The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-04-28

laid and collected our own taxes. and no
tax had ever been imposed upon Us by |
imperial power We held allegiance to |
the crown, ard were parts Of the British |
empire: but we were q self-govcrniug, |
home-ruiing people, loyal, content, we'll |
educated ana industrious, giving no |
cause of Just complaint TO the people of |
England. IN short, we had been for five |
generations the freest, most seli-govcrn-
ing people the world had ever known.
In an evil hour the pride, jealousy and
greed of the mother country, and quite
as much OF its trading. manufacturing
and middle classes "a of its mobiles and
gentry. .et it, ewes upon the colonies for
imperial taxation. We denied the right.
TIE FIRST SHOT.
When the events Of that day assumed
their serious aspect, the British sought TO
prove that this little band fired first. Not
only Il this improbable, but II Is absurd
ia Itself, aud cOntradictcd by our testimO-
ny. Pitcairn. when hc rode up
10 them, and ordered them 10 surrender
their arms aud dispcrse, knew they had
not fired lie was not the man TO talk
after hostile shots. Pitcairn has had the
| fate which Details many men who carry
| ont orders that attcrward proves fatally
| ill-judgcd. When Nc ordered our men TO
| surrender their arms and dispcrsc, he was
| executing the ord,r5 Of lii commander
| in.chief aud of his kind. If Britain wa.
| In the right. Pitcairn Was In the right.
| Twice they were ordered 20 surrender
their arms and dispense and twice they
refused TO obey. and stood their ground.
| Then came the fatal fire; and why not Z
| Gen. Gage had been authorized To use the
troops for thi. very purpose. lie was
authorized To fire upon the people, II
necessary to enforce the new laws With
ont waiting for the civil magistrate. lie
had resolved to do -. Had that Noilcy
Sublucd the resistance OF Massachusetts,
Pitcairn would have been the hero of the
drama. Was he to leave n military array
behind him, and not attempt To disarn
and dishand them? II they refused wa
he to give il upy | have never thought
/, generous to throw upon the brave, rougl
soldier. who i,ll While mounting the ram
parts Of Bunker Hill. the rtult which Ian
ON the King. the Parliament. the Minis
try ard the ommaudcr-in-Ch Thief. 'lh'
truth j.. the issue was inevitable. Til,
first force of that kind which the King,
troop, found in martial array was to b,
7 disarmCd and disbandcd: and, il they re-
p fused TO obey. they Were TO Dc fired upon
, Both sides knew this, and were prcparct
for IL. II l. inconsistent in Us. aud an I'm
worthy view of this crisis, To treat il n
wanton aud RUTHLESS slaughter of unol
: Tending citizens by an armed force. |
+: takes from the event it, dignity and his
toIic significance. TWAS no such acct
dental and personal matter. II was ar
affair of State. II was the inevitable col
li,ion between organized forces represent
ft.ss tor H..
e iacto body polite. claiming authority
| and demanding obedience. II our caus,
was wrong. and resistance to the law,
uuiustitilblc, our popular militia was al
unlawful band, and ought To surrender
It's arms and diSpVrse. If our cause wa
right Capt. Parkcr's company was
lawful array, AMI their loaded guns wcr,
lawfully in their hands they had righ
to stand in their line. on their training
field. before their homes, AID beside thci
! church, ready TO shed their blood in tn,
cause. They were determined neither t.
attack nor to NY; neither to surrender
their arms nor to fire first; all in STRIFE
obedience 10 the line of duty cnioncd OF
them by the Continental Congress aud
the Provincial Congress. by the votes 81
the towns. and the counScls of their lead.
crs. The issue was made up just then
and Just there. II YOU mean TO disarnl
and subiugatc this people, You may be-
Gin here and now. OF this issue, in tn,
language of the common law, they pu
= themselves upon the country. The Brit
e il III tho III" III" trini 1f 'h"t isswe
g the first vOllcy on Lexington Green. an
Il lasted six years. The battle of the l0t
: of April began ON this spot, aud ended Il
u | Charleston Neck. The war of the RrvO
! luton began on tlis common, and cudo,
e with the surrender at Yorktown.
nan-..a Iuillinrn curtin nt Cnnn,.a