Now, it happens that we meet together once every year, sometime about the 4th of July, for some reason or other. These 4th of July gatherings I suppose have their uses. If you will indulge me, I will state what I suppose to be some of them.
We are now a mighty nation, we are thirty---or about thirty millions of people, and we own and inhabit about one-fifteenth part of the dry land of the whole earth. We run our memory back over the pages of history for about eighty-two years and we discover that we were then a very small people in point of numbers, vastly inferior to what we are now, with a vastly less extent of country,---with vastly less of everything we deem desirable among men,---we look upon the change as exceedingly advantageous to us and to our posterity, and we fix upon something that happened away back, as in some way or other being connected with this rise of prosperity. We find a race of men living in that day whom we claim as our fathers and grandfathers; they were iron men, they fought for the principle that they were contending for; and we understood that by what they then did it has followed that the degree of prosperity that we now enjoy has come to us. We hold this annual celebration to remind ourselves of all the good done in this process of time of how it was done and who did it, and how we are historically connected with it; and we go from these meetings in better humor with ourselves---we feel more attached the one to the other, and more firmly bound to the country we inhabit. In every way we are better men in the age, and race, and country in which we live for these celebrations. But after we have done all this we have not yet reached the whole. There is something else connected with it. We have besides these men---descended by blood from our ancestors---among us perhaps half our people who are not descendants at all of these men, they are men who have come from Europe---German, Irish, French and Scandinavian---men that have come from Europe themselves, or whose ancestors have come hither and settled here, finding themselves our equals in all things. If they look back through this history to trace their connection with those days by blood, they find they have none, they cannot carry themselves back into that glorious epoch and make themselves feel that they are part of us, but when they look through that old Declaration of Independence they find that those old men say that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," and then they feel that that moral sentiment taught in that day evidences their relation to those men, that it is the father of all moral principle in them, and that they have a right to claim it as though they were blood of the blood, and flesh of the flesh of the men who wrote that Declaration [loud and long continued applause], and so they are. That is the electric cord in that Declaration that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together, that will link those patriotic hearts as long as the love of freedom exists in the minds of men throughout the world. [Applause.]
Now, sirs, for the purpose of squaring things with this idea of "don't care if slavery is voted up or voted down" [Douglas's "popular sovereignty" position on the extension of slavery to the territories], for sustaining the Dred Scott decision [A voice---"Hit him again"], for holding that the Declaration of Independence did not mean anything at all, we have Judge Douglas giving his exposition of what the Declaration of Independence means, and we have him saying that the people of America are equal to the people of England. According to his construction, you Germans are not connected with it. Now I ask you in all soberness, if all these things, if indulged in, if ratified, if confirmed and endorsed, if taught to our children, and repeated to them, do not tend to rub out the sentiment of liberty in the country, and to transform this Government into a government of some other form. Those arguments that are made, that the inferior race are to be treated with as much allowance as they are capable of enjoying; that as much is to be done for them as their condition will allow. What are these arguments? They are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world. You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden. That is their argument, and this argument of the Judge is the same old serpent that says you work and I eat, you toil and I will enjoy the fruits of it. Turn in whatever way you will---whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent, and I hold if that course of argumentation that is made for the purpose of convincing the public mind that we should not care about this, should be granted, it does not stop with the negro. I should like to know if taking this old Declaration of Independence, which declares that all men are equal upon principle and making exceptions to it where will it stop. If one man says it does not mean a negro, why not another say it does not mean some other man? If that declaration is not the truth, let us get the Statute book, in which we find it and tear it out! Who is so bold as to do it! [Voices---"me" "no one," &c.] If it is not true let us tear it out! [cries of "no, no,"] let us stick to it then [cheers], let us stand firmly by it then. [Applause.]
#1
For me, in this time, reading Abe conjurs up a mental image of contemporaries whom I have come to admire - and for the same reasons I admire Lincoln and Jefferson and Franklin, et al. They all share the awesome ability to, what some might call "craft", though I prefer to think of it as distill complexity down to simplicity - retaining all of the elegance and simple majesty of clear thought - down to truth. I have come to think of these pieces as perfect logic boxes - and if that phrase diminishes the result, please substitute your own. No charts or gimmicks or fudged numbers or trite memery. Just simple, inescapable, unassailable, rational, logical summations of complex issues into a form that, except for those with physical debilities such as ADD or terminal prejudices such as BDS or Moonbatism, even the simplest man or woman can follow, comprehending the whole of it at every step, and see the beauty of an argument well-made and fairly-won.
