The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-07-17
CHESTER GARRATT'S SPEECH

iHu ever yOHt III pItStuI dSSuTtS
hat they had a good time. Chest,
\. Garratt, Esq, of this place, d
ivered a patriotic address to Il
ssemblage in which he pinched Il
agle's tail and made it scream. H
.ddress follows:
We meet to-day to commem-
crate the 136th anniversary of
the American Declaration of In
dependence. 1t is entirely
proper that we do this.
Everywhere to-day in this land
there is evidence of patriotic
devotion. There is a cessation
from work in every mill and
on every farm. Congregations
of people are assembled every
where to do honor to this day,
and to perpetuate among the
future generations a feeling of
patriotism and a love of coun-
try.
Since the beginning of this
country the people were by
necessity Independent. They
had settled in faraway
new and unconquered world.
They had severed their national
connection with England and
every other foreign power.
Only their technical allegiance
remained. When they came,
they were poor. After they
came, they became self-sustain-
ing. Their labors fell d
the mighty forests and
cleared the stubborn land.
They forgot their own battles
of life in their forlorn struggle
for existence. They fought the
Indians. They erected their
own churches and schools and
cities. They were independent.
That is what some one
million American people had
been thinking for a hundred
years. That is what Great
Britain was made to think on
July 4, 1875, when the intent
and purpose of the American
colonists was reduced to writing
and the whole word made ac-
quainted with the fact. But
that was not the beginning.
Before there was a nation there
was a constitution. Before
a constitution I h
was independence. Before
there was a union there a peo-
pie. If we wish to know the
cause for the American Inde-
pendence we must view the
character of the people.
We must then look across the
Atlantic. From Northern
Europe they came. From Eng
land, Ireland, Scotland, Nor
way, Sweden, Germany, France
and Holland they came. They
were sturdy people. They were
reared for generations in a
cold and treacherous climate.
The weakest of each genera
ton succombed to disease.
Only the strongest survived who
transmitted added strength TO
each succeeding generation.
They were commercial peo-
pie, enjoying a monopoly of the
sea trade and enduring its
hardships. They were the
intrepid Norsemen and the
bloody Anglo Saxon, all fear
less, honorable men, knowing
no superior and recognizing no
over lord except their duly
elected leaders. They were
freemen and in the largest sense
were independent men. Their
decendents fed to this country,
fed from the religious tyranny
that prevaded northern Europe
neither would they tolerate po-
litical tyranny. They loved lib
erty, and guarded with jealousy
their sound human rights.
Between 1920 and 1860
there had been incessant politi-
cal strife between the colonists
and Great Britain. For the
most part they had their local
legislatures fer their self-govern-
ment. A law adopted by any
colonial government was sus-
pended in effect until the wish
of the king was known. This
would take months and even
years. The effect of the law
was interferred with. The evil
the law sought to prevent was
allowed to go on. The rem
edy was slow. The wheels of
justice rolled heavily but slowly
on. The law was beset with
difficulty, injustice, inequity
and crime were on the throne.
In 1860 George III ascended
the British throne. Anxious to
regain the ancient power of
British kings, colonial matters
were made worse. The condi-
tion of life in the colonies be-
came unbearable. The crown
wanted all privileges, all favors,
all allegiance, all loyalty, and
in turn gave nothing. Patrick
Henry declared that govern
ment was a conditional COM
pact between the king and the
people, stipulating protection
on the one hand, and obedience
on the other. The king had no
right TO veto an act of the
Virginia legislature that was
for the good of the people
which he did. Therefore the
king had violated his part of
the compact. He was a tyrant
and by so doing he had forfeit
ed his right to allegiance.
Such was the conflict until
the declaration of independence
stated our exact position. That
liberty and independence, the
cherished hOna Of Our fOrafath-