The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-15

answers. ITO one sole cause, To the invasion
Of the rights Of Bpglish oit1onS.E
The grievances ~ which the E.rginiar
author Of the Declaration Of lndepondelc'
complained we're very real ones. The A.
In the restraint OF trade had touched -.
pocket Of every man In the Colonies. Thsr
England should regulate the CONNIE o.
Of the ColOnlals and not only fix the priy,,
for their products but refuse to perm
them to trade with other countries cXoop
through English ports was felt to be almosl
equivalent to a Btrangulation Of Colonial
prosperity. The Virginians OF that day
also protested with vehemence aguins
the mother country's refusal to pormi'
them to forbid the further introduotioI
Of slaves within their borders. Whe0
England vent TO extremes. however, and
asserted a right 10 bind by law coloniS,s
who had no representation IN hor lAwmas.
ing body anG 10 withdraw the protection
Of the great writs Of privilege the injury
became intolerable, For the oolonists to
have yielded then would have been %
acknowledge themselves slaves. RI"
monstrance after demonstrates was al
dressed to the Crown, each one couche
In respectful terms, but although repeatcl
ehorts were made on the part Of the c~olonists
TO settle their differences with the parent
State on grounds consistent with their
liberties, these were unavailing. Sub
mission only provoked turbulence, They
must either triumph or submit, said George
III. Il am unalterably determined the
King wrote TO Lord North on August IL,
ITS, at every hazard and at the risk Of
every CONSEQUENCE TO compel the colonists
70 absolute sibmission." Mr.. Page quotes
also a remark made by Jefferson, when
the latter was speaking Of Franklin's min
utes OF the negotiations between him and
Lord North to prevent the contest OF arms
which ensued: Il remember that Lord
North's answers we're dry, unyieldlng, de-
manded unconditional submission, and
betrayed an absolute indifference to the
occurrence Of q rupture. At last he said
to the mediators distinctly that a rebellion
was not 70 be deprecated on the part Of
Great Britain and that the confsoations
would provide for many Of their friends
The need OF union among the coloniStS
was we'll understood and had long been
the subject Of discussion and solicitude
among Leading oolOnists. The idsa Of
union for defence, indeed, was almost as
old as the earliest wars in which the English
settlers in America had been engaged,
1t had nearly taken shape in June, 1854,
when commissioners from seven Colonies
met in convention at Albany for the purpose
Of strengthening their treaties with the
Indians and for deviSing q plan OF union
They recommended q plan Of union drawn
up by Franklin, but 1t was not adopted.
Mr.. Page quotes what Jefferson said about
the feeling Of Virgnians in 1873: We were
all sensible that the most urgent Of all
measures wa that Of coming to an under
standing with al the other Colonies TO
consider the BritiSh