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n no - ... J V VOLUME XL FRANKLIN, N. C, FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 192S NUMBER TWENTY-SIX A r i i Patrick Henry's Stirring Call .When the Virginia Patriot Delivered His Immortal "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," and Thus Moved the Old Dominion to Arm for the Coming Revolution. 0e hundred and fifty years ago In St. John's church, Richmond, Va., Pat rick Henry stood before the now famous convention and. delivered his immortal "give me liberty or give me death" speech. Virginia's delegates had convened to consider whether or not to organize an armed force to re sist The. soldiers of the British king. Revolution was In the air. The Dec laration of ; Independence was little more than a year away, Cut opinion was divided among the planters of the Old Dominion. Some would' arm in Mlf-defense, others trust to his Brlt- WL it J i i v ' " 111 II tiv Ish majesty to right the wrongs they were suffering. If It came to revolu tion -and the revolution failed, their . ieada wjre -at stake. ; Thera needed, the lnfpact of eloquence to move the. convention to Join with the patriots of other colonies. That Impetus was giv en when Patrick Henry arose and ad dressed the convention. When he had ' finished, the convention adopted reso lutions calling for the organization of ' militia, and the taking of such other steps tfs would put the colony in a state of defense. The speech follows: . "Mr. President, It Is natural to man to Indulge in Illusions of hope. ' We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us Into beasts. : Is this the part of wise ' men, engaged In a great arduous strug , le for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who, hav ing eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not "the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to, know the worst and . provide for It. "I have but one lamp by which ray v feet are guided, and that Is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of Judging of the future, but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the con duct of the British ministry for the last ten years to Justify those hopes with '"which gentlemen have been . . pleased to solace themselves and the house? Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has lately been re ceived? Trust it not, sir. It will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss, rrr- ' An 'Appeal to'- Arms.-""11 ! 41 Ask yourself how this gracious re ception of our petition comports with these warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work jof lore and reconciliation? Have we ishown ourselves so unwilling to' be , ireconclled that force must be' called . ln t win back our love? Lef us net (deceive ourselves, sir t These are Implements of war and subjugation; 'the last arguments to w,hlqh kklngs re t Wrt." I ask gentlemen, sir, what means T,jthla martial array, If Its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can , igentlemen assign any other possible motive for ItV- Has Great Britain any enemy In this quarter of the world to call for all this accumulation of navies and nrml(?s? No, sir, she has none. ;They are 'meant for us; they can be . imeant for tu) other. , They are sent 3 over to bind and rivet upon us those -chains which the British ministry have - jbeeh so long forging. And what have " we to oppose to them? Shall we try ifiigunicnt? P.tr, wo hfjve been tlrins Saint John's Church, at Richmond, Virginia, Where Patrick Henry Made His Fiery Appeal St. John's church, Richmond, Va., one of tho most famous meeting places during the Revolution, It was nert that Patrick Henry, that fiery-tongued orator, In his speech denounced the articles of the English king to enslave the Colonists (March 20, 1775) In his famous, speech which ended "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be pur. chased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Aljnighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death." tuai ior rne last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the sub ject? Nothing. ; We have held the sutiject up in every light of which It is capable ; but. it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? Wrhat terms shall we find which hare not been already ex hausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer. "We- Must Fight." "Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert , the storm which is now coming on. We have pe titioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne and have Implored Its Interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and parliament. Our petitions have beeu slighted ; our remonstrances have pro duced additional violence and Insult; our, supplications have been disregard ed, and we have been spurned with contempt from the foot of the throne J In vain, after thes things, may w jwwiwftjjk:'.... . Interior of St. John's Church. Indulge the fond hope of pence and reconciliation. There is no. longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free If we mean to preserve Inviolate those Inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged and which we have pledged. Ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our con test shall, be obtained we must fight l An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that Is left us I , Llbsrty or Death." "They tell us, sir, that we are weak ; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. , But when shall we be stronger? Will It be next week, or the next year? Will It bo when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard -shall bes stationed in ' every house? Shall we' gather strength by Irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resist ance by lying supinely on our back and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall ..have bound us hand and foot.? Sir, we are 11 An hour within the llttlo church I ate ! vv here Patrick Henry's voice was heard to ring, Housing- his friends affalnat a greedy king, Calling to arms all lovers of the State. I seemed to see his eyes In high debate Flashing1, yea, fett my heart for action spring To attention, and heard the northwlnd bring -The sound of clanking chains! and rose, elate, Swearing, as many a patriot soul did . swear, That come what may, not slavery should be Man's heritage, but freedom, evermore. Bo lives the power of eloquence, ' so share We In the feasts of Immortality, Drinking