Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-25
From the Ycrkville Enquirer Of 1875.
INSTALLMENT XIII.

| INSTALLMENT XIII.
A century has passed away since
our fathers declared themselves free
and Independent. When we contem-
plate that act and the struggle which
followed in all its results, 1t seems
more like a highly wrought romance
than the sober details Of facts. Tne
Oldest of the thirteen colonies which
lentered into that struggle, was little
lmore than one hundred and fifty years
old; and the youngest was less imam
lffty. The nation whose yoke they
threw off was powerful In all the mu-
nitions of war. For more than tnou-
sand years she had been growing In
wealth and power. She was the proud
mistress Of the sea, and her land forces
lhad done themselves honor on more
than a hundred battlefelds. The thir-
teen colonies were weak. They had no
ships, no arms, no powder no stand
ing armies and besides the whole pop
lulation amounted to- less than three
millions.
For a people thus situated to think
of opposing the armed forces of Eng
Land, seems like unparalleled reckless
mess. The history Of the world pre-
sents no similar case. When we con-
slider the fact that these thirteen COL
onies not only dared to oppose the
armed forces Of England, but forced
! that gallant old nation to acknowledge
their independence, we are struck with
lamazement When the British SOL
diers laid down their arms at YORK
town, and the struggle was virtually al
Ian end, General Washington told his
linen not to huzza. "Posterity,' said
he will huzza for you" This was
prophetic. So long as noble deeds are
regarded as worthy of admiration
men of every nation will delight to
honor that handful of men which
wrung from the British government
an acknowledgement Of their rights
and liberty. Not only so; but the
! government which they established
after the conflict was over and the
victory won, was such as the world
had never seen. The good Of all gov
ernments of antiquity was adopted
and the evil rejected. Even today
abused and corrupted as Is the gov
ernment which our fathers left us, l,
Is still the best government on earth
The part which South Carolina took
lin the Revolutionary struggle was
|. honorable. No state in the Union car
boast of a fairer fame than South Car
olina She stands second not even tc
Massachusetts, "the cradle Of liberty
South Carolina's Revolutionary states
men were wise and prudent; her SOL
oilers were bold and daring. The de-
scendants of South Carolina's states
men and soldiers have no need to be
ashamed Of the record of their ances-
tors.
1t is impossible to treat of the
causes which led to the Revolutionary
war as simply connected with one
state. The causes of that event were
common to all the colonies. What ef-
fected one effected all. The proximate
cause was an insignificant tax upor
tea, glass and paints. The avoweo
object for which the British parlia-
ment proposed to raise this tax, was
to assist in liquidating the debts OF the
English government. Some OF this
debt had been incurred by the wars
which had been fought Oh American
soil and in defence of the American
colonies Not only so, but the British
government had incurred much ex-
pense in founding and fostering some
of the colonies 1t might appear al
first sight that the colonies acted rash
ly in not submitting to the tax. IL
must be remembered that it was no,
the amount of the tax that they re-
sisted, so much as the principle. They
claimed that taxation and representa-
ton are inseparably connected. They
felt that, as Englishmen they had
right to resist all taxation except such
as was imposed by their own proper
representatives. 1t is true that on sew
eral occasions, England had sent over
armed forces, in appearance for the
defence of the colonies; but really fol
the establishing Of her own claims to
North America. Both Spain and
France claimed the territory which
was now occupied by the United
States and on moral principles the
claim of either was as good as that
of England In fact then, whatever
expense England had been at in plant
ing the colonies and defending them
lagainst the French, the Spaniards and
the Indians, was only so much done
to extend her own dominions. 1t was
not only unwise in England to impose
any tax upon her colonies, but 1t was
unjust
The wonder is that the colonies were
wise enough to see the injustice of the
Iattempt or bold enough to resist It
This can only be understood by 8
careful consideration of the characters
of the individuals who formed the bulk
lof the first settlers Of North America
They were bold adventures, but not
in the ordinary sense. The majority
of them were subjects Of the British
government. They were Protestants
as distinguished from Papists, and
IDissenters as distinguished from the
established church. They left their
native land, not from choice, but from
necessity. They came to the wilds OF
America, not that they might amass a
fortune, but that they might live In
peace and worship God according to
the dictates of their own consciences.
Massachusetts could boast of her Pu-
ritans and South Carolina of her HUI
guenots and Scotch-Irish. All of
these had ceased TO love kings before
they came to America. Many Of those
who had assisted in beheading one
king and in banishing another from
his throne, had sought a home-an
Iasylum-in the forests of America.
Even the judges who presided at the
trial of Charles l and sentenced him
to the block, fled to America.
Nothing but oppression could have