Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1854-07-20

| was published, with "NoX popuh, yoX Del
for the frontispiece, under which was in
seribed "Where the spirit of the Lord is,
there is Liberty! And what part did hiS
city take in these early days of doubt and
tribulation? on which side did your ances-
tors range themselves, We men of Newport,
! when the axe was about to be laid to the
very roots of the tree of Liberty? "About
nine o'clock in the morning of the 9th of
August 1865, (says the old historian,) the
people ofNewport, in Rhode Island, brought
forth three etiigies, meant for Messrs. How
!, ard, Mottat and johnson, with halters about
their Necks, to a gallows near the town
house, wh-se they were hung; after while,
cut down and burnt, amid the acclamma-
ton of thousands. BY the next day, there
was time enough to hear of what had been
done in Boston. The people collected, or
rather ,ccre mustered afresh, and besct the
house of Mr.. Martin Howard, lawyer Of
reputation and writer in defence of the
Parliaments right to tax the Colonies they
DESTROYED everything, and left only shell.
They passed on to DR.. Thomas Moffatt's,
physician, who had warmly supported, in
conversation, the right, and betdped IN like
manner. They intended doing it to Mr..
Augustus Johnson, but desisted upon per-
suasion; and on his coming TO town and
giving II under his hand, that he would not
accept the office of distributor of stamps,
unless the public were satisfied, they became
quiet. Messrs. Howard and Nfosat hasten
ed on boarda ship of war for personal pro-
lection!
In 1916; and nearly twelve months be-
fore the declaration of independence, the
General Assembly of Rhode Island passed
an act providing, if amy of the inhabitants
| of that Colony should hold intelligence with
the British, or supply their armies or. fleets,
with arms or military stores, or serre as pt-
lots OH board their ships, that such oifen-
ders should incur the pain of death and the
coniscation of their estates; and the stern
provisions of this law were carried into eff
feet.
In the meantime, catching the spirit and
adopting the words used by Col. Barre in de-
bate,-associations were formed in various
parts of New England, under the name of
"THE Sons OF LIBERTY;" and / suspect
that as to them, the modem term Know
4 Nothings" would hardly apply.
Virginia, under the lead of Patrick EenIy
led off with series of resolutions. asserting
and maintaing the principles and practice of
civil liberty, as they had been established in.
that patriotic colony and Governor Hutch
inson, strong in his attachment to the crown,
wrote to correspondent, that nothing ex-
travagant appeared IN the papers, until an
account was received of the Virginia Re
solves"
Other writer's of the day asserted that the
:" Gre began in Virginia amongst the Episco-
! ,,JE1Ds-in RnS ton tho EnDarfe
tionalists, but in Newport all denominations
Quakers excepted"
And as this may be, possibly, construed
as fling, by Tory author, at that most
excellent and law abiding sect, let Inc say,
that no christians seemed more deeply i'm
4 bued with true sentiments of rational lber-
ty than those same Friends, who bring to
Us yearly meeting, and sometimes. gen.
tie shower.
In proof of this let me refer to history
again. 1t is, of course, familiar fact, to
those who have had time to peruse its pages,
that antecedently to the passage of the act
4 for taxing paper in America by means of
stamps, many of the Colonies were repre-
sented in England by agents, who resided
in London, and to these agents Mr.. Gren-
ville's intended stamp act was made known,
before it was finally presented TO Parlia-
ment.
|, Mr. Morduit, the agent for Massachusetts
scanned to be in favor of raising money by
the means proposed; Mr.. lngcrsoll, agent
for Pennsylvania, did not refuse Office in
execution of the law itself; but at the very
moment when the scheme was first suggest
ed, Mr.. Joseph Sherward, an honest Qua
ker, (says Gordon) agent for Rhode Island,
refused his assent 10 .4mertca's be ng tdred
Il 6y BRITISH Parliament and we may
therefore reasonably believe, that here in
this State, all hands and all hearts, with few
exceptions, were united in their opposition
to the pretensions of the British Crown
l And was il not so, We men of Rhode Island,
through all your Colonial History? Who
first made open resistance to the oppressive
conduct OF British revenue officers; cxercs-
ing unreasonably and tyranically, their dele
L gated power? Who burned the Gaspee?
and when and where was that daring act
performedp For the time ,cten, he il rc-
membered, that it was on the ninth day of
June lI72,-many months before the LIB
erty Boys made tea, on large scale in
Boston harbor!
For the place phere, it was in our own
river, close in upon the land, seven miles
below Providence, and as to the persons who
volunteered for this adventurous deed, let it
never be forgotten, at least by the citizens
of Newport, that they were Rholc Island
men, ALL. That John Brown, merchan,
eminent and rich, led tho boarding party,
bravcly scsonded by Capt. Whipple, TO whom
Mr.. Brown had given pledge that he would
protect and support the family Of that gal
| liant officer, ii disaster should overthrow
| him in the hazardous enterprise.
| am aware that all these things are as "a
miliar to those who hear me, as household
words and yet, upon the fourth of July, |
| love to rccur to past events; TO call up re-
collections of our ancestors; and turn back
to pages that have recorded their exploits.
And let me say here, in this connection, that
no part of the country possesses more inter
csting local associations, relating to the rev.
omtionary war, than this very city of New
port, where we live, and which we all have
| loved so much.
II The hills which surround us, once bristled
with British cannons, pixies and palisades.
Il will be observed, and with Management,
by those who houghyatiy study the history
of the Revolution, that from the very mo-
mcnt when the Brish nation first measured
their military strength with the people OF
/ New England, il was met at once, with "A
resisting spirit equally daring with their own.
u No sooner had the thunders OF Lexington
and Concord aroused the anxious but watch