the wine that Mberty doth pour. not weas, u we'make a prope use of these means which the God of nature hth placed In our power. Three mil lions of people, armed In the holy cause of liberty, and In such a country as that which we possess, are In vincible by. any force which our en emy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall 'not fight our battles alone. There is a Just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to srht our battles for us. The battle, sir, In not to the strong alone; if Is to the vigilant,' the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, It Is now too late to retire from the contest. There Is no retreat but In submission and slavery! Our chains areforged 1 Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston ! The war Is Inevitable and let It come I I repeat, sir, let It come. "It is In vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, 'Peace, peace,' but there Is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps, from the. North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field ! Why stand wo here idle? What is It the gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Al mighty God 1 -1 know not what course others may take; but as for me, give ine liberty or-give me death!" ""If Omaha Is Planning for Greatest Legion Meet Plans for accommodating a hundred thousand visitors who will attend the national convention of the American Legion to be held In Omaha, Neb., October 5 to 9,. are being made, ac cording to announcement by A. H. Richardson, general chairman of the 1925 national convention committee. "Mr, Richardson said: "Omaha will be the mecca for Legionnaires and visitors from all parts of the world during the national convention. Plans are being completed that will make a "bunk" available to every veteran and visitor who wanders Into the city, for what promises to be the greatest gathering of 'tfrsr veterans. Thirty one hotels, five clubs tviih dormitories nnd 50,000 homes will be thrown npen to the visitors. Railroads entering Omaha are setting aside adequate trackage where the pullmnns that carry the boys can be parked iurlnf the meeting." FROM A PRISONER A PRISONER In the federal prison at Atlanta, Ga., asked for writing material and a check book bearing the name of a Rhode Island bank. When the guard handed them to him, he sat down on his prison bunk and wrote: "American Legion Endowment Fund, "National Headquarters Ameri can Legion, , "Indianapolis, Ind. "Dear Comrades : I herewith enclose : a check for $15 as my "contribution towards the celes tial fund that has been under taken by the American Legion, for the purpose that carries the high Ideals of the noble work of the organization. "May I ask you to kindly piace this small amount to the alloted quota that Is required from the state of Rhode Island organiza tions of the American Legion. "I regret exceedingly, dut to my present position, I cannot give to you my physical assist-' ance for the success of this drive, but assure you of my sin cere good wishes and confidence In your work, tour comrade, etc." Fireworks and the Fourth Fireworks have been associated with the Fourth of July from the be ginning At the time of the sigulng of the Declaration of Independence John AdnSns In a letter . to his wife snys the following: 'it (Independ ence day) ought to be solemnized -with pomp and parades, with shows, games, sports,' guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from ono end of this continent to the, other, from this time forward forevcrmore." (Copy for Thl Department Supplied by the American Legion New Service.) WHY THURSTON IS HONORED BY IOWA Lloyd Thurston of Osceola, Iowa, is the first veteran of the. Spanish-American or World wars to be elected from Iowa to the house of representatives. ( Congressman Thurston Is a veteran of both these great conflicts and Is an I enthusiastic member of the American Legion. He was elected to his pres ent position In 1924 by the greatest majority ever received by a congre slonal candidate in his district. Lloyd lhurston. Following his World war service, Mr. Thurston was elected to, the Iowa state senate. He wns especially actlva in the interest of soldier relief legis lation. Iowa has many measures of i this type on her statute books. Cap tain Thurston Is responsible for the greater part of them. He is the author of the soldiers' preference law, which gives thousand of former service men Jobs which otherwise would go to others. Hli soldiers' tax exemption measure grants, tax exemption of certain amounts t all veterans of the Civil, SpaxHab' American and World wars. Another measure exempts all prop erty belonging to service organizations from all taxes." Yet another grants td former nurses all the relief privileges given to former soldiers, sailors and marines. "Mr. Thurston Is a charter member of Isaac Davis Post, No. 60, of th Legion. At the beginning of thev Spanish-American war he enlisted at the age of eighteen as a private In the Fifty-first Iowa Volunteer infantry. He saw service with his regiment In the Philippines. At the beginning of the World war he was commissioned a captain. He served throughout the war. 1 Born at Osceola,, the congressman has made his home there all his life. He graduated from the law school of the State University of Iowa and served two terms as county attorney. Big Saving in Fees to World War Veterans The saving In attorney's fees of nearly $2,000 to incompetent World war veterans In Livingston county, New York, Is the effect of a decision handed down by Adolph J.. Rodenbeck, Justice of the Supreme court In the county. , ' The decision' marked the, first vic tory of the Livingston County Ameri can Legion committee in action taken to establish lower attorney's fees In the cases of 10 Incompetent veterans. The veterans had been defrauded of more than $50,000 by thole guardian, George W. Scott, former attorney, who Is now serving a 20-year term for em btzr.lement. Litigation Involving the surety company which bonded Scott followed with the attorneys for the company asking the court to sanction a fee of $300 In each of the 16 cases. The Le gion went to the bat for the veterans In court, holding that the fees were exorbitant, and their contention was sustained by' Just?ce Roden'beck's decision. git - i X A 'l i i irv n 1
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June 26, 1925, edition 1
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