Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (July 15, 1897)
a T H E TORCH OF REASON, SIL V E R T O N , OREGON, TH U R SD A Y , JU L Y 15, 1897. L ib erty an d P a trio tis m . give him power. Power is I lie test. p atrio ts has been thus g raphically to brutish beasts, am) men have So with a nation. W ith power van- described: |o8| th eir principle.” AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY MlH8 • . ... T w lie d t h e lde»» of lilierly. George III ‘•G ro u n d around a table, the F o r, Ladies and G entlem en, I RATE D e FEATT AT THE CELEBRATION . , • ? ... ... . had no conception of liberty, but glow of the lam p pouring full in cannot stand before you to-day and at W agner , O re ., S unday J uly 4 th . | #. „ ,, , \ *’ irom the hearts ol his oppressed their faces, are four persons,— a Hay th a t in this glorious land of < )ne-hundred and tw entv-one subjects it arose with a force which Boston law yer, a P hiladelphia ours all m en are free and equal. years ago, there was born in th is shook the very cliffs of E ng lan d P rin ter, a P hiladelphia Doctor, and It would seem to me blasphem ous. western w orld—a new nation— the with the thunders of freedom. and a V irginia P lanter Ingersoll says, “ Blasphem y is what Republic of the United States. To- This sam e principle led our Rev- “ Let us look into the faces of last y ea r’s bud says to this y ear’s day we have gathered to celebrate olutionary fath ers to throw off the these men. T hat m an with a bold leaf” and if I were to stan d before our nation’s birth-dav. It is on the B ritish yoke— to resist B ritish brow and resolute look is John you to -Jay and say th at this coun- this day th a t music and eloquence tyranny. On the F ourth day of Ju ly Adam s, from Boston; next to him try is w hat those patriots intended unite in proclaim ing liberty 1776, our brave and patrio tic fore- sits the calm -faced Benjam in R ush; it should l»e, it would seem hut the throughout the land. It is on th is fathers adopted as bold a political there you see the m arked face of a voice of our forefathers revibrating day th a t the sm all boy’s tire-crackers docum ent as was ever penned by printer, one Benjam in F ra n k lin ; through lime, and cheers contend for m astery. the hand of m an. T his declared a n d j a s t o f all, y our eye rests upon a To-day, orators vie with one It is on this day th a t our country the united colonies a free and inde man distinguished above ail o t h e r s an o th er hi boasting of our glorious dons her holiday a ttire and bids ub pendent nation. It did more than by bis height, the noble ou tlin e of liberty, but while they are utter- be m erry. For it was on this day this. It established a new p rin his form, and the solemn dignity of ing it, women and children are dv- that Liberty was born. ciple, laid down a new rule, or ra th liis brow. 1 hat man is nam ed ing for the w ant of bread. Tom e This should l>e a day when all er revived an idd one, th a t all m« r. \\ ashington. liberty is th a t which is productive men should be equal. T his should should be free and equal, “ These m en are all members of of happiness. L iberty -is happi- be a day when it could be said right and th a t they should have certain the Rebel Congress. They have ness. But in this “ land of liberty, makes m ight; a day when every inalienable rights, am ong w’hich met here to talk over the affairs of equality and justice,” cap ital con- body could say: “ I am my own are life, liberty, and the pursuit their country. Theii conver-ation j trols labor. C hildren toil dav in m aster; I am a free, independent, of happiness. For this principle is deep to n ed —cau tio u s—h u iried . and day out for a m iserly pitta> ce being” —a day of tru th , justice, and our fathers fought and bled For Every m an seems afraid to give u t t h a t they m a y prolong life. This mercy; a day when the piteous wail this they died. terance to I lie thoughts of his bosom. very moment some are begging for of want and woe should not m in The D eclaration of Independence Bound to E ngland by ties of ances- the scraps from p le n ty ’s table. Can gle with the music of rejoicing, contains some of the noblest sen ti try, language, r. lighrn, the very you wonder th a t hearts w ithout when every m an, women, and child m ents ever uttered. U nder it, the idea of separation seems a bias- blood enough to propel them , do should be happy; a day of actual rigid ru le of caste was to become phemy. n,,t throb and th rill a t the sound freedom, real liberty, when every extinct; w ealth should not m ake “ A. visitor is announced. Look of “ My c o u n tr y ,’tis of thee, sweet star and strip e should proclaim power and power should not govern; upon his brow, his flashing eve, as | land of liberty?” W hen I look justice; a day when every hum an the jean s should not bow down to in earnest words he p »urs forth his upon our c o u n try ’s flag, to me the being could say “ The world is the broadcloth; and th e pallid lips soul. He goes on; his broad, solid fairest upon earth , it is not the my country, to do good is my re of want and woe should not beg brow w aim with fire, his eye colors, red, w hite and blue which ligion.” from the gluttonous features of a v flashes the full light of a soul roused appeal to me, but the fond remem- From tim e of prim itive m an the arice and greed. I he tired worn into all its life; those deep, earnest brance each one brings to m ind,— tendency has been to gather into faces of children who toil through tones speak of the I ndependence oe the history