The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-20
CONVENTION OF 1914,

In the Church of the Redeemer at Hartford, Friday afternoon, Arthur L. Shipman lectured to a fair-sized audi ence on the Convention of lS14," It was the last lecture in the Charter Oak course, given for the benefit of the pupils of the High and Grammar schools.
 MT. Shipman said his topic was diff ficult one to speak on. It is only eigh- ty-four years ago that the convention met in Hartford. It adjourned three weeks later Men are now living in Hartford who were then alive. The people are now talking about imperial- ism, but the aldermen's chamber is the same where Mr.. Cabot of Massachu- setts condemned foreign wars as vigor- ously as his grandson, Henry Cabot Lodge, urged another foreign war in the United States senate. The events which led to the meeting of New Eng flanders were of rapid occurrence. Neither with the Declaration of Inde- pendence nor the surrender at York town were the people united. The Un- ion was looked upon as an experiment. Washington found it hard to unite the Puritan Englishman of New England, the English cavalier of Virginia, the Hollander of New York and the Qua ker of Pennsylvania. Jefferson and Madison said that the constitution was nothing more than a compact, which could be broken at any time. That was the first word of secession heard. Washington's idea was to have a Taec no navy. The government was build ing fourteen frigates when he was elected president He at once had the work stopped, 1t was in 17S9 that the constitution was completed. When Jefferson left Paris in 17S9 he was a French republican. Although Jefferson was stunned by the outbreak in France the spirit of the Revolution formed a part of his very being To us in New | England the French were like Dagos, and Napoleon a monster of iniquities. England wanted sailors. The impress ment of American sailors was one of the causes of the war of 1872. New Eng ment. England claimed that the men whom she impressed into her service ] were British subjects or deserters. France and England went to war in 1863, and England issued "orders iii
 council" bleckading the west coast of Europe. After Napoleon issued his | Berlin decree England retalated by for bidding any neutral power from trading
 with France until duty had been paid i first to England. The embargo made | New England very angry. It lasted until 1909. It was good thing for New England and gave this section of the | country its first start in manufactur-
 ing. When articles which the people
 wanted could not be introduced the people set about producing the articles themselves. The non-intercourse poli-
 cy of Madison was aimed at England and France.
 l The day before war was declared the
 orders in council were abandoned, and
 all causes for the war, except the im- pressment, were removed. It is curious
 to note that the American newspapers
 paid more attention to the war between France and England than the war be- | tween this country and England It
 was proposed to pass conscription
 law, which would empower the author- ities to compel minors to join the army without the consent of their parents. 1 bdl lt ulu lot pdSS l nb lGuSFdl gov l ernment told the states to look out for | themselves as the government was un- able to help them. There were twenty
 six delegates at the Hartford conven- l tion. The deliberations were secret.
 Men who are afraid of publicity are to
 be dstrusted. On December 24 1914.
 the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent The news was not received un-
 til February. The battle of New Or leans was fought two weeks after the
 treaty was signed. Fighting contin-
 ued on the seas two months after the
 signing of the treaty. The Hartford | convention closed amid the cheers of a l few and the jeers of many America | hates mugwump and believes in the
 saying of Lawrence: Don't give up
 the ship" The federal government is
 not a convention, but union of states. {, The president has almost more power
 than an absolute monarch of Europe.
 He must regard the wishes of the peo-
 pie, and he cannot disregard the opin- l ions of a resDecta h1e minority