It was the spirit of
'76 that led Washington to consecrate himself, his time, his wealth,
and the grandest men in the country to consecrate themselves for the
accomplishment of the grandest of facts. The Continental Army was an
army of plowmen and artisans, poorly armed and poorly clothed. Baron
Steuben, when he came to this country with Lafayette to organize our
army, declared that the only regularity that he saw was, that the
short men were put in front and the tall men put behind, and old
Putnam gave him this explanation, that Americans didn't care about
their heads; they only cared about their legs; shelter their legs and
they would fight forever. Baron Steuben attempted to organize those
troops, but lost his temper and swore at them in three languages at
the same time. [Laughter.] But the spirit of '76 led to history.

We maintain our free institutions by moral force. Our twenty thousand
soldiers scattered here and there wherever they can find an Indian to
shoot is hardly a respectable police force. [Laughter.] The founders
of this Republic knew that freemen are soldiers in the disguise of
citizens. Let the tocsin of war be founded; let a foreign foe invade
our shores; let an insurrectionary body arise in our midst, and a
million of freemen, armed to the teeth, will "Rally round the flag,
boys, rally once again." [Vociferous applause.] It is difficult for
immigrants coming to this country to appreciate this fact. They pass
through the land and see no gens d'armes, no standing armies, and
rarely a policeman. [Laughter.]

The true American stands forever on duty, a soldier of the Republic in
the disguise of a citizen, the custodian of the Republic's life. Out
of such a citizenship comes the moral sentiment which in its
aggregation is public opinion, which is mightier than standing armies
or floating navies. [Applause.]

A third attribute is the individuality of the citizen, out of which
comes the collective man, our national life. We have exalted the
individual; the American citizen is a republic of one. Whether we have
fifty millions, or ten millions, or a million, whatever may be the
ratio of our population, the Government recognizes the individuality
of the citizen as paramount. As God is the center of the universe, and
Christ the center of the church, so the citizen is the center of this
Government. All its laws, all its administrations, all its soldiers in
the army, all its guns in the navy, are for the prote