Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1915-07-01

Hill MI SM Hill has become q common heritage Oh
llIIkJTSH<IS6IDl the people of our land. Many an
lt6fT@=@516 American considers 1t part of
go a patriotic duty to muse upon the
imaginative picture entitled THE First Fourth
of July" which some historical writer has painted
upon his vision.
In fancy he sees Independence hall In Phila-
delphia and the Continental congress with its
rufled shirts, long cloth coats, knee pants silk
stockings and low shoes sitting with dignity, but
listening spellbound to a wonderfully strange and
entirely new document called THE Declaration Of
Independence"
In fancy he even hears the popular acclaim
of That is Just what we all say!" and 1T is
we'll worded, Mr.. Jefferson" Then the mind pic
lures the various delegates to congress hasten
ing forward eager for the honor of fixing their
signatures to a sheepskn document.
The scene changes to the ringing Of the great
liberty bell. to the assembling of the people at
Philadelphia who applauded the reading of this
bill of rights and to the final closing of the day
with every man. woman and child in Philadel
phia happy because he Is no longer a British
subject having become a free American in Il
single day
Such vision pictures heroic scene; but the
true record Of events does not affirm that these
so-called happenings took place on that me-
morable day. BY blotting out the imperfect de-
tails of the picture the Fourth of July is in no
way robbed of any Of its glory.
An authentic account of what transpired at
that time changes the meaning of the Fourth of
July from one day to about sixty in which the
whole history Of our national liberty is told and
the heroic heartthrobs of the sorely tried colo.
nists keenly felt.
The day itself properly symbolizes the liberty
for which the patriots of that time stood ready
to sacrifice their lives in order to launch the
United States as a national craft which should
be anchored by no weight of foreign despotism
It time OF danger when brother, friend
and neighbor became estranged by reason of
political opinion. Some colonists still loved the
mother country with true English PRIDE while
others were so embttered by the injustice of the
sovereign across the seas that they willingly
gave their all to the cause of the people of the
new land.
During the latter part of 1774 George Wash.
ington himself wrote that thinking man
among the coonists wanted to separate from
England. and Franklin ridiculed the idea
During the early days of the revolution the
ibluecoats never dreamed of separating from the
beloved land Of their ancestors. In fact such a
course would have been condemned by Amer
cans themselves as treason. Jefferson declared
that prior to April 10, ITS, he had heard no whis
per Of the disposition of anyone to stand from
under the governmental power of Great Britain
The inevitable, however. came with the spring
of 1776, when local assemblies began formal dis.
legislative bodies possessed but little power but
they did a great part In crystallizing the senti.
ment for independence In many quarters and
forcing those opposed to the idea to declare their
inmical attitude.
The good work of these small legislative bodies
was reflected and magnifed as soon as the dele
gates were sent to the Continental congress
Then the spirit Of liberty permeated the very at
mosphere of the national assembly and many an
tO
with the new cause.
If, June T. 1776, there had been an extra
paper" to have informed the public of the latest
political news one might have read the harng
headlines Richard Henry Lee OF Virginia the
Man of the Hour" for 1t was he who on that day
started the Fourth of July 1t was this south.
erner who introduced the first declaration of In
dependence In congress declaring the American
people free.
Good judgment dictated the caution of omit.
ting John Adams name from the minutes, as
the second to that motion. yet the fact is known
today, when there Is no army of redcoats wait
ing to seize patriots rebels
Too much praise cannot be given to the In
PRODUCTION of Lees resolution, yet II was to the
credit of the Continental congress that action
was not forced upon such an important measure
at that time. 1t could not have succeeded until
all objections had been silenced all fears of
Englands success allayed until all were con-
scientiously convinced that the cause Of liberty
was just. 1t was imperative that all should look
the Goddess of Liberty squarely in the face with
a devotion to follow where she should lead
AS no agreement could be reached on June 7
the resolution was laid over until the next day,
when 1t was again postponed for consideration un-
I'll July /.
In order that the cause of liberty should not
be retarded during this watt congress at that