The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-07-16
Popular Talks on Law.
BY WILLIAM c. sPRAGUE, ESQ.

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BY WILLIAM c. sPRAGUE, ESQ.
The oldest settlement on the mid.
die coast was that of the Dutch al
the mouth Of the Hudson River,
following upon the discovery of that
river, in 1909, by Captain Henry
Hudson. The Dutch were great
explorers, and soon made claim to
the whole coast between the Con-
necticut and Delaware rivers, but
in 1864, Charles II gave this terri
tory to his brother James, who COM
PEELED the Dutch governor by force
Of arms to surrender, and New
Netherlands became New York,
James being the Duke of New York.
The Duke afterwards became the
King of England, and the colony
became q royal colony; and the
law-making power, subject to the
Crown, was vested in governor and
a council appointed by the Crown,
and an assembly elected by the
people. When the Duke of York
took possession of his territory, he
granted out that part between the
Delaware River and the ocean to
lords proprietors, but in 1902, the
proprietors surrendered their right
of government to the Crown, and
East and West Jersey were united,
and became royal colony. For
some time New Jersey had the same
governor as New York, but it always
had it's own assembly.
The next oldest territory was that
which comprised the present State
of Delaware. At first it was dis
puted territory. 1t lay within the
grant made to Lord Baltimore in
1882. The Dutch claimed some
settlements in 1856, which after
wards passed to the Duke of York,
by whom it was sold in 1852 to
William Penn. Lord Baltimore sur
rendered his claim, and it then be-
came mere appendage of Penn.
sylvania with the same governor,
although after 1903 an independent
assembly, even down to the time of
the Revolution.
William Penn was the founder of
Pennsylvania the grant to him was
made in 1851, and included about
the same territory as now occupied
by that state. Penn's charter gave
him the power to enact laws con-
formable to reason and the laws of
England, with the consent of the
freemen of the colony. This char
ter continued in force until the Rev
olution, when the State of Pennsyl-
vania assumed all the political pow
ers that belonged to Penn's descend
ants, paying them large sum of
money for surrendering their rights
to the soil.
Virginia was the oldest of the
southern colonies. 1t may be said
that the political history of the
United States begins with the
founding of jamestown in 1907.
1t was founded by the London COM
pany. The London company was
created by King James I. by the
same charter that created the Ply
mouth company. These two COM
panies divided between them all
English dominions in the new
world. The London company re-
ceiving the southern, the Plymouth
the northern territory. They were
authorized to establish colonies,
each colony to be subject to the
king, to be governed by a local
council of the company in England,
at the kings pleasure. These COM
panies were short lived. The stock
holders lived in England and did
not become colonists. They were,
indeed, mercantile companies which
were clothed with political powers.
The London company gave to the
settlement in Jamestown, charter
which gave the people no voice
whatever in the government of the
colony, but King James in his char
ter to the London and Plymouth
companies, had said "Also, we do
for US, our heirs and SUCCESSORS, de-
clare by these presents that all and
every the persons, being our sub
jects, which shall 60 and inhabit
the said colony and plantation, and
every their children and posterity,
which shall happen to be born with
in any of the limits thereof, shall
have and enjoy all liberties, fran
chises and immunities of free den
liens and natural subjects within
any OF our other dominions, to all
intents and purposes, as if they had
been abiding and born within this,
our realm of England, or in any
other of our dominions." This was
a guarantee and was irrevocable,
unless by consent Of both parties,
and in after time it became the great
bulwark of colonial rights and lib
critics. It is sometimes called the
colonial constitution. The people
of the Jamestown colony murmured
in view of their oppression, until,
in 1919 the governor of the colony
called upon them to choose repre-
sentatives to q legislative assembly.
These being convened was called