they bear. The ted tribes. These tribes united against the long hours should not mark A merica — her glorious F u tu re—her speaks to me o f the blood which the wild an im als and the n atu ra l the place where wealth ends and People, th a t shall swell into count- has been shed, and which the ills of life. But finally, as these poverty begins. The dying m other less m illions— her Navy, th a t shall patriots were willing to shed in the unions allev iated danger, men be should not press the starving babe w hiten t h e utterm ost sea—her Des- cause of freedom. The white speaks gan to covet o n e-an o th er’s posses to her bossom to drow n its crys tiny, that shall stride over the of the purity of the intentions sions. H is very strength gave him But peace and plenty should every wreck of thrones to the U niversal the unselfishness which should be time to th in k of him self, gave him where abound and L iberty reign E m pire of the W estern C ontinent! our inheritance. The blue causes time to foster selfish asperations. suprem e. Here, m arty rs of every “ Then, behojd! they rise round the the stars to shine with the true He became w illing th a t his neigh creed and innocent v ic'im s of sup tab le— they press th a t man by the glow’ of constancy. The whole bor should perish if his own selfish erstitious frenzy could find a refuge. h a n d — nay, the V irginia P lan ter, speaks of my c o u n try —o f hum an- am bitions could be realized. Then In short, it was to he a governm ent W asbington, grasps both his bands ity. But think you these oppressed it was th a t people felt the real need by the people, for th e people, and and, in a voice depened by em otion, people feel any of th e s e em otions of governm ent. Before, union was all men should be free an d e q u al. begs biin to write these words in a when they see the emblem o f their strength, but now they m ust restrict 1 his, there can be no doubt, was book,—a book «bat shall he read in country waving in the breeze? Nay, themselves and governm ent was the ideal pictured by W ashington, all the homes and thundered from to them it is only bright-colored needed. Their ru d e idea of this led Jefferson, F ran k lin and P aine, for all the pulpits of Am erica.” hunting, a rag with which to m ake a them to allow’ the most powerful to the United States. As Paine said: The book was written. W ith the display. The m achinery of the rule and in the contention one m an ‘ N othing short of independence can firm belief th a t i ruth would trium ph, factories and m ills is propelled by secured th e leadership. But their bind and keep us together.” And P aine m arshailed th e legions of th e ir very life-blood. Men are idea of freedom was not realized and right here, Ladies and Gentlem en, thought th at sprang from his prolif-j growing rich upon the unpaid they began to scatter, establish new I want to pay my hum ble tribute ic brain, and on the 1st of J a n u a ry labor of others. We applaud with laws and new leaders, for, to perpet- to one of the g ran d est men who ever 1776, moved in solid colum ns bursting hearts; tears of g ratitu d e uate liberty, is the sole purpose of lived and died in the cause of free- against the citadel of ty ran n y . flow down our cheeks when we government. dom. This m an has been m aligned ‘‘F ^ ^ far th in k of those brave men who, My friends, it is Lilierty th a t has and slandered by the clergy for And th e sta rs that shine with vivid ray, tattered , shoeleas and hungry, founded every nation, every govern over a hundred years. He has been Floodingour path with still uncounted rallied in the b attle line for free- ment. I t is Liberty th a t has peo preached into hell from nearly Comes the heroic, noble, splendid P a in e .” dom. But I tell you it tak<s the pled every city, village and ham let every pulpit in the land. Would-1 A great m an is sleeping in his most patriotic kind of patriotism Lom the regions of the north to the lie kings and professed lovers of lib grave. In Thomas Paine the world to stand idly by and starve while sunny south. It is L iberty th a t erty have all united to dishonor his found a hero. Plenty banquets in h allso f splendor. Has built every college, every work memory, and it is only w ithin the W hen we think of the sp irit -of These m en are patriots tried and shop, every home. It is Liberty last few years th a t our governm ent the D eclaration of Independence, true. Some may say th at I am not that has given us Am erica. has recognized his services. Yet it the governm ent these n en handed patriotic and th a t I do not love Tinally from all these nations is due to him , th a t we are down to us, is it any w t.der th a t my country. I love my country, I England arose, she flourished, she celebrating this day, more than to we throw our hats in the a ir a n d jove n , v b u t I love h u m a n ity . conquered. She became the most a n y o th er m an in the history of cheer long and loud at th e sight of T . . ° , . , , , I th in k som e h a v e a w rong idea of powerful nation in the world. But ° u r governm ent. T hink you that the stars and strip es—old glory? with her strength she became op W ashington and the o th er early n..i r • i if I t homas i o P aine • patrio tism —a selfish patriotism . But, my friends, 1 E pressive. It has been said if you patriot« held him in light esteem? were here to-day I fancy he would To m an .v h ifl »im ply brag— boast- with to know w hat a m an really is , One of the early meeting« of these cry out, “ 0 L iberty, thou a rt fled J ing «bout our country, our scenery,