The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-10-14

tical life, who shared in the creation ot
our government. Even Patrick Henry
in his old age, was Federalist. George
Mason was never swerved from his orlgl-
nal purpose to create and maintain IN
America pure republic.
Those who have never studied his un-
written history may have proper appre-
hension OF his extraordinary ability when
they remember that he wrote the bill
rights and constitution of the state of
of Virginia and these were adopted as
written. In other words George Mason
was the first OF our race to frame upon
paper a perfect form of government and
that pure republic. The rest of the
colonies simply copied the organic code
devised by old George Mason for the
commonwealth of Virginia. 1t may be
| well to state further in illustration of his
wisdom and courage, that in 1864 ) when
the ku-klux of the period had already
thrown the taxed tea into Boston harbor
and the war had practically begun, George
Washington was still supposed to be an
adherent of the mother country, as was
Lord Fairfax, Washington's neighbor,
patron and employer. Washington's si
lence and associations gave great uneas-
mess to his friends and neighbors, while
Mason was annoyed and very badly
vexed.
One bright Saturday, the sturdy tObac-
CO planter, owning 5000 acres, just be-
low Mt. Vernon on the Potomac, pro
nounced a speech before a great throng
of Virginians in Alexandria. No such
speech was ever addressed 10 Nirginians.
None ever excited such enthusiasm
or exerted such an influence upon the
fortunes of the people and state. No lof-
tier eloquence ever begat a revolution.
Mason's oratory. If we may give Gre
dence to tradition. transcended in force,
brilliancy and resistlessness, the fiery
phillippics and maddening declamations
of Mirabeau. Alexandria became unit.
From this brain-centre went forth ''the
spirit of '76" and old George Mason, the
sublimest hero and statesman of them
all, was its mouthpiece and embodiment.
w " do oNCI " tiSiiliCt- IIC biO
nounced himself even at the doorway of
old Christ church in Alexandria, ''reb-
ell" and asserted his modest willingness
to lead the army of Virginia against
England. Such is the traditional and
truthful story that old men tell their
dria.
1t is reproduced here that we may
state that old George Mason was the first
chosen, by the house of delegates of Vir-
ginia, to represent the commonwealth
in the senate of the United States.
Mason refused to accept the high Of
fee.
TELL the house of delegates" he said
to the messengers who announced
the fact of his election, THAT | cannot ac
cept this office at the hands of body
which I could buy. Let the people of
Virginia elect me and | will gratefully
serve them"
This old story is here written that |
we may contrast Virginia and her he |
roes and statesmen of 100 years ago with |
those of to-day.
Old George Mason rises like god |
from the dream land of memory, reject |
ing the senatorship because the people |
themselves were not suffered to proffer |
it,
Here, before our very eyes. stands lit
lie Billy Malone dickering with the ne
groes of Virginia for the United States
And this foul shame has been put up |.
On us by John Sherman and his political
associates, who would win power in Ohio
and the Union by inducing our northern
fellow -countrymen to believe that we,
whose fathers honored and children
cherish the stainless fame and lofty vir-
.ues of old George Mason, would be false
% ourselves or country, or that we could /
olerate the mastery of Malone and his
blacks.