The Beatrice daily express (Beatrice, Neb.), January 30, 1892
TOM PAINE’S BIRTHDAY
Ingersoll and Conway Laud the Praises of the Dead Atheist.
New York, Jan. 30
The 186th anniversary of the birth of Tom Paine was celebrated at Chickering Hall, in this city, under the auspices of the Manhattan Liberal club. A large audience was assembled in the hall to hear Robert G. Ingersoll and Moncure D. Conway discourse on the virtues of the apostle of religious liberty. Colonel Ingersoll was liberally applauded when he rose to speak. He prefaced his remarks by saying that it was not simply a duty, but a privilege, to help rescue the reputation of a great and noble man from the slander and ignorance of hypocrisy.
We must remember that for many, many ages mankind was governed by two ideas—one that all power to govern came from the clouds, came from some king of kings, and that they occupied their thrones because it was the will of Him who sat in sovereignty above all. The man of whom you heard so much took other grounds and said that the power to govern does not come from God and must be retired from politics. This power to govern comes from the consent of the governed. It is due to the efforts of Thomas Paine more than through the efforts of any one man whoever tried the western world that the experiment was tried here on our land. I need not say that it was an amazing success. The church has been like a coiled viper on the grave of Thomas Paine since 1809, and whoever has attempted to defend him they have attacked.