Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-07-08
TRIBUTE TO THE SIGNERS

Although the Fourth of July has
passed, the following tribute to
the signers Of the Declaration of
independence, from an address by
Ex-Vice President Adlai f. Steven
son, is timely:
Let us turn for a moment to the
Continental congress assembled in
independence hall in PHILADELPHIA
on the Fourth day of July, 1776.
One act Of insult and oppression
upon the colonies had followed an
other in rapid succession until the
time had come when the representa-
uVes OF the :DI)lies were to decide
in favor of abject submission to
tyranny or to resolve to he forever
free and independent. Upon the
one side were the ties of country and
a common ancestry, upon the other
rebellion against the mother country
and the co nencement of a strug-
gle the end Of which no man could
foretell; upon the one side unquali-
fed submission to the dogma OF the
divine right of kings" upon the
other war with the greatest nation
of the globe, with independence as
the prize of victory and with defeat
as surely the forerunner of infamy
and death.
The men who signed this Dec
laration were not unmindful of
the grave responsibilities which
they assumed. 1t was no rash act
on their part. They we'll knew that
Great Britain would never permit
these colonies to be wrested from
her grasp without a struggle.
They well knew England with her
untold wealth, her powerful army
and navy that made her mistress
of the seas, was foe to be respected
even by the strongest government
upon earth. To the imperishable
honor of the signers of this Declara-
ton be it said that they did not
hesitate when the dread issues of
that hour were to be decided.
The gospel of universal liberty
had been proclaimed to the world.
For ages mankind had believed there
was "a divinity which does hedge a
king" The world was now startled
from its lethargy by the declaration
that resistance to tyrauts is obedi-
cnce to God" The new gospel
proclaimed by the signers of the
Declaration of independence was in
conflict with that by which the world
for generations had been governed.
Boldly and uncquivocally it chal-
lengcd the doctrine of the divine
right Of kings. The barons of
England at the point of the sword
had wrested from an unwilling
tyrant that Magma Charta which for
ages had been the palladium of
English liberty. Again and again
during the long line of the pre-
decessors of George Ill. some darl-
ing of pcrogative of kingly power
had been grudgingly conceded to an
cxaspcrated people. But these
were mere efforts to restrain within
bounds, not to destoy, the. one man
power.
Our Declaration of independence
solemnly announced as a self evil
dent truth that all men are born
! equal. II proclaims as the cardinal
4 feature of the social compact, as
the very cornerstone of civil govern
4 ment. the absolute equality OF all
men. Governments were declared
j to have been established among men
4 for the benefit of the governed.
q What a glorious inheritance is this
a Declaration! What lofty statesman
d ship is breathed in its every ut
4 terance! Well did the great com
4 moner Of England exclaim, "Th'
men who can so write deserve to DC
8 free.l'
Il Whence came the men who signet
Z this Declaration? In what schoo
: of politics or philosophy did the!