The Saint Paul globe., 1901-11-14
The Globes $ Ss%sss SSs%s.5@ay
The Makers Of the Madon.
CLARK MILLS BRINK, PHI. D.

very awkwardly and faltered much in his
exordium. The people hung their heads.
The clergy were observed to exchange
sly looks with each other. But these
feelings soon gave place to others, of a
far different character. His att1-
/ tude became erect and lofty There
was lighting in his eyes which seemed
to rivet the spectators. He made
their blood run cold and their hair to
rise on end They could look away
no more. In less than twenty minutes
they might be seen in every part of the
house, on every bench, in every Win
dow, y their features fixed in
an1azement and ave- all their senses
listening and riveted upon the speaker,
as if TO catch the last strain Of some
heavenly viSitant. The nlockery of the
clergy Was soon turned into alarm. their
triumph into confusion and despair, and
at one burst of his rapid and overwhelm-
ing invective they fled from the house in
precipitation and terror The jury was
SO bewildered by this eloquence that they
lost sight of legislative enactments and
returned verdict of L penny for the
plaintiff, and the young orator had SO
hypnotized even the court that the mo-
: ton for a. new trial was denied. Such 4
loss of his case was for the young advo-
cate brilliant victory. Patrick Henry
went into that court room an unknown
country lawyer; he went out the most ell
oquent orator of Virginia, and Virginia
has never since produced a man to dis
pute his supremacy.
That speech was significant, not only
for its revelation of Henrys marvellous
e1oquence, but for the sentiments to
which it gave expression. Mr.. Maury the
minister who acted as the plaintiff, in a
letter written twelve days after the trial
wrote, among other things, that Henry
said: "A king, by disallowing acts of
this salutary nature {such as had been
passed by the colonial legislature), from
being the father of bis people. degen-
crates into tyrant and forfeits all rights
to his subjects obedience" This was
bold utterance to be made at that time,
and 1t shows how, even before the ag-
sressiye taxation of England began, Mr..
Henry was thinking of the rights of the
colonistS and did not hesitate as occasion
arose to use his great gifts of eloauence
to advocate those rights as against the
king.
When the stamp act was passed, Henry
was already a member of the Virginia
house of burgeSSes. On his own motion
and responsibility, he introduced the IA
nous set of resolutions sometimes known
as the Virginia resolves" In these res
olutions he set forth the right of the col
ONES to self-goyernment and the pri,l-
ciple That the people, and they alone. had
the right to impose taxes. They further
declared that any person who should
maintain that anyone but the colonial as
senbly had the power to impose taxes
upon the people of Virginia should be
deemed an enemy to the colony.
Ihe introduction of these resolutions
by the new, clownish member from the
country, without consultation with the
recognized leaders of the house. seemed
10 the same conlplacent leaders q pieee
OF unbridled audacity. Should the resp
lutionS be carried Henry would be the
leader and the old monarchs of legisIa.
ton would be dethroned No wonder
that Jefferson declared the debate to be
most bloody!' But Henry was undis-
mayed. He sturdily stood his ground.
Logic, learning, eioquenee denuncia-
tion, derision, intimidation says TYLER.
Were poured from all sides of the house
upon the head of the presumptuous in
tfuder; but alone. or almost alone, he
confronted and defeated all his assaii- /
ants. The resolutions were adopted.
1t was during this debate that the
splendid incident occurred SO vividIy re.
corded by Judge John Tyler At the
climax of a. tremendous passage of in
veetive he said, in tones of thrilling
'o1SAiAiiey. SdcSdf Hdu MS BrutuS.
Charles I. his Cromwell, and George
H." ('Treason' shouted the speaker.
Treasonn treason!' rose from all sides
OF the room. The orator paused in state.
Iy defiance till these rude exclamations
were ended and then, rearing himself
with look and bearing of still proud
er and fiercer determination, he so closed
the sentence as to battle his accusers.
without in the least fiinching from his
own position)-"and George III may
profit by their example If this be
treason make the most Of it, The adop-
ton of the resolutions was Virginia's
declaration of independence, eleven years
before the more inclusive declaration was
adopted by the continental congress, and
the credit for their conception and adop-
ton is due to the sturdy courage and
the resistless eioquence of Patrick
Henry.
The publication of the resolutions
throughout the colonies created tre-
mendous furore and aroused the people as
no other one thing had done to united