.
honor our country's natal hour is no
to look to the past but the present ant
the future Of the nations progress
AS citizens OF the most enlightened
to uphold these principles of govern
ment pronounced by the fathers. anc
to take increased devotion from thei
zeal.
We know what were the principle
!, of our country 100 years ago. Arr
they still the same Are our insti
J buttons altered through this centur.
and quarter OF national growth
J MY friends. l believe that the funda
mental spirit of all our institutions \
the same now as 1t was when on
grandsires fought the revolution.
Is still a government by the peopl
and for the people. 1t is still natiol
founded under God. Abuses we ma
have. but the primary standards q
right and wrong, OF better and o
worse, throughout our whole nationa
life, are still the same.
The government of the Unite
States IL the nearest successful at
tempt mankind has made to place tn
law making power in the hands q
those who are supposed to obey tn
laws. One other nation has perhap
form Of government which is as fire.
as ours in it's main parts, but thi
other nation is still the abiding plac
OF ITS remnant of a feudal aristOcracy
eaten up by pride and class prejudice
perfect democracy in which tn
want OF every man Is registered i'm tn
analrs OF state we can never have !