umber of times and fight again.

Over the entire territory, so to speak, then settled by our forefathers,
they were driven again and again. Now and then they would meet the
English with something like equal numbers, and then the eagle of victory
would proudly perch upon the stripes and stars. And so they went on as
best they could, hoping and fighting until they came to the dark and
sombre gloom of Valley Forge.

There were very few hearts then beneath that flag that did not begin to
think that the struggle was useless; that all the blood and treasure had
been spent and shed in vain. But there were some men gifted with that
wonderful prophecy that fulfils itself, and with that wonderful magnetic
power that makes heroes of everybody they come in contact with.

And so our fathers went through the gloom of that terrible time, and
still fought on. Brave men wrote grand words, cheering the despondent,
brave men did brave deeds, the rich man gave his wealth, the poor man
gave his life, until at last, by the victory of Yorktown, the old banner
won its place in the air, and became glorious forever.

Seven long years of war--fighting for what? For the principle that
all men are created equal--a truth that nobody ever disputed except a
scoundrel; nobody, nobody in the entire history of this world. No man
ever denied that truth who was not a rascal, and at heart a thief;
never, never, and never will. What else were they fighting for? Simply
that in America every man should have a right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. Nobody ever denied that except a villain; never,
never. It has been denied by kings--they were thieves. It has been
denied by statesmen--they were liars. It has been denied by priests, by
clergymen, by cardinals, by bishops and by popes--they were hypocrites.

What else were they fighting for? For the idea that all political power
is vested in the great body of the people. The great body of the people
make all the money; do all the work. They plow the land, cut down the
forests; they produce everything that is produced. Then who shall say
what shall be done with what is produced except the producer? Is it the
non-producing thief, sitting on a throne, surrounded by vermin?

Those were the things they were fighting for; and that is all they
were fighting for. They fought to build up a new, a great nation; to
establish an asylum for the oppressed of the world everywhere. They knew
the history of this