The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-12-05

| rom was 10 be devoted TO the support of
a standing army and that was in turn to
be used for the maintenance ofthe scheme
of taxation. Yet no one in England seems
| TO have dreamed of American opposition.
And yet the news of the passage of the
Stamp Act caused all America To hum
with the signs OF resistance, but forcible
measures were at first repudiated every
where. II was followed by the declara-
tions OF the colonial assemblies. The
| Virginia assembly, under the lead of
Patrick Henry, backed by the younger
members, took the first step by declara-
ton of colonial rights covering the right
of each colony TO make it, own laws and
impose and expend its own taxation.
The Massachusetts assembly follow with
the formal proposal of an American Con-
gress, 10 be composed of the representa-
I tives of ali the colonies. South Carolina
seconded the call and the first step on the
road - union was taken. An order call
cd the Sons of Liberty, sustained fire.
quently 10y the town organizations, forced
the Stamp officers 10 resign, and destroy
cd the stamps wherever they cOuld he
found. The Connecticut Stamp officer rs
he rode into Hartford on his white horse
TO deposit his resignation, with thousand
| armed farmers riding after, said that he
felt like death on the pale horse, with
all hell following him. Newspapers and
pamphlets rang every possible change on
Coke's dictum that IAN Act OF Parliament
contrary to Magma Charta was void"
| and with warnings TO Stamp officers that
| they wopld be considered enemies 10 the
| liberties of America, if they attempted 10
carry out their duties. When the day
broke on which the Act was to GO into
| operation, America had neither stamps
nor Stamp officers with which to fulfill its
! provisions. The Act accomplished moth
ing as the colonies ceased to import the
taxed articles. Everything was finally
exempt bat tea and that only three pence
per pound. General popular sentiment
was still strong enough 10 prevent the
| importation of this single luxury. and it
was foand in l772 that the tax produced
but about eighty-five pounds year. at an
expense of two or three hundred thou
sand for collection. Several of the first
cargoes of tea were ordered home again
| by popular meetings in the American
| ports, and their captains generally obey
ed. At Boston the governor refused to
clear the vessels for Europe; ami after
prolonged discussion, some hity persons
disguised as Indians went on board the
vessels and threw the tea into the harbor
while great crowd of witnesses cheered
them on. By subsequent Acts of Parlia-
ment every element of union in the colo
Hies was crystalizel.
The news of Lexington and Concord
set the continent in flame; when the
dam burst the force pent up for nine wea-
ry years like an angry cyclone swept
everything before it. By express along
the roads to the soIthward the tidings of
victory were carried men hearing it LEFT
the plow in the fIrrow and rode off to
Boston town committees of safety col
lected money and provisions and sent
them TO the same point. Now follows the
Declaration of Independence-the Magma
Charta of our inalienable rights: Re
of right ought to be free and independent
states; that they are absolved from all
allegiance to the British crown; and that
all political connection between them and
the State of Great Britain is and ought TO
be totally dissolved"
There were giants i'm those days. Richard
and Henry Lee in Congress were second
ed by John Adams. Jefferson had just
hailed from the Old Dominion with the
reputation Of a very ready and able writer,
and by common consent the committee let
the preparation of the first draft of the
Declaration of Independence to his gifted
pen. He wrote il almost M one heat and
though parts off were rejected or modi-
fled by Congress, the whole instrument
as-adopted by that body July {. l776)
must stand as Jeiferson's own work. In
literary finish a Macauley, in precision
an Emerson. in energy of expression q
Livy, and in incompatible diction
Thacydides. But not gifted in the arts of
pIblic speech 1t remained for the golden-
mOuthed Adams to be its champion on the
floor of Congress He was the Jupiter
tonans. the thunder of whose voice rever-
barating through the halls and falling in
dIlcified music on the ears of the nations
representatives forever pledged them to
that immortal instrument. The language
of the Declaration, like all the American
State papers of the time. was strong and
direct. Ignoring Parliament, il consider
ell every act of oppression aimed at the
colonies, as the king; it concluded that
prince whose character il thus marked
by every act which may define tyrant,
il unfit To be the ruler of free people"
And il announced the Independence of
the United States in the terms Of the reso-
luton already mentioned. And in mat
tiers of municipal law the date of its adop-
ton il by the decision of the Supreme
Court, the date of the legal existence Of
the United States. And in THAI ever me-
morable struggle for independence the
name of George Washington stands SUI
preme. \ Puritan i'm integrity, Quaker
in honesty, in selfabnegation and patri-
otism Cincinnatus. and withal in exc
cation a Bonaparte. o Father of thy
country, eldest i'm the brotherhood of
American patriotism First in war, first
in peace and first in the hearts of thy
countrymen! In view of the Divine
benedic;ion upon us as nation, well may
we Join with one of old-"0 sing unto the
Lord a new song; for he hath done mar
velous things-his right hand, and his
holy arm, hath gotten him the victory
> We ought still further to give thanks
for oar success in the preservation of our
national unity.
At the breaking ont of the Civil War,
the Government had become so nearly
bankrupt that it had only escaped by
paying double interest and that by the
special favor of the New York banks.
The army had become almost broken up
by captures of men and material and by
resignation ofcompctent and trusted Off