The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-07


b ths Washington Eoefsty So-s OF she
Rsyelas.oa wax awarded 20 Rain Dzyen-
port Holmes. Ehs wrote u17e- the E0r1-
es-plune Ok Little Posterfty. The follow
f1~ received hono~zbl4 r7@ntioa- Belle
Werstnlxose. Max Ester. AEltoa whittier
William Tom klzs. Stephen a Hun.
Miss Holmes essay follows,
The Causes Of the Revolution
Proclaim liberty throughout al he land
Snto a. tbs Inhabitants thereof
Since the very beginning o. al things
there has exiztad IN The heart OF RAD an
tnsTiacs % liberty as deep rcoted ard last
ing - lie Itself TIE history Of the
world = fgIg II the struggles o. men for
their rights. and II IS too o1te1 recorded
that they haze Ssrlven IL vain. Again
and again whole nations have been sacri-
fases Because they preferred death 20
slavery Bgt the spirit of liberty cannot
de and & triamVhs n the end over Tyrzu-
~ ard oppression
SIX hundred years ago the English peo-
pie formed their Declaration OF Tnssrend-
ence. that keystone Of English liberty
tie Magma Char1a- Then for the aFst time
they bosssfy declared their princsates and
defined their rights. These rights were
often deniad or ignored. bur the rights re-
aaaine1 and the opprsszorz died. and the
Magma Ch8rta was the foundation Of
When. after the discovery OF America.
the colonies were founded. IL was the same
instinct o. liberty which Influenced the
formers o. the Magma Charta that sent
the Pilgrims and Pgrftans 70 seek their
fortunes in the New World Il Is said
tnaf an Engiishman cannot be a slave
These men, stern. unyiel5Eng AMI deter
mined, were Eaglishmen- Finding that
tbs freedom they sought was NOT 70 be
49, nA s~ats
about founding a New England. more pure
and more free, where they might govern
themselves as their conscienceS dictated,
both In religious affairs and IN matters OF
state. Many OF the colonies were settled
Ia this manner By seekers OF religious free
dom. and in ali the colonies the constant
struggle for existence, the rude. free life.
the great distance from the mother c0un-
try, al tended 10 waken the dormant ener-
gies Of the coionists and 10 make them feel
themselves men. and free meni
The granting OF the great Virginia Char
ter was the beginning OF free government
In America This charter provided for
governor. council OF estate and general
assembly. The people were granted the
right 10 own their land, ard 10 have a
voice In the making OF their laws This
form OF government was adopted in a
more or lezs modified form IN all the colo
mics. and the same plan may be seen in
the present government OF the United
States
After the close OF the French war. about
1853. there existed ia the colonies three
forms Of goyernment-"royal." or those
colonies belonging 70 the king. whose gov
errors We're appointed By him: charter"
those governed largely by the people, IN
der charters granted by the king: and
proprietary" in which the .proprietors"
exercised very much the same rights as
those Of the king over royal colonies. There
were seven royal colonies. three charter
and three proprietary.
All the colonies were. IN a certain sense
seif-goverDed; yet all the laws regulating
their commerce were made in the En-
giIsh legislature. In which the colonlsts
we're allowed no voice. Here was the very
root or the trouble. The laws were for
mulated by men whose ignorance of the
colonies was exceedingly great and were
most unjust. On this account there was
great deal OF smuggling. and from this
came the wits OF assistance. which Gre
ated so much just Indignation in the col
ones. These wits gave the officers pow
er 70 search the houses of the eoIonlsts for
smugglsd goods.
After the close Of the French war and
the surrender Of Canada. England al
though triumphant. was greatly in debt
and II seemed proper that since the col
onists would be benefited by the removal
Of the French from America they should
pay part Of the debt II this had been rep
resented 10 them fairly, and II they Lad
been allowed 70 fix a tax themselves, all
might have been we'll
But when in iI65 parliament passed the
stamp act" ordering all legal documents
70 be printed on stamped paper furnished
by the crown, the ind gnation OF the peo-
PIE knew no bounds. They mobbed the
stamp officers. and made bonnres Of The
stamped paper. They refused 10 iuunart
British manufactures until THIS act should
be repealed. and therefore the British
manufacturers were as anxious as the
Americans Tor the notification Of this act
Even In parliament there was opposition
30 tbs taxation OF America. William
TIT, although unable 20 attend at the time
OF the passing OF the act. afterward SPOKE
most eTphaccally against Il: saving thar
~ his opinion the kingdom had no right
20 TAX the colonies. and that he resoiced
that America had resisted.
ihe stamp act was repealed. but a. .ha
same Tine iaw was passed declaring the
rigai OF parliament TO tax the colonies
An attempt was now made 20 tax the
Americans IN other WAYS TrooDs 49,
quarIered in the towns and the na,,1a
we're forced 10 support them. This rsns-
ed much trouble because the presence ~
iafEe number or Idle men was exceed
lngly irritating 70 The industrious eolorists
From this cause came the Boston n,ssss-
ere "Aieh reused 4 storm Of fury ana ra-
sentiment anu r.
Finally parliament discovered THAT these
measures we've productive OF nor hing h,,t
open rebellion: that when .s@ ass.r,,,.ite.s
were dissolved the peopie called "teurn
meetings 10 protest against the Injustice
81 thelr government The tax Was takan
on everything but tea. and this as ~
arranged that with the tax q was shesv,o-
than before. This was done because tba
hngtisa would not acknowle4se tbaf fhev
aso he fasnt 10 Impose a tax. But the
Americans were dghtinE for rigf,t ana
pFincipie, and not for tea and their nri,-
elphs was; NO taxation without rar~e-
sentAtson- The tea was sans ana ~.
shlss entered tire harhors Rv- tha -
triots pledged themselves not q, arinl -
Ihey made every attempt 10 have - -,
BACK lawfully. and when these atternaes
.Al'so' saey burned the ships. threw the
Tea oF ernosafd. Or stored Sc in damp cellars
lHe hostoH port vas closed. bat me 49,
ohists we're reused AMI they ve~e ssfs--
nilned % have their rights as Rrsfisk e.
}ects- These colouists were the decd
arts ~ men who had given ts17 e1e-,-s No
Tor freedom. and these men had ieff th.f-
.eFe - liberty as a legacy 20 thssr sos
% ofeg a hundse5 years they had been
pracltcAliy self-goverued- Was ~ ffaeafe
'hey woui1 meanly submit 10 1ba tv-,aT,-,,
g weak king and an uufrfensfiv parlsa-
wents
fAs Americans appointed a congress-
"atca was composed e. repress.rfasf,,ss -
tss thirteen states. whlca nass Ar ira =,
*tuA1R tae kiag aud parliament 10 rasta-s
s- ftSatS- NJ attention was PAID {,
sos F-Sa''on. and tire s-eople grex nor,
a9f nf7re eNcsfsst. Then la AprH s--z
=