The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-16

respect and particular. The abb
solote loyalty to tho. chief to the
gression, was tribute Of fealty to family
and tribal relations, rather than to the alb
solutism of individual authority. Each
clansman had absolute and undeniable
share in the territory occupied by the en-
tire clan. II he paid tribute to the head Of
form of rent to an individual owner, for
temporary occupancy. It was practi-
cally self-imposed and freely bestowed
taxation for public purposes, common Of
Tense or defense, common betterment, the
common good. Under this system the
tor t0s.l simplicity and pleasure and t .usRass
men wove their own cloth, forged their
own tools and weapons, titled their own
soil, fed and graxed their own sheep and
cattle and possessed inalienable rights
70 their to ov u. aome: n. and tha soil e.s
possessed habits Of hardihood; his healthy
life of the mountaineer made him strong
and brave; the necessities Of limitations
gave him shrewd craft in all exigenoies;
doing everything with his own hands
he became perfected in e3psdients
resultant from later day infinite division of
labor; and thus when his sad day. of ex-
patriation came these Scottish Highlander
gave to the United States, to Canada and
to Australia the most grandly self-sustain-
ing colonists they ever knew. Indeed. his
own ruin in Scotland.
No men living, barring, perhaps, his no
less unfortunate brethren, the Irish Celts.
ever displayed such cunsummate love of
home environment, kindred and chief.
His bens, lochs, straths and glens provided
an all-consuming nature-worship; his
anoookrv and tho kvn Iikinnn nf hia 1inAAoA
became his exultantly-sung epics; his chief
and the deeds of his clan were adored with
almost the passion Of idolatry. His devo-
tion to the Stuarts, from Cromwelrs time
to Bonnie Prince Charlie" was sublime in
its desperate loyalty, and furnish some OF
ing too far from Edinburgh. LONDON and
Paris to ''know the political time Of day."
he always fought for q lost cause. Natural
~ little mercy was shown him or his more
dangerous chiefs. You can to-day still see
the tremendous wallis of Fort William,
House, the trans. Grampian furies estab-
llshed after the first rebellion Of Ills, to
awe him into submission, their English
names breaking his spirit greater than the
men and armament they housed. Then,
after after GGlloden, when ell his hopes were
Stuart, came the DisarIaing Act, deprivino
him of the right to bear arms, essential, in
his eyes. to manhood; and, immediately on
the heels of this, followed that most be-
meaning of all Highland humiliations. the
interdict against his beloved kilt and tar
tan, which for years made him skulk and
hide in his mountain home, q pitiful OBJ
ject Of contumely and disgrace.
The downfall of the Stuarts caused
complete disruption of tho clan system.
Then followed the abolition of heritable
jurisdiction. The power of the chiefs. GOOD
or bad, was Transferred to lawyer adventur-
ers sent into the north from GLASGOW and
Edinburgh. The Highlanders began to
lOathe their own country and the chiefs lost
all interest in the welfare of their people.
Important emigration resulted, lesseninQ
products and revenues. Many great clan
territories changed hands. New landlords
or dispirited and bankrupt former chiefs
began to look upon the Highland peasantry
simply as chattels to be bought and sold g
mere slaves. Then in the latter part Of the
last and the first part of the present century,
AZ the proprietors of estates, abandoned Ill
mercy to people with inherent rights in
the soil from whieh they spring, and taking
refuge under the absolutiam vested in the
powers granted under the old Scottish
encroachmenta, had transformed the origi-
nal authority Of suxerain into absolute pri-
vate oWneyship, came tho barbarous ''clear-
ances' or foscihle evictions, Of Glen Des-
sary. Clanranald and Glsnearry. Follow
ing this, and continuing from 1907 to 1923,
were pefpotxated the atrocious Sutherland
clearancea. The most Of the entire ahiro Of
Sutherland thsn belonged and still belonm
20 tho noble house Of Sutherland and Sat
ford, related By tnter-mAxxiaeo. The than
living representative ct theeo nobls tam