The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-26

and though menaced by savage and
treacherous foe, deprived of all the conf
forts and conveniences of civilized life,
never lost one jot of heart or hope, but
undaunted by defeat famine or pesti-
lence. fearlessly continued the struggle
till they had wrested this fertile land
from the Indians, and successfully re-
sisting the tyrannical rule of a king,
established government based upon the
sovereignty of the people, and whose
rights for the first time were protected
and secured by the solemn guarantees OF
a written constitution. Freed from the
tyrannies of the feudal system, the bind
ing shackles of religious intolerance, In
heriting as their birthright a l{e of
liberty and hatred of oppression, that
Anglo-Saxon race whose encroachments
this fort was erected to check, denying
the divine right of kings, repudiatins
the ancient doctrine that the right TO
govern mankind was vested In the privi-
legged few, swept with resstless might
across the continent until one flag waived
between the Atlantic and the Pacific over
a. new nation, which had consecrated this
land as a theatre for the mightiest
achievements of the Anglo-Saxon race.
From a little fringe of states border
ing on the Atlantic this republic has
grown into a mighty empire, and It's
wonderful growth and prosperity is large
ly due to that inspiring influence of that
splendid system of constitutional govern
ment established by the loving care and
wisdom of the fathers. The fundamental
principles of free government which JET
ferson proclaimed in the immortal declara-
ton, and which were afterwards en-
bodied in the guarantees of the constitu-
ton will never grow obsolete We should
not forget in this day when me privileged
few are too often allowed to use the
i f1r C vaftt
that the one fundamental purpose which
our constitution sought 10 accomplish
was to secure the right of the individuai
man, to overthrow special privileges and
to open wide the doors of opportunity 10
each individual citizen and to American
commerce and American labor. The wise
men who framed our organic law We're
versed in history, and Its lesson had
taught them that every effort TO maintain
free government in the past had failed be-
cause the privileged few had selfisnfy
seized the agencies of government as in
strumentalities to increase their individ-
ual power and wealth at the expense of
the interest of the masses of the people.
IF we are to prove worthy of the
splendid heritage of civil and religious
liberty transmitted to us by the men
who established our government we
should not forget that ours is a gov
representative government, and that
our peace and security can alone be
found in that majestic supremacy of
the law under which alone can be read
the history of government whose in
stitutions were founded upon the rights
and forfeited by the intelligence of the
people.
Let us here today recall the wise
words of Abraham Lincoln when he
declared: If destruction be our lot.
we must ourselves be its author and
| finisher. I hope / am overwary, but
| If l am not, there is even now some
| thing of i'll omen amongst us. l mean
the increasing disregard for law which
pervades the countryside growing dis
position to substitute the wild and
furious passions in lieu of the sober
judgment of courts and the worse than
the savage mob for the administers OF
| Justice
Let us today learn a lesson from the
lives of the men whose heroic conduct
this fort commentaries. Their devotion
to duty, their heroic self-sacrifice, their
unwavering loyalty to constituted au-
thority, their obedience to law and their
| patriotic desire to advance the interests
of their common country. whether French
or English should furnish inspiration to
us to consecrate ourselves anew to the
service of both state and nation, and re.
new our faith in those fundamental prin-
cirles of liberty which we enjoy as the
| fruit of their sacrifice and TOLL