Arizona republican., 1909-09-23
ANNIVERSARY
Of FREEDOM
C0|ofed Residents Celebrate
Emancipation Proclamation
FESTIVITIES At THE PARK
Concluded Last Night by an
Interesting Program In
Guiding a Congratulatory
Address by Gov. Richard
E. Sloan
FESTIVITIES At THE PARK

issuance of the emancipation proclaim
alton, on it's forty-sixth anniversary,
was concluded at Eastlake park last
night, the chief feature being an ad-
dress by Governor Sloan. The meet
ing was under the direction of Rev.
Mr. Bray There was a brief musical
program, after which Mrs. w. r. Davis
of Washington. ID. c., rendered The
Party" by Paul L. Dunbar. the poet of
the negro race, and who would have
been a very good one of any race. A
great deal of the elocutionary art was
displayed by Mrs. Davis.
Rev W. r. Davis delivered an in
spring address of ten minutes and
was followed by the governor, who
said:
1T is forty-seven years since Lincoln
signed the proclamation which has en-
shrined his memory in the hearts of a
grateful people and made the name of
the great emancipator .revered by all
lovers of liberty throughout the world.
Ii was an act of tremendous moment
in the history of civilization on this
continent, as indeed in the history of
the whole human family. 1t is not. an
exageration to say that the emancipa-
tion proclamation ended an old and
marked the beginning of new era.
THE old was one in which the ideals
of human liberty were restricted by
considerations of race, color and the
accidents of birth. b, The new is one
which recognizes the equality of men
of every race and color To the enjoy
mani nf fba ,,rirnarx- an1 hasic rich 70
to go and come as one chooses, to
labor and to enjoy the fruits of ones
labor in ones own way. and to share
alike in the protection of the law
From these primary rights grow sec
ondary rights of great importance to
the individual. These relate mostly
to education, to religion and to the
state. Some of these are now univer-
sally recognized and generally prac- 4
ticed. Others are in dispute and only
partially recognized and practiced. No
one. however, who has given thought
to the subject can fail to recognize the
revolution wrought in the concepts of
men as to this matter of human lib
erty in the past half century. The
abolition of human slavery was a step
forward toward the perfect ideal of
human freedom. 1t must, however, be
admitted that great though it was,
still it was only n step. l said
ago that there has been
revolution wrought in the concepts of
men as to the human rights. ! should
rather have said evolution, because,
after all. this change has been but a
the laws which determine and control
the history of ideas as clearly and
as do the laws of nature
throughout the domain of physical be-
ing. The life of Abraham Lincoln IL
lustrates this.
In the early part of his political
life his views of slavery were much
the same as those entertained by most
of his time who were of
the same political school. 1t was an
evil. but a necessary one, to be re-
stricted ito the states where the in
was firmly established In the
laws and social organization. Gradu-
ally as his character developed, as his
mind widened, as his sympathies en-
arged, he saw and realized the mean
ing of slavery. not alone its cruelty.
for that l have no doubt has been
exaggerated. but it's effect
upon the nation, and particularly its
1emoraliZed effects upon the people of
the slave states. For l am persuaded
that the curse of slavery fell most
bitterly upon the white people of the
south and that this grew in intensity
his great heart and mind were stirred |
in sympathy. not only for the poor
slave, but also for his master, and
those millions of poor whites who
shared the evils but not the profits
Of the institution. He not only saw
the evil, but he saw more clearly than
the ardent abOlitionists of the day that
the real problem was to remove the
of human slavery in this
without destroying the nation
in its uprooting In other words,
Lincoln was an opporttIist
in the sense that he was willing to
bide the time when the reformation
he longed to see could be brought
about without the destruction of the
union and the loss of all that the union
had contributed thus far to the world
and the cause of human liberty and
freedom Therefore he waited patient