The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-02-14

| Deserves q Wide Reading, Especially
by the People of the South.
(From the New Orleans Picayune. of Dec.
| 30, 1907
| The Importance of the study of his
tory is universally recognized. 1t il
especially obvious when ones coun-
try is concerned. In practical &C
acknowledgement Of this fact the his
tory Of the United States has been
made part of the curriculum OF the
| common schools in the several States,
which, together, constitute the Fed
| eral Union. 1t is to be regretted,
however, that, so far as they deal
with the political development OF this
country, the text books placed in the
hands of American boys and girls are
not only superficial, but in too many
instances incorrect and misleading.
This is not surprising, when it is re-
membered that school books are
usually mere abridgments, and that
so many OF the larger works dealing
| professedly with the political history
Of the United States have been writ
ten from a sectional and partisan
point Of view.
MIR. Grady is man of mature age,
wide reading and practical expert
ence as public man. He has been
n soldier, a college professor and a
member of Congress. No one who
reads The Case Of the North Against
the South" will doubt that this work
Is tho result Of prolonged research
and serious thought. II it be charged
that he, too, has written from sec
tional and partisan point Of view, it
may be replied that his statements
and arguments are based upon Off
| cial records and other authentic
| sources OF information. II he is any
| where in error, he can be very easily
| corrected, because he has been ex-
| tremely careful in the citation of his
| authorities. Moreover, his book is
AN answer. Though the South has
submitted to the arbitrament of arms,
it has yet right to be heard before
the august tribunal of history. 1t is
| true that the South has been defend
ed with great ability by jurists and
| publicists of the learning and force
| fulness and acuteness of A. L. Bled soc
and B. j. Sage; but these writer's deal
almost exclusively with questions Of
| constitutional law. Mr.. Grady, while
he goes over the ground already
| traversed by them, is at pains to fol-
| low the actual course Of Federal legis
laton, in so far as it appears to have
sectional significance. The general
effect OF his presentation Of the case
is to show that from the beginning
| Of the history of the Federal Govern
ment. the Southern States have been
compelled to occupy defensive atti-
tude.
About this time Parliament repeal
ed all the taxes imposed by the act of
1867, except that on tea. Another
act, passed in 1878, permitted the
East India Company to carry tea into
the Colonies and undersell the SNUG
ylers of Dutch tea. MIR. Grady asserts
on the authority of Montgomery
American History" that nine-tenths
Of all they imported was struggled
from Holland. There remained only
a duty Of pence per pound to be
paid in the port of entry; but the i'm
portation was resisted in the princi-
pa, importing cities, NOTABLY in Bos-
ton, where the smugglers organized
= band of Mohawk Indians and
| dumped into the Sea about 100000
worth of tea" Parliament there
upon passed several retaliatory and
repressive acts, by the first Of which
the harbor of Boston was declared
closed until compensation should be
made to the East India Company for
their tea, and until the inhabitants
should discover an inclination to sub
nit to the revenue laws. The effect
of the second act was TO take away
the charter OF the Massachusetts Bay,
leaving the council to be appointed
by the King, as in the Southern
provinces, and making town meetings
unlawful except for the purpose of
elections.
When the people of Boston heard
of the passage Of the first of these
acts they called a meeting and voted
to make application to the other Col
onies to refuse all .'importations from
Great Britain, and withhold all COM
mercial intercourse with her, IS the
best mode to secure repeal of the
oppressive law" The other Colonies
showed themselves by no means un-
sympathetic at this juncture The
Assembly of Virginia appointed day
"of fasting. humiliation and prayer
and the royal Governor having at
once dissolved the House of Burgesses,
1.-The members resolved themselves
into = committee" adopted resolu-
tions declaring in substance that
1.-The cause OF Boston was the cause
Of ALL" and took steps to induce the
other Colonies to appoint delegates
to the general Congress proposed bv
Boston. North Carolina's Legislative
Assembly also denounced the Boston
port bill. and approved the plan for
general congress. At last. on the
9Th Of September IVA. the first ICON.
tinental congress" was organized in
Philadelphia, all the Colonies being
represented except Canada and
georgia. This con-
gress declared what it deemed to be
inalienable rights of English free.
men and advised
all Colonies TO send delegates to a
general congress to be assembled in
the same place in May of the mex,
year. Meanwhile an act of Parlia-
ment restrained 1.-The trade and com
merce Of the provinces of Massachu.
setts Bay and New Hampshire. and
the Colonies Of Connecticut and
Rhode Island, and Providence Planta.
tons in North America. to Grea,
Britain, Ireland and the British
Islands ia the West Indies" and pro.
hibited "such provinces and Colonies
from carrying on any fishery on the
banks OF Newfoundland and other
places therein mentioned, under GER
tain conditions and limitations. >