The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-03-29
The study of History Continued.

UuIlulnS TdllEOdU from tH0 AIlaHllc
to the Pacific ocean, to draw the trade
of Canada to England. There is
road through Maine that is nearer by
209 miles to the interior of Canada
than the one they are building. This
road will have to go around the north
end Of Lake Superior, along a river
bed that will be subject to overflows
and to being covered with snow part
of the year. 1t is thought by some
railroad men that this part of the road
will not sustain itself. This road is to |
be built over the mountains in western |
parts of Canada, so as to take tbs trade |
to England that has been going to CAL |
ifornia by steam vessels. For the |
building of this road Canada agrees to |
pay twenty five millions of dollars ia
cash, thirty-one millions in completed
works, and twenty-five millions of
acres of land, not to be taxed. All this
debt and expense is incurred not for
the convenience or necessity of Canada
but for England. She wants to send
them her goods. There are so few
wealthy men in Canada that it is hard
to get an aristocracy. Some have been
knighted, but are afraid to use the title
for fear it would hurt them politically.
The tax that George III proposed to
lsy on the American Colonies was
sixty thousand pounds annually. This
same amount is allowed to Queen Vic
toria for her private purse. Her house
hold consists of nearly one thousand
persons, all under a salary varying
from one hundred to two thousand
pounds. When Prince Albert came
to England and married Queen Victo-
tia, Parliament granted him al aUnui-
ty of thirty thousand pounds. The
same amount was given to Prince Leo
pold, when he married Princess Char
lotte. These are incidental expenses
that we do not have i'll the United
States.
Another jewel in our Constitution is:
No bill OF attainder, or ex post facto
law, shall be passed" The English
man thinks there is no need OF making
law till it is wanted. An interesting
occurrence took place after the trial OF
John Wilkes for libel. Action for
false imprisonment was brought
against Mr.. Wood, the under Secretary
of State, Oh account of the arrest being
made on a general warrant. The jury
| brought in verdict of one Thousand
| pounds damages, The chief Justice
said: There is no authority in eur
law books that mentions this kind of
warrants but in express terms con-
demns this. Upon the maturest con-
sideration am bold to say, this war
rant is Illegal" The subjects of war
rants was debated in the House one
day eleven hours on the next day
seventeen hours. The debate was re-
newed three days after. The ministry
said that such warrants had been issued
during the administration OF Mr. Pitt.
He immediately replied that he knew
they were illegal when he issued them.
He preferred the general safety to any
personal consideration in a time OF
danger. When it came to vote the
ministry gained it by a majority OF
fourteen. On the 10th of January.
l765, Parliament met, and the legality
of general warrants was debated in a
full house, and on taking a vote the
ministry had small maj jority This
was not an ex-post facto law, but it was
next thing to it. It was an attempt to
make a process pass as a part of the
British constitution, which had been
pronounced illegal by chief Justice
Pratt and Mansfield. The same offend.
er, John Wilkes, was expelled from
the house of commons for writing an
obscene book; and was reelected as
often as four times by his constituents
at four elections, but his opponent was
admitted on minority vote of con-
stituency, but by small majority of
the House of commons. This was not
a contest between the ministry and
Wilkes Individually, but between the
ministry and the public press. The
people took the side of the newspapers
and in few years the point was car
ried, Wilkes was admitted to the house
OF commons, and reporter was al
lowed to publish the debates which
has been the practice ever since.
Of course we look up to English
statesmen as to older brothers and we
have been accustomed to consider their
poets as belonging to US. We are
pleased to know that some of these
great men spoke in favorable terms of
the Americans. VIM. Pitt saws: " For
soiidity of reasoning. force of sagacity
and wisdom of conclusion, under such
complication of difficult circumstan-
ces, no nation or body OF men can stand
in preference to the general Congress
of Philadelphia"
John Russell says: 1.-The Aneri
can Constitution is the most wonder
| full work ever struck off at a given
time by the brain and purpose of man. "
will close with one other extract.
John Bright, in. recent lecture at
Birmingham, on American Literature,
after speaking about the poets of
America at some length, says: L
will mention one other book, and only
one, and that is not book of poetry
at all it is book of history, and to
my mind the most instructive book of
history that have ever read. I do
not mean that it contains more facts
than some bigger books-facts are
| abundant-but the study which it
gives, or offers, and the lessons which
1t teaches, surpass, to my mind, those
that L have derived or found in auy
other book of history. 1 refer to Ban
croft's History and Colonization of the
United States. 1t is book a good deal
read in this country. 1t deserves to
be read by every body who wishes to
have some true knowledge of the his