The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-06


 Sir Walter Raleigh received a char ter from the crown entitling him to a tract of land from the south boundary of what is now North Carolina along the coast to what Is now Halifax, Nova Scotia, and extending westward to the Mississippi river.
 The charter expressly provided that the settlers should enjoy the same po- litical and religious rights as they pos sessed in England.
 In the year 1884, and by an interesting coincidence, on the 4th day of July, the advance guard of this expedition land ed on Roanoke Island, made eXplora- tions and returned to England with such glowing accounts of the good land'' that, in the following year Ral- eigh sent out a band of 10S emigrants, and two years later he dispatched a second colony, in one of whose families was born Virginia Dane, the first child born of English parents in America.
 Although Raleigh's efforts to make a permanent settlement in the new world were not very successful, his example had it's influence, and English coloniza- ti0n of this country became an accom- plished fact, so that history justly &C., corded to him the credit of being one Of the most prominent founders of the American nation.
 In the year 1907 the London company which, as well as the Plymouth compa- ny, had been chartered by royal au- thority, effected the first permanent settlement at place in Virginia, and ir hnnnJ, Af ha 1aI if G. town.
 It had for some time a precarious ex- istence; but, under the strong hand o1 Captain John Smith, and reinforced by Lord Delaware and other leading spir- its, it finally became a power in the formation of the coming nation.
 Its tract embraced the country along the coast, two hundred miles north anc as far south of the place now occupied l by Fortress Monroe, and extending | westward to the Pacific ocean, and the charter contained strong germs of civi and religious rights.
 It was at Jamestown, in 1919, tha | there was held the first American leg islative assembly, it's members having been elected by the freemen of Virginia 1 bdCOll IeuelllOIl OCCullSd III 1o'o 1 and, just one hundred years later, Vir ginia was the first colony to raise it. voice for the establishment of Ameri can independence.
 | In the year 1920, the Pilgrims landed | at Plymouth Rock the first installmen of the Puritans who, during the quarte of a century following were to becom so numerous in the wilds of New Eng land.
 The object of their search for nev | home was freedom of worship; and l while they welcomed heartily all per sons of their own faith, they regarded 1 those holding different views as in truders, and resolutely drove then from their borders.
 The banishment of Roger Williams the persecution of the Quakers, and tn executions for the alleged crime o witchcraft are dark spots in the histo ny of New England.
 The early colonists of Massachusett were the first to hold town meetings establish government by the will of tn people, and set up public schools, thu laying the foundation of the commo school system of our land. In 1635-6 emigrarts from BostO made settlements at places in the beau tiful valley of the Connecticut river now known as Wethersfield, Windso and Hartford.
 In 1639 the inhabitants of these thre towns held a meeting and drew up ] document which was the first write \ constitution of most of the states nov comprised in the United States, an even of that of our great nation, tn United States of America.
 A most remarkable fact about thi early compact is that it makes no ref erence to the sovereign of England thus really establishing a republic, ack nowledging no earthly authority be yond the voting power of the men wh dared to put 1t into execution.
 This constitution contained all the es sential elements of genuine democracy and the greatness of it's conception an
 the strength of it's contents are show
 by the fact that it lasted, in all it's es
 sential features, until the year 1918,
 period of 179 years.
 :, In this same year, 1639 there occurre l, another important event, the settle
 ment of this ancient town of Milford and contemporaneously the organiza
 tion of this venerable church societ,
 whose "seven pillars stand on the rec
 ords of the town.
 For all practical purposes the churc , organization and the town organizatio , were identical; and, for the space -c , five years there existed here, on tn
 banks of the Wepawaug an indeper . dent republic, not under the jurisdic tion of any form of civil governmen but managed by the deliberations of it own members, deciding to have no ot ficers except those chosen from anon , themselves.
 These sturdy pioneers, taking the B ble as their guide, declared themselve . in favor of liberty; and, by their vigol
 ous example, they did much toward tn
 establishment of a spirit of indepent ence.
 , In the year 1644 Milford, Guilfor, } Stamford and Soluthold, L. l., unitin
 with the parent settlement at New Ha ven formed the commonwealth of Ne Haven, which continued for abo,
 twenty years, after which time unio t was effected with the colony of Cor r necticut
 7 For more than one hundred years tn
 First church was the only religious ol t ganization in the town.
 The town of Milford, from the earlie. times, has been noted for it's interest