Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-06-24
John Wilkes--An Interesting Chapter
from English History.

About century ago, hourlshed the celebrated
JOHN Wilkes. We condense the following
brief sketch of his public career principally
from ArrLEroH's New American Cyclor@aiS
(Art. Wilkes, JoHH). Weleave the reader Il
run the parallels, If any he finds, between these
transactions in England and recent events IN
America, and to draw his own conclusions from
the facts stated. This he can readily do with
out assistance from Us. ...ie- h.
JOHN WILKKs was born in London, Oct. IL
l727, and died there, Dec, ~, 1887 He enter.
ed Parliament in 1857 as member for Aylea-
bury, and was reelected by the same constit
uency in 176l. re
At that time paper called the "Briten" wal
earnestly engaged in defense Of the admins
trasion Of Lord BUrE; and WILKES in June, l76S
started the "North Briton" for the purpose Of
assailipg it. The power and bitterness with
which he attacked Lord BUrE materially hAst
eued that minister's downfall
The folly Of his enemies made WLKrs q
popular idol. In his speech at the closing Of
Parliament, the king, GEORGE I'LL, claimed for
q himself the merit Of the peace which FREDERIC
the Great had Just concluded, and With which
the seven years. war was ended. 10 the 45lh
No. of the North Briton, WILKES charged
the king with having uttered 0 ialsehood. The
king, on the ground that one Of his subjects
had given him the lie, demanded protection,
and Lord HALIFAX, one Of the Secretaries OF
State, issued general warrant for the arrest Of
the authors, printers and publishers OF the
North Briton, as 9 seditious and treasonable
paper. T..
WILKES was arrested, and refusing to answer
any questions, was committed to the Tower,
but In o few days he Was brought before the
Court Of Common Pleas, civil tribunal, on a
writ Of habsss corpus, and discharged by Chief
Justice PRArr, afterwsrd Lord CAMDEN, on the
ground that his privilege as member OF Par
lIsment had been violated.
In November, 1863, Parliament met again,
and declared the paper 10 question, No. 45 Of
the North Bsiton, to be o false, scandslous, and
malicious libel, ordered II to be burned by the
common hangman, and passed special act to
sanction the authors proiecutcp.
Thesc cause OF WILKEs Wasinssanty tikep up
by the common people, and when the attempt
was made to burn the obnoxious number Of She
: North Briton, riot ensued.
Shortly aiterWard, the suit which WILKES, on
his liberation from the Tower, had brought
against the under Secretary OF State for the
4, seixure Of his papers came on for Trial, and the
Jury brought In verdict 10 his favor for Eve
thousand dollars damages. ltwas on this trial
that Chief Justice PRATr declared general war
rants to be 'sunconstitutlonal and void" p
1 In January. l764 wIIKHS wAs expelled from
the House of Commons for vI.ipgs No, As Of
the, Norih uBriton. At the instance Of the
House Of Lords, criminal prosecution vas in
sa.u.sd sgainst him for writing an immoral
oposfu He was tried before Lord MAssHiELD
and found nm guilty. Having asd % Ffapce, he
did not appear to receive sentence, and was out
Iswed.
The trial and conviction did not produce the