The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-08-14

rlised the standard OF Charles III. in
Virginia, and is said to have gone over
to Breda when the king was in exile
there and invited him to Virginia to
raise forces against q romwell. Edmund
Randolph was the oifshoot of I'm oldand
influential family. Jefferson was on
his mothers side, of the same family,
and his father was gentleman of high
social position. Edmund Pendle:on
was of an old English family, and the
mos: persistent opponent of Jefferson's S
levelling views. Benjamin Harrison
was of ancient family. Richard and
Theoderick Bland were the same. The
Carriers, FairfaXes, and the thousand
less prominent leaders were the same.
The records of these families will show
that they were persons of gentle birth;
and the proofs crowd on the investiga-
tor at every step that the American
Revolution was a movement set on foot,
in Virginia at least, by men of wealth,
family, and position, and not by the
mass of the population. We have pre-
sented the most noted names. Con-
slider what they accomplished. Wash
ington, the Cavalier, was the first to
take up arms, and effected what the
world knows. Mason, the Cavalier.
wrote the Bill OF Rights OF Virginia, the
great foundatiOn-stone of human free
dom. Jefferson, the Cavalier, was so
violent that ne was attainted tor treason.
Pendleton, the Cavalier, was president
of the Committee of Safety. Richard
HenryLee, the Cavalier, was the mouth
piece of Revolution. Patrick Henry,
the descendant Of Cavaliers, was the al
most inspired orator, sounding the
charge. Cary, the Cavalier, was one of
the eternal opponents of England
Randolph, Monroe, Marshall, Arthur
Lee, Cavaliers-these men were legis-
lators, d:plomatists, lawgivers, soldiers,
presidents, under the new regime
They worked from the beginning with
brain and arm for the Revolution and
were its re,ll originators. To these men
the masses looked; it was they who
aroused the storm; and they were, with
out one exception that we can at pre-
sent recall, Cavaliers.
Note as last point the Interesting
fact that these men never had the least
idea of the resul. of their agitation. A
pure democracy was the last thing that
they desired, with the single exception,
perhaps, of Mr.. Jefferson. Washing
tom was "full-blooded aristocrat," as
the phrase now is, and when President
received Congress standing in his great
reception-room, full-dressed and pow-
dered-the impersonation of authority.
Mason lived on his great estate, a baron
among his retainers. Pendleton, when
revising the laws of Virginia in con-
junction with Jefferson, made persever-
ing efforts to retain an established
Church and that cornerstone of aris-
tocracy, the ''law of primogeniturc. -
These menand their associates were op-
ponents of British oppression" but
they moved against England to secure
a "redress grievances" as they styled
it, not TO effect Il separation from the
great English ten. When they could
not obtain this and the struggle became
one of life and death, they declared
themselves independent, and erected a
government without king or nobility.
But let the reader guard himself from
the mistake ofsupposing that Washing
ton andhis associates intended to found
"pure democracy as credited; the
absurd theory that all men are 'sequal''
originated with Mr., Jefferson. No hui
man being ever less believed in that idea
than George Washington. He was
forced by circumstances to become the
head of great movement, apparently
against the prerogative and privilege of
king and noble, but, in his own eyes, he
was simply opposing bad government in
the House OF Commons. See the re-
cords for this statement of the senti-
ments OF the leaders in the Revolution.
That the movement would go further
not only secure equal representation
but erect democracy Washington prob
oh txyY haI s,,I 4 4
not desire. When the die was cast,
Washington endeavored to make the
best of things. His persistent effort as
President Was to make the country a
republic instead of a democracy. The
republic which the great Cavalier
dreamed of was representative gov
ernment, having tor chief officer Lord
Protector or President--a Parliament
or Congress elected by the states or
freeholders therein-and this was Co be
a good, strong government without and
within; his EXcellency the Protector or
President, was to ''hold the rogues in
ave." and make his authority respect
ed. There was not much estates rights"
in that theory, It IS true, but there was
very little ''pure dcmOcracy''-and as
long as Washington lived the govern
ment was republic, was respected, and
the "pure democracy" idea could not
get foothold. When, however, Mr..
Jefferson-the apostle of sans .culottism
and the "rights of man''-came into
power, all things suddenly changed
What succeeded was close e-cropped hair,
unpowdered; shoes with leather strings
instead of buckles; pantaloons instead
OF silk stockings; "Mr. "instead of"Ex
cellency;" brusquerIe instead of courte-
sy; equality, democracy, the dead level
lin word, that regime in which every
body was equal to everybody else; and
when to call a man gentleman was to
stigmatize him as an ''aristocrat"--to
point him out as an object of public hos
tllity, suspicion, and insult. Mr.. JEFF
fei sons states-right views were admi-
rable and unanswerable, but unfortu-
nately they have effected absolutely
nothing. His social views moonstruck,
and have inflicted enormous mischief
upon his country.
1t is only in this year 1868 that we be-
gin to see clearly-to understand the
results of the old Revolution and it is
not to hold up 1.-THE fathersu and public
administration that we thus try to vim
dictate their leadership. Many intelli-
gent persons are.'forced to doubt to-day
whether that entire transaction was not
a very great blunder; but none the less
admirable are those old Virginia Caval-
iers who acted from their best idea of
duty. Those poor old CavaliersI Let
us retire from their presence backward,
with hats off and saluting, if the pro-
ceeding be not regarded as too aristo-
cratic and unrepubican They were
brave, they we've hOnest-nOne braver
best, But they did not get what they
republic. They got "pure democra-
cy," and left it to their children. Thus,
then, in place ofKing George III. we