The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-07-19
led upon, the Stamp Act was repeal.
ed. March 10. l766.

4 ed wisdom from the past, and nov
}, enacted prudent mesures for the gov
:, ernment of the Colonies, much troubl
might have been saved; but foolish
r stupid, and tyrannical as she was, sh
still thong ht to frighten her refractory
: children into submission by shaking
y the rod over their heads. More sol
e dlers were constantly coming owe
: the Atlantic, and being billeted upol
e an oppressed and unwilling people
and frequent collisions took place
: until march 5, l770, when an atfral
e occurred between the red coats an,
: some of the citizens of Boston, il
e which four of the latter were kille,
5 and several others wounded. Th
e effect of this collision was similar {,
l that produced by the killing of two
Q and the wonnding of seven soldier
. OF the 9th Massachusetts, on ito pass
: age through Baltimore, April 10. 1861
E The people were fired to frenzy, anC
3 resistance TO British insolence anC
oppression was by many then deter
1 mined upon. The old mother having
thus far tried scolding and the rod
, and only made matters worse anC
4 worse, now determined to try policy
Policy, you know, is a great thins
in politics as well as in war. B,
the nOnimpOrtation measures of tht
2 ColOnists, the East India company
had about seventeen million pounds O
; tea left on their hands, for which they
desired q market, and on which the
: British government wanted the reve
| nue. which would accrue IRON the sale
, of the tea Both knew that the
| Americans liked tea very well, but
not well enough to pay a high duty up
: Oh it in their present state of temper;
, so they entered into a very nice lit
tie arrangement by which one was tC
: obtain sale and the other the revenue
But in their nice little arrangement
they reckoned without their host
But let us see how the tea sale ''came
out" Cargoes of the tea were sent
to New York, Philadelphia, Boston
land Charleston. New York and
Philadelphia quickly disposed oftheii
tea by sending hack the loaded ship
to London; and John Adams tells
US they sailed up the Thames to
lproclaim to all the nation that New
Y 0rk and Pennsylvania would not be
enslaved." The citizens of Charles
ton unlOaded their tea, but neither
wishing to buy nor use it just then,
they stored it away in damp cellars
where it was all spoiled. At Boston
a sale was not effected so readily, the
agents and the people not being able
TO agree On the terms of sale. Sever
al days having been spent in wrang-
ling about the terms, a number OF
BUstonians determined to end the
matter by forcing q sale on their own
terms. Having dressed and painted
themselved like Mohawk Indians,
they hurried down to the wharf,
boarded the vessels, and constituted
themselves statesmen, and being de-
termined on "rapid sales and small
lprofits," they knocked Off chest at
a blow, and tumbled it into the sea,
withnnt the usual raremony Of go
ing, going, gone !" Chest after chest
was knocked off in rapid succession
and tumbled overheard, until they
had made a sale of 3i2 chests of tea,
valued at flS,OO0 sterling, or about
$50, 900, and all done in about two
hours. Hereafter when you hear an
English merchant complain of dull
isales tell him TO go to Boston.
! The conditions of this sale, how
lever, we're not satisfactory to the Brit
ish government. They considered
that the Bostonians had been extrav-
agant in the midst of plenty, and by
closing their harbor resolved to
starve them into submission and an
appreciation OF good tea. The starv-
ing policy did not succeed, for as
the British closed their front door
the colonistS opened the hack door,
and carried in all abundance of pro
visions for the Boston branch of the
family.
On Sept. 18th, IVA, the first Con-
tincntal Congress met in Carpenters
Hall, Philadelphia, and in addition
to transacting other important busi
ness, adopted bill of rights, an ad
dress to the King, memorial TO the
people of Great Britain, and another
to the people of British America.
These addresses produced wonder
ful effect both in England and Amer
lea. But British insolence and OPP
preston still continued, until 1t was
considered that the time for petition
ing, writing and speaking was ended,
and the time for action was at hand.
On this subject of immediate action
the immortal speech of Patrick Hen
ry has been read aud declaimed by
almost every school boy in the land,
but shall it on this account be laid
aside and forgotten? AS it aroused
and nerved our fathers to assert and
gain their liberties, and as it has fired
with burning patriotism millions of
hearts since, so let it fire our hearts
and those OF our children to defend
and preserve inviolate these same
liberties, and hand them down TO the
latest generation. In order to do
this, let the immortal speech be re-
peated at least every Fourth of July,
and then JEFF. Davises may spring up
as rapidly as mushrooms, but they will
go down as quickly. But here is
part of the memorable speech
"If we wish to be free; if we mean
to preserve inviolate those inestima-
BILE privaleges for which we have
been so long contending; if we mean
not basely to abandon the noble
struggle in which we have been so
long engaged, and which We have
pledged ourselves never to abandon
until the glorious object of our con
test shall be obtained--we must fight!
l repeat it Sir, we must fight An
appeal to arms and to the God hosts,
is all that is left us. Besides, Sir,
we have no election. II we were
base enough to desire it, it is now too
late to retire from the contest. There
is no retreat but in submission and
slavery. Our chains are forged
Their clanking may be heard on the
plains of Boston! The war is newt
able, and let it come /! / Irepeat it, Sir,
let it come 1t is in vain, Sir, to ex-
tenuate the matter. Gentlemen may
cry peace, peace-but there is no
! peace. The war is actually begun
The next gale that sweeps from the