The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-03-14

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a. alton and kindness. Hs leaThe
=. their language and stTove 10 5enet
them and when at last bspished fror
ID the habltations OF bis own country
n men, he found his reward. Thougl
= the sentence of Punishment Was mad
against him in 1884, yes be lingeret
= in Salem until January, 1886, Whel
= hearing that measures had beel
il taken 10 transport him hack to Eng
t land, be fed in exile TO the wilder
Is ness, in search of a new home. Fo
g fourteen weeks he wandered OF
y through the SHOWS of winter, sleeping
Il IN hollow trees, or On the frozer
E ground, living on scorns and roots
. and psrcheG corn. Massssoit, sachem
D Of the Wampsnosg4, invited him tc
t his wigwsm az Pokanoket and minis
tered to his wants. All redmen re-
A ceived him kindly, supplied
! bis wants literally and CSnin-
) icus, sachem, or king of the Nara
, gsnsetts, gave him land at Seekonk 3,
wherein he might settle and build a
J habitation. He built house and
planted his crop, but rot even here
could be rest; the Plymouth COM
pany claimed it as within the limits
of their charter and ordered him to
mova on farther into the wilderness.
Without murmuring at fortune he
did so and with five companions, who
had joined him in exile, he embarked
in q frail, birchen canoe. of Indian
manufacture, and descending the
river, crossed to the west side OF
Narragansett Bay, out OF control of
his enemies. He slaked his thirst at
beautiful spring and near it reared !
anew his hsbitation, and in gratitude |
to Goods merciful providence 10 him
in his distress" he named the place |
Providence. The lard was honor
ably purchased and paid for, Canoni
Gus and Miantinomah, receiving him
as friend and bro,her. Thus feeble
in lis beginnings was the birth of
Rhode Island, a state small in area,
but great in benefits conferred upon
humanity-beipg q refuge Tor the
oppressed of all lands; Christian,
Mobammedan, Jew or pagan, being
equally secure within It's borders
from persecution on account of re-
ligious belief. Maryland had already
secured federation tor all Christian
secls, but to Roger Williams and to
Rhode Island, belong the immortal
honor OF making thst liberation
and world embracing.
His teachings meantime had borne
fruit in Massachusetts. In defiance
OF tue opposition of the clergy, a {
form of government
was instituted. The learned but
bigoted Cotton Mather, preached !
and elOquently against the
change, but in vain; and, to make {
the reform complete, the BALLOT Box
was substituted for the old method OF
voting. Instead of bringing the ex-
pectsd peace, his banishment had '
Left strife and disunion behind MIN I
SIS the people more and more 6
recognized their power and saw in t
the truth of his teachings, the injus- '
tice OF his banishment.
The dIsint erestedness OF Roger Will c
lisms may be placed in favorable c
comparison with that OF many who {
claim Christian charity aud virtue in 8
the present day, snd shines far !
superior. The lands he had bought 9
Of Canonicus and Mianiinomah were
his own. He had paid for /
5hem himself, yet he sought not to
make merchandise OF them. Ali
who came were freely welcomed and
had lands given them. He retained +
only two small fields for his own use, /
which he planted and titled with his /
OWN hands. He claimed no rights, 8
20 privileges superior to others-all t
powers of government were centred
in the people, the only requirement
to the newcomer being that be Sign !
an agreement to be obedient to laws t
made by the majority of the people, c
IN all things not affecting matters of '
That was to be IN t
-rameled, all being free to worship as /
they pleased, so that they interfered t
net with the rights of others. s
Though banished by the authori- q
ties OF Massachusetts,, he showed how s
a good man can forget an injury. I
During the bloody Pequod war of '
1857, in which that powerful tribe
vas txterminated, be exsrted himself
in keeping the Nara
gsnsetts on friendly terms with the
whites. He visited the chiefs at J
their homes and decided their friend
ship. His own settlement at Prov
ience was comparatively secure, as
hls red friends were between it and {
the Pequods. In consequence OF his
services On this occasion efforts were
made to have him recalled from
exile, bat bigotry was too powerful
and the attempt failed.
The confederation of the New
England colonies for mutual assist
and aud safety took place in 1913,
but Rhode Island was slernly refused
thereto. They were con-
stantly tAuutsd with their weakness
and dangerous isolation. Finding
themselves thus alone, they sought
protection from the mother country
and the mission was entrusted to
Roger Williams, who sailed from
New York for hia native land. BY
the aid and assistance of his friend,
Sir Henry Vane, he succeeded in
getting q charter for the towns Of |
Providence, Portsmouth, and New
port, thus closing out the claims OF
the older colonies to the ownership
of the country. The charter gave
them power to make their own laws,
By mutual consent Of the majority.
He returned TO America, landing in
Boston September 18th, 1914 He
brought a conciliatory letter signed
by many of the most eminent men OF
England, to the authorities in the
colonies, but it was Of no avai!-all
they would DO vas 20 allow him to
travel unmolested through their
territory. Instead of becoming plesi-
dent of the newly chartered colony,
which be could easily have done, lie
acted as assistant for the town OF
Providence.
Though the colonists voted him the
sum OF Gl00 to defray his expenses in
procuring the charter, yet this sum
vas never paid in full; and, having a
large family depending on him, he
started q trade in furs with the
neiPhboring Indian tribes, who were
delighted to deal with man so honest
Scarcely, however, had he erected his
trading house and shown that his
business would prove remuneratiYe,