The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-04
ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE FED.
ERAL GOVERNMENT.

no. /.
Since the earliest traces OF the
grand principle of our government
that people can be self govern
ing-is fonnd in the peculiar train
ing of the first coloalsts, il will be
necessary for as to "begin at the be-
ginning and examine the different
steps by which the great result was
attained.
Since the British first made q per-
manent settlement in America, we
have had fonr different kinds of
government, viz; the government
peculiar to the colonies, known as
the Colonial Government; :" the
Revolutionary Government" the
government of the Confederation,
I. e., that which Immediately sue
ceeded the Revolution, and the pres
ent, or Federal government.
In our investigation we shall not
examine at all into tie effects pro-
duced by French and Spanish Colo
nists, although they preceded the
English, as neither of these conn
tries has exercised any material in
fluence upon our institutions, but
shall confine ourselves TO the colo
MES from England. With these
few words of explanation, we pro-
coed at once to the consideration of
THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS.
During the first half century after
the discovery of America, the idea
of colonization received but little
attention in England, her only claim
being the Newfoundland fisheries,
then as now of great Importance,
and the sole desire of her inhabi-
tants being to obtain immense for
tunes by the. accumulation of the
precious metals which were sup
posed 10 abound here in unlimited
quantities-while many of her best
seamen spent all their energies in
searching for q northwest passage
to India. So great became the greed
for gold that Queen Elizabeth sent
over a ship at her own venture to
be laden with gold-bearing earth.
In the midst of this struggle for
sudden wealth, Sir Henry Gilbert,
a soldier and a member of parlia-
ment, watching the progress of the
fisheries, formed plans for perma-
nent colonization, and on the 18th
of June, 1878, obtained a patent
drawn in accordance with the thee.
~ of the commerce of that day,
and which was to be perpetual if a
settlement should be established
within six years. To the people
who should join his colony were
promised the rights of Englishmen.
To Gilbert was promised, for him.
self or his assigns, 'Ftbe possession
of the soil which he might discov-
ell" and in addition, he was to have
sole Jurisdiction, both civil and
criminal, over all the territory with
in six hundred miles OF his settle
ment. Thus it will be seen that the
first attempt to establish an agri-
cultural community in this country
was made under patent that con-
ferred all the power of an absolute
despot upon the leader, and aban-
doned the eolonists themselves to
the mercy of this single Individual.
Gilberti having made repeatedbut
unsuccessful attempts to found a
colony died before the expiration of
the six years allowed for the pur-
pose. AT his death his step-brother,
Walter Raleigh, afterwards made
Sir Walter by Elizabeth, obtained
patent quite as ample as the one
given to Gilbert. Raleigh was made
@ lord proprietary, with almost UNI
limited powers. lie determined to
make settlement further south
than had Gilbert. This patent was
granted Raleigh on the 25th of
1884. He made many at
tempts to establish colony, all ul-
unsuccessful. The amount
of suffering borne by these first |
people who attempted to settle our
country was appalling, but it led to |
that success in planting permanent
colonies which were ultimately to |
Affect the politics and society of the
world.