Though the volume of a million information channels available today might give the impression this ability has been lost to a cacophony of luridly perverse paranoia, self-serving propaganda, and political partisanship, I must disagree. The truth is out there, lol, just heavily masked by the vast mediocrity and outright lies. The test of an assertion lies in knowing the difference between inductive logic and deductive logic. The fools and tools of the propagandists and meme whores and posturing pretenders are purveyors of inductive reasoning. Simplified, yes, to simple-minded, simplistic, solipsism. On the other hand, a perfect modern example of the art which explains this difference beautifully - authored by one of those contemporaries whom I deeply admire - Stephen den Beste. Understanding this difference intuitively is the individual's defense, his armor against the insanity, his filter to separate thejewels of wisdom and sagacity from the trite or malicious.
As I thank Abe Lincoln for this perfect and majestic logic box demonstrating the wisdom of granting equality, I thank Stephen den Beste for giving me the perfect and majestic tool with which I filter out the cacophony and find the less obvious, but equally valuable jewels in today's information deluge. A tool designed to separate the wheat from the chaff, to reveal the difference between shit and shinola. Heh. My sincere thanks to them both.
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. . . .
. . . We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/04/2005 00:13 ||
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Sigh. Today the DhimmiWits would filibuster this - demanding, EU phonebook-style, a few thousand "special" sections to house their constituent insanity bits.
#3
Perhaps so .com, but it's still a tremendous document - something to be fiercely defended.
I'm also wearing my American Eagle 'e pluribus unum' cufflinks (bought in Washington DC no less) today in recognition of all the good things the US has done over the last 229 years, and will be having a sherbet with some American colleagues after work...
Happy fourth of July you ex-colonists!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
07/04/2005 4:44 Comments ||
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#4
Thank you,Tony.I would like to invite you to partake of a traditional 4th of July repaste,burgers and dogs(over Mesquite charcol)
#5
Thanks Tony. Sorry it didn't work out, it was for the best etc. We can still be close. Yes, I'll always remember that day at RunnyMede. Please stay in touch.
#6
Tony, do the British celebrate Runnymede every year? If not, why not?
If you neighborhood school doesn't teach your kids about the Magna Carta, get the book "Magna Carta", by William Swindler (awful name, excellent writer) out of the library. It should still be there somewhere if your library's part of a large system. Excellent description of Magna Carta's evolution into the English Constitution, which spelled out the rights our Founding Fathers desired for America.
#7
Mom Ima expect Tony has a damn fine understanding of the relationship of the MC and the DOI. It's hard to imagine but it turns out that the Declaration of Independence was written by of all things..... Englishmen.
#13
why not say that from the land o' the free, TGA - you're welcome to join! Probably 26 sponsors from Rantburg alone
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/04/2005 17:25 Comments ||
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#14
Back from my couple of drinks now...
Raptor, thanks for the invite - I'll burn something later on and pretend it was a BBQ. It'll probably be the oven though, this is the English summer after all...
Shipman, you crack me up! - I'm sure we can still be friends, and yes, the relationships between MC and the DOI are not lost on me, which is one reason I absolutely despise the European 'project'. We, the English, have lost our way a little recently, but the core is still there.
Oh, and the range of accents over here is amazing - born and bred in Laahndun, live in the North East and can't understand 50% of the words that a true Northumbrian says to me (that's about 20 miles away). That's a total distance of 300 miles between London and Northumbria and it might as well be a different country (actually, it nearly is - Scotland!) .... ;)
And Barbara, that's a great story.
Now you guys have a great day and I totally agree with TGA , Happy Birthday America!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
07/04/2005 17:44 Comments ||
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#15
Frank G, many thanks...
But you know... There is work to be done here.
"By Liberty I understand the Power which every Man has over his own Actions, and his Right to enjoy the Fruits of his Labour, Art, and Industry, as far as by it he hurts not the Society, or any Members of it, by taking from any Member, or by hindering him from enjoying what he himself enjoys. The Fruits of a Man's honest Industry are the just Rewards of it, ascertained to him by natural and eternal Equity, as is his Title to use them in the Manner which he thinks fit: And thus, with the above Limitations, every Man is sole Lord and Arbitrer of his own private Actions and Property."
#16
Thanks for the kind words from our overseas contingent. TGA, what Frank G said goes double for me. We'd love to have you.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/04/2005 18:12 Comments ||
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#17
Same here, TGA.
In looking for Cato, some old Roman guy, I came across this - On November 5, 1720, the first letter from Cato (pseudonym for John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, honoring Cato the Younger, whose dedication to principles of liberty led him to oppose Julius Caesar) appeared in the London Journal. Many more followed, reflecting the ideas of John Locke, soon making it England's most influential newspaper, and leading to collections of Cato's Letters that were, according to Clinton Rossiter "the most popular, quotable, esteemed source of political ideas in the colonial period."
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/04/2005 20:33 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
