The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-07-09
tied to carry on the war;" And the oues-


ton seemed all the more plausible when
it was remembered that the colonies had,
whlle the war was in progress, contrib
uted freely of both blood and treasure.
1t is only when We touch the matter of |
representation that the weight of argu-
ment shifts to the American side. Said |
the colonies, eve refuse to be taxed by a |
body in which we are not heard" But |
here the reply was ready, that the colon |
ial doctrine of taxation and representa- |
ton existed only in theory. The English |
system of representation from the days
of Simon of Montford had been most un- |
just and clumsy. George Thirds reign
was prominently the day of patronage
and rotten burroughs. Lord Mansfield
declared in the House of Commons that
of the 5000, 900 people of England S, ,OO0, 900
did not vote for members of Parliament.
The most enlightened statesmen were
willing to yield the taxes. Lords Chat
ham and Camden would yield the power
to tax, but otherwise asserted that Par
lament had fullest power. But to this
day the doctrine of Chatham has not been
sanctioned. AS late as 1868 an English
to tax is commonly held in allegiance. yet
when the imperial legislature choose to
impose taxes, according to the theory of
English law, they have the right to do it.
While there were plenty of men in Eng
land who thought it unwise to tax the
colonies, there were few who denied the
right. Very naturally, then, when Amer
lean statesmen took the second step-to
demand representation as n condition
for every kind of legislation-theyf found
more to support them. The fact is, the
patriots were in advance of the time;
their demands cannot be fully justified
by an appeal to history; they were, really,
asserting a new and an enlarged view of
government; they were going beyond
the theory of the English law into new
field. The inspiration of an American
nationality was moving in their hearts.
They were catching glimpse of the Cor =
tinental vision.
American writers must write the his
tory of the Revolution over again. In
fact, they have already begun to do so.
They are not finding new facts, but they
are reading the old facts somewhat diff
ferently. They are coming to state the
case somewhat in a new form. They be-
gin to see that the course pursued by the
English king, parliament, and ministry
was just what might have been expected.
Does any one imagine that any other
country would have treated the colonies
with more consideration An affirmative
answer is not found in the policy OF
Paris, Vienna, or a Muscovy. No doubt
king and ministers were most short
sighted and irritating, but to yindicatt
the American Revolution we need moi
enlarge on the petty taxes. When the
history is all rewritten, the conduct OF
England will be put i'll Il new and some
what more favorable light, and the yin
dication of the war on our side will bt
all the stronger. This vindication will
rest on two main grounds-the principl,
that representation must go with govern
ment, and then idea and aspiration o.
nationality. The fact is, America wa
ripenIng for independence. No doubt i
would have been postponed had the min
istry and parliament governed NOR
wisely, but in no case could separation
have been long deferred. In the word
. !
"Om fathers In the Revolution had ,
, great deal to say of being taxed by Par
r lament without being represented in il
and seemed almost to hang the vindica
tion of their revolt on this one point o
grievance. But there was peculiarit!
in their protest which neither they no
we have always observed, as distinctly a
the due understanding of it requires. I
was really a protest against having thi
great, new world owned and used for tn
benefit of a little far-off patch of islant
in the German ocean, which. compared
with the gigantic world-empire here il
debate, had no consequence and cGulC
have no continental future at all
; REVOLUTIONARY SACRIFICES
, Revolutionary statistics are most mea
gre and unsatisfactory. Still we know
that D., 900 men served, first and last, IL
the continental army and $1,000 militii
for longer or shorter periods. Thes'
numbers are about equal to those tha
Ohio sent to the army in the civil war
But a naturalist, desiring to study {
large leaf or a section of a tree, will moi
take it all at oneei he will put one mi
mute part afer another under a micro.
scope of high magnifying power, until he
has accomplished his purpose. Soft one
wishes TO know what freedom and inde-
pendence cost, he should not be content
with reading the stately pages of Ban
croft; let him also read the revolution
ary section of a New England township
history, where a small section of the war
will pass before him. For myself, Rev,
Samuel Orcutts account of TOrringtan,
Conn, in the Revolution threw a new
and brighter light on the history of those
times. When ] saw the difficulty with
which this Litchneid county township
raised ITS quota for the continental army
when | saw the Connecticut militia
called out five times in single summer
when l saw the tax-gathcrer sell the cow
from the pasture and the OK from the
fIIrrOw-when l saw the women adding
reaping the harvest to their customary
cares-when l saw the grinding economy
and chill poverty that the war caused, Il
thought L understood the cost and the
worth of our birthright better than be-
fore; and then when saw the cheerful
Ness with which these burdens were
borne, and these sacrifices made, appre-
ciated better than ever the souls that
were tried as well as the times that tried
them.
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