Weekly journal-miner., 1910-07-06
INTERESTING TALK
 ON TIMELY TOPICS
From Tuesdays Daily)

Fellow Citizens:
 l recall the story of a man who once
 returned to visit his childhood home,
 and in wandering about, ran across an
 oio nelghoor, who took him to task somewhat like this: John, hearn
 tel, tel that you've gotten well along up
 complain, l guess I've done fairly
 well They done tell me that you've
 got to be railroad president" Yes
 they pick mighty poor material foi
 railroad presidents where you come
 Now, I have no doubt that many of you will quickly conclude that the Fourth
 or July committee picked poor material
 for the speaker this year, but don't
 blame me. Put it on the committed hard on this celebration, and so far tne events have been a great success
 But, the committees expect no reward or praise. They do expect criticism
 for everything that goes wrong. Com
 mittees always do; so don't disappoint them. Blame me on them. When one T haven't thought about this at all, and haven't looked around any, bur
 I happened to think of you and thought
 would would ask you to speak" I objected ever accepts such an invitation with out objecting, but accepted promptly
 without giving him a chance to reflect.
 his nasty action; so have l. But, he l has been consoled by refecting that one Of his many tasks is off his hands
 off of mine. For some days I have sympathized with the Texan who was leading. a wild steer into a corral.
 half-hitched the lariat around his leg
 Just then the steer took fright, yanked
 him on his feet and dragged him a mile or so down the road. One of his together and finally brought him around. When he regained his senses.
 his friend said, What in the world your leg?" And the Texan said.
 ''Neighbor, I hadn't gone five rods
 before l realized my mistake.'- I had not gone that far before l. realized
 An English bishop travelling in al railway carriage once heard a fellow. paS swearing n mSs5 PTOfapRs bishop said: My dear fellow, wher- ever did you learn to swear in that Sas: If Cam hs sarIe6 9pswes gift" Now, public speaking, is a gift and one which I do not possess. But. though know nothing, of the art. I would be ignorant indeed if I could not, find some inspiration to say few words on this particular Fourth of July, when we are all rejoicing over take her place among the. states of the Union. Other independence days have come and gone, but this is the first one on which. we have had the end of our long struggle.
 The Fourth of July as a national
 holiday has a peculiar significance
 3thsg nations have anniveEsaTy days day; France the fall of the Bastile; but we celebrate the foundation of nation on new principle. It is: We that all men are created equal. that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instirut-- ed among men, deriving their just erned." Now this OSfns pFincipie Es itsef e is not new. And it was not new when our fathers adopted it. In one form or recognized and announced it for ages past. Men had fought and died for it since the beginning of time. Leonidas held Thermopylae for life and liberty. fought for their homes and happiness. and the English at Runnymede forced King John to acknowledge that govern ment existed by the consent of the governed. The signers of the Declara- tion of Independence did not pretend to announce a new doctrine. They brave men one hundred and thirty four years ago today, for the first l time, laid down this proposition. as the I foundation of a nation. In this sense ! it was entirely new and full credit l should be given them. No government | had ever before fully adopted it. Our | forefathers not only believed in it and | upon it. And the nation grew and | prospered. Internal trials developed it. External wars strengthened it, and | steadily advancing as the years came | and went, it soon attracted worldwide attention. The supreme test of Civil | War came, the greatest civil war the | world ever saw, and at the end the | north and south united to make the | Union stronger and greater. Critics I marveled; the three greatest scholars of three great nations, DeTocqueville of France, Won Hoist of Germany and Bryce of England. studied our govern mental system and pointed out defects which might lead to disaster. But still the Union waxed greater until it in cluded not only a mighty empire stretching across the continent. but possessions beyond the seas. and now it stands pre-eminent among the na- tions of the. world.
 One hundred and thirtv-four years is a short period in the life of a nation, and we may we'll ask why we have ad- vanced so rapidly? And the answer Is that in good times and in bad. in peace and in war, in the past and in the present. we, as a nation, have always followed those self evident truths, an nounced to them in the days of poverty and weakness and we follow them in the days of wealth and greatness. We have not polished them. smoothed the corners or altered the homely phrases.