Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-10

| Aug Il, 1900.
o....... .-..........o
The original oak was seven feet in diam
| eter, and it blew down in storm. A
considerable quantity of the timber is pre-
served. There are as many relics of the
| charter oak here and hereabouts as there
are articles of furniture from the May
| flower at Plymouth and scattered among
| the descendants of the Pilgrims.
Mark Twain who is a citizen Of Hartford.
twice removed. and ought to know. says
river between the two halves of the city Is
built of timber from the charter oak. A
section Of the trunk is preserved by the
Connecticut Historical Society, and at the
capitol visitors are shown a beautifully
| carved chair which is occupied by the lieu
tenant governor when he presides over the
| senate upon occasions Of ceremony. Many
of the older families of Hartford have
tables and desks library cases, bookshelves.
chairs, picture frames and various other
furniture and made from m
| walking sticks have been distributed among
| the patriotic people since it blew down.
In 1S47 child of the old oak was plant
ed. "a Seeding. which has now grown into
| a beautiful, stately tree. and, next to the
| state house, Is the most imposing object
| in Hartford.
Birthplace of Self-Government.
If you care to know it, and it Is worth
knowing, the people Of Connecticut. under
| the leadership of the Rev. Thomas Hooker.
pastor Of the Central Congregational
Church of Hartford which Is still doing
! business and attended by his descendants,
established the. first system Of self-govern-
ment ever organized by human beings. Emil
nent historical writers give Hartford the
unique reputation of being the place where
the first written constitution Of the world,
"A permanent limitation on governmental
power" as Johnston, the historian. ex-
presses 1t. was conceived and brought
forth.
of Hartford. Windsor and Wethersfield as
sembled here and drew up constitution
consisting of eleven articles, which they
called 1.-The fundamental orders of Connec-
ticut" and under 1t the colony lived for
nearly two centuries. King Charles II ap-
proved and recognized 1t, and granted
charter which was simply royal recogni-
ton of the government actually in opera
ton.
The fundamental orders" represented
pure democracy and representative self
government, with universal suffrage. The
qualification of church membership for vot-
ing, which was required In Massachusetts,
was omitted.
This constitution was inspired by the Rev.
Thomas Hooker, whose dust lies in the old
buryng ground In the center Of this city.
In June. 1895. he left Cambridge. Mass,
with a party of about one hundred men,
women and children, with no guide but
compass. no cover but the heavens, no food
but what they carried, and marched
Connecticut river. where they selected a
site for q settlement which they called
New Town, and subsequently Hartford
Parson Hooker was the soul of the move
ment as we'll as It's leader and spiritual
guide The remainder Of the party looked
| up to him as the children of Israel looked
| up to Moses for advice, instruction and ex-
| ample, and he was considered 1nfalllble
| and omniscient. Three years later, when
| the settlement had increased in numbers
| and other towns had been started, Windsor.
| a few miles north, and Wethersfield, a few
| miles south, 1t became necessary to organ
| ize Mr. Hooker after consultation, preach
| ed a sermon before the freemen Of the
| colony in which he outlined a plan Of gov
| eminent 1t contains the earliest Sugges-
| ton in human experience of government
| of the people, for the people. by the people,
| without royal permission, charter, conces-
| sion or authority of any kind from any
| source. 1t recognized no higher power. 1t
| provided for a legislature to be elected by
universal suffrage to frame the laws and
| for magistrates to execute them and 1t
| limited the authority and jurisdiction of
the executive, legislative and judicial
| branches of the government. The laws en-
| acted by the first legislature were not what
| we would call liberal. They regulated the
| daily lives and conduct Of the Pc ople to the
| greatest detail in most autocrattc man
| ner They were known as 1.-The blue laws
! of Connecticut"
| The Charter Demanded.
| For tWenty-tnTee years people Oh the
| colony were allowed to live in this little de-
| mocracy undisturbed. They grew and pros
| pered and were happy. They were con.
tented with the simple and frugal exist
/ ence that the wilderness permitted. They
feared God. dealt honestly with the In
dams, respected the king. and had little
| concern with the troubles and tribulations
| of the outside world. But soon after the
| accession Of James II in 1885 the tran
| quillity Of the colony was rudely disturbed
| by a summons from the Governor Of Mas.
| sachusetts commanding the Governor and
| Company of Connecticut to show by what
warrant they exercised their powers. The
colony made strong professions Of Le70sty
pleaded the charter granted them by the
kings royal brother and begged the con.
tinuance of their privileges. Two writs OF
quo warranto were issued against them
but the people elected Robert Treat as
governor and refused to surrender thei,
charter.
In the latter part of 1856 Sir Edmund
Andres arrived in Boston bearing a roya
commission as Governor Of New England
After some correspondence with Gov
Treat. who still stood firm, Sir Edmund
started for Hartford with a small troop OF
horse. He was met with great courtesy
when he arrived October 81 1887, and thai
evening was conducted to the council
chamber, where he addressed the members
of that body and demanded the charter
The document was brought out and lait
upon the table. In the midst Of the debate
the lights were suddenly extinguished anC
when they were relighted the charter was
missing. There was no clue to its disap
pearance or to the person who had carried
| ha tr