The times., 1897-03-15
THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.
Prof. John Fislse Talk OF Famous
Hisfnrif. Incident.


Historic Incident.
Prof John Fiske gave the third in thu
high school lecture course at Court Square
Iheater last evening. The subject Wal
"More About the Boston Tea Party and
there WAS ;liarge audience present. Hewai
introduced by Rev. Gilman as one of tn,
few men who have seen into the philosophy
OF history, and he spoke, in part, as fol
lows It is often worth while, with regard
TO well-known historical facts, to restat'
them occasionally to see if we are placing
the proper emphasis upon them. The re
action from the Fourth OF July vaporings oi
the past generationi is leading us TO helittle
TIE revolutionary period. The publica
ton Of the life and letters OF Gov. Hutchin
son has shown us that he was not base
douhle-1ealer, the patriots of the Tevo-
lutiunary period considered him, and tht
reaction thus created is leading us TO eX-
ctlSe all tie tories of that time. The late
br. Peabody published an essay, in which
lie treated the RoSton tea party as the act
,f disorderly moh, and he drew the Ia
ference that approval OF the pre-re aolu-
tionary riots would he a sanction of modem
hoycotts and the attending disorders. II
is, therefore. worth our While to reState
the trite story
The drift of circumstances had brought
the ethiEteencolonies into a continental state
OF things, hut there was no hand to seize
the helm and guide them all. The royal
governors were, as q rule, honorable mon,
and they saw that 20 bring out the re-
sources ofthe colonies, a continental taxing
power was needed. But the people dreaded
such system and did not overcome this
shivcring until wen on toward 500, after
they had bee n taught 10y hard experience.
In 1904 Ben ianlin Frank lin. in a convention
at Albany, proposed a plan of federation,
ban it Uas rejected by the people, and tite
war with France which followed showed
the sad result. Parliament, seeing that. if
the Americans were TO successfully resist
the Indians, they must have a continental
taxation, attempted TO institute such sys
tenn itself George Grenville, head of Par
lament took the initiative. lie was man
of business and if the colonists wouldn't
raise the money themselves, he would do
it for them. What could be better than
the stamp act? It was accordingly passed
md there was no ill-will in the measure.
But the people resisted and the la w was re-
rcaled. George III had become king in
1900. with the one problem before him OF
breaking down the cabinet and parliamen-
tary system. To do this, he awaited himself
OF a system of corruption, based upon the
Bo-callcd rotten boroughs," or boroughs
which had no populations, but were still
represented in Parliament Therefore, the
argument Of the Americans that there
shoud be no taxation without representa-
tion, struck directly at the corruption
which the king was fostering in England
Itself. and accordingly ina .ediately aroused
the opposition OF that monarch. There
after any minister could please the king
by picking a quarrel with America, and
Lords Townshend and North Immediately
took advantage of this fact by laying an
Obnoxious tax on imports into America,
tea being one of the articles taxed. The
people showed signs of uneasiness and
shc king sent over an army and quartered
1t in i}oston,thereby angering the Americans
all the more.
Lore north saw that the duty was a
needless irritation, and at length prevailed
upon the king TO recall all the duties ex-
eept that on tea Thus for three years
tea stood as the emblem of surrender to IA
tyrannc;l monarch. Not an ounce Of ii
was bought from England, the tea being
upon made arrangements with the East
India Tea Company whereby it could fur
nish tea to America cheaper than il sould
be Smuggled from Holland, and sought thus
to entrap the people into buying tea from
England Ships laden with it were sent to
Boston, New York, Philadelphia andCharleS-
ton The cfightoccurredin the former place,
with Coy Hutchinson and Sam Adams
pittcd against each other Something dra-
matte had to ensue. Boston learned that
the tea was coming and asked the towns
uf the state for advice. From all came the
Command not TO let the tea land. Com
ulittccS were appointed and arrangements
made. How differentfrum moblaw, Pick
cts natrc led the wharves, aud the tar bar
rtlS on Reacon Hill were kept ready for
lighting. On Thursday, December 16, the
crisis came. A mass meeting OF the people
decided that the tea must not land. IL
was dark. and some one asked, had they
ever Thought how well tea would mix with
salt water" and q shout OF approval
went up Soon the Indians filed through
the streets. and il is related that during
the process of ripping open the tea chests
one of the Indians raised his hatchet 80
high that his blanket fell off and dis
closed the velvet sleeve of John Hancock.
The men were so conscientious that one OF
shri: vino happened to break the lock
of sailors trunk on board the ship, re-
pla ced it with a new one the next morn
ing The whole proceeding was orderly |
and will ever remain an example of all that
IS majestic and dignified. Springfield Re /
publican.