Milford chronicle., 1952-07-04
JULY 4TH 1852

JULY 4TH 1852
In July of 1776, John Adams of MaSsa-
chusetts wrote to his wife Abigail: ION this
day Congress adopted q resolution Of lnde-
pendence and this day will be remen-
bered throughout all history"
Adams knew, as all men know, that free
neutrality-suspicious. always taken, not
given. To Adams, to Washington, Jefferson,
Franklin to those who sought it, success
meant freedom and self-gOvernment. Failure
meant the rope and gallOws for those who
raised revolt
The resolution Of Independence had its
roots in the new environment Of America.
Men who came to these shores expected free
DOM They had hope, whether they came as
free men or as cOnvicts Setting forth to
conquer a continent, they created a conscious
ness of strength and will to be free.
July 4th is not remembered in history
because of a resolution of independence. 1t
is remembered because that resolution was
guaranteed by the pain and the misery Of
ordinary men.
The odds were fearful and many times
the leaders of this movement for Indepen-
dence must have been horribly afraid. There
was not unity among the RevOlutiOniStS.
There was neither cooperation nor cOordina-
tiOn. Not more than One-eighth of the able
bodied men in America served in the Cont
mental Armies The pOpulace was divided,
Thousands Of ColOnists left the country;
y others espoused British arms. While Ameri-
can soldiers hungered and died in the ice of
Valley Forge farmers who were their cOun-
trymen sold their produce to the enemy in
Philadelphia.
That these men won Independence from
the most powerful nation of the world is in
many ways miracle. The greater part of
that miracle was courage.
The issues that were Joined in 1776-
liberty and independence against OppreS-
sion-now seem to lock the earth in the i'm
minence of conflict. Once again, this people
are set against tyranny from abroad. On
July 4, 1852, we are proud and grateful for
the precept of July 4, 1776-the miracle of
courage.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS!
In this fateful year of 1852, it would be
well to remember that the 4th of July is
officially known as Independence Day.. And
it would be we'll to reflect how far we have
travelled the easy, dOwn-hill road to DEEPEN
DENCE 4. dependence on Government reg
ulatiOn, dependence on Government handouts,
dependence on the myth that we can work
less and get more, dependence on the fallacy
that we can keep on spending what we
haven't got.
On this independence Day, as heretofore,
there will be speakers, and bands, and par
AIDES. There will be the usual patriotic ges-
lures. But there will be many who will pre-
sent the traditional spirit of American In
dependence as something unhOly, something
destructive of the public welfare, and who
will argue that no one must be self-reliant,
lest through energy and initiative, he achieve
more than his neighbOr.
Equality is not the goal of the New Deal
Fair Deal sophists and the wealthy hangers
on, who have had every thrill that money can
buy and now seek another. They are the
heralds of mediocrity- -for-all, and of depen-
dency on political conspiracy to suck in the
substance Of all the people and redistribute
it Where it will buy the most votes and de-
strOy the most ind:vidualism.
It's long way back to the Independence
Days when Orville Wright and Admiral
Peary were every boys heroes, when the in
tOxicating smell of burned black powder
hung in the air and it was perfectly legal tC
be exhuberant and make a noise (eyen al
daybreak) without the benefit of a loud.
speaker when our country enjoyed the
respect Of the world, and we had no thought
of buying it when we walked softly anC
carried big stick, instead of Dragging Oi
our virtue and our power while waving fast
shrinking dollar bill.
Wen never see those "gOld old days
again, Of course. It will never be that kline
of world again. And by the same token, oul
need for real strength, not window-dressing
grows alarmingly day by day. Foreign poll
cies flow from domestic policies. They do no
spring full-Down from even such brain a:
Acheson's or Marshall's. These policies mus
reflect the TEMPER of the people, if no
their explicit will And our present attitudes
in Asia and Europe are those of a peopl