Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-11-01

the Pll5rlm Fathers and their highl'
protesting defendants, and also by tn
settlers in many other parts of Mort
America.
: lie sent out messengers and agent
| to precede him in the new colony, an
special orders to conciliate the Indian
by policy of justice and truthfulnes:
Toward the whites also, the new en-
grants, he adopted most liberal an
unselfish course; far too liberal, a
events proved, and for which, as
body, they made him a most migrate
full return. Aided by Algernon sgd
ney (as his American biographer
Mr.. Janney, states) and by some in
fuential members of the Society O
Friends he drew up the draft of
constitution for the new colony whici
much resembled that of West New
Jersey, being similarly free and demo
cratic. Among its provisions were
entire liberty of conscience, uuiversa
suffrage, paid legislators, popularly
elected officers and various kindred
democratic arrangements, some o
which have in the long run proved
successful, whilst Others have resulted
mischieveous!y and even disastrously tc
the best interests of Pennsylvania and
of other States which have adopted
similar political constitutions.
In the autumn of 1852 Penn sailed
for America, his first business upon
reaching his colony being to conclude
a treaty with the several Indian tribes
inhabiting Pennsylvania. Under this
treaty be made them LIBERAL payments
for the ceeded land and guaranteed
them the right Of occupancy, of pro-
lection and numerous other advan-
tages within the borders of his terri
tory. The Indians, on their part,
promised to live in love with William
Penn-or Father Onas, as they called
him, (Onas signifying in their tongue
pen or quilD-and his children SO
long as the sun and moon should
endure. o. this treaty Voltaire truly
observed at was the only one made
between these people and Christians
without an oath, and the only one
that never was broken" Having
concluded this business, and having
laid out Philadelphia and made various
provisions for the comfort and security
of the colonists, Penn returned to
England, his first visit to America
having lessened rather than increased
his wealth He himself wrote at
this period, II am day and night
spending my life, my time, my mon
ey, and | am not shilling enriched
| by this greatness. In fact, from first
to last he was continuously out of
pocket by the royal grant.
His position in England for the next
few years was anomalous. The friend
of the newly crowned monarch, James
H., he was able to make interest with
that ruler not only for the Quakers
but for non-conformists generally; but
his position was misinterpreted by
many and wilfully misunderstood by
not few. He was between two fires,
and suffered in consequence. His
faithfulness to duty availed him little
against the sweeping, popular outcry
| which soon arose throughout the
Kingdom at the acts of King James.
The nation determined to uproot
Catholicism, drove the monarch from
the throne and invited the Protestant
William of Orange to reign in his
stead A storm of wrath burst upon
all of James's favorites, and upon Penn
amongst them. He was repeatedly
charged with being Jesuit in dis
guise and q traitor to the State, and
was eventually summoned before the
Lords of the Council, and then before
the King to meet these charges. He
was able so far to vindicate himself as
to be allowed his personal liberty, but
for time he was deprived of the
Governorship of his colony, and Penn
sylvania was placed under the mill
tary control of Colonel Fletcher, Gov
ernor of New York. At this time,
| too, his Irish estates became very
Improbable in consequence of the then
existing rebellion, and he was re-
duced to comparative poverty; and
while thus pressed by troubles from
without he suffered still worse troubles
from within in the death of his dearly
loved wife Gulelma.
After a while his fortune somewhat
frightened, the Governorship of
Pennsylvania being restored to him,
and in 1899 he again visited the colo
ny, remaining at Philadelphia two
years. During this interval he pro-
cured the adoption of various reg
ulations for promoting the social and
religious amelioration of the condition
of the negro slaves in the colony.
Some German Quakers, especially
an excellent man named Pastorious,
repeatedly urged upon the Pennsvl-
vaDia Friends the Christian illegality
of keeping slaves at all These
Germans were the first "a bolitionists"
in America; but even their Quaker
brethren were not prepared to adopt
/ their enlightened views at that period
Nevertheless, the holding of slaves by
Friends and others gradually de-
creased in Ae Colony, and the condi-
tion of the negroes there was render
ed comparatively comfortable.
Ills IcSOutCCS WoIC
embarrassed, and to better himself he
placed his circumstances before the
colonists and asked them to
grant him a small annual allowance
But, instead of acceeding to this re-
quest. the greedy people only replied
by attempting to still further diminish
his remaining rights as Governor,
while simultaneously came to him
news from England that his enemies
were endeavoring to deprive him of
his proprietorship of the Colony.
Hasting back to London, he was able
to maintain his rights; but from this
time his pecuniary troubles increased
thickly and fast. His chief business
agent in America, one Philip Ford,
| 4 IL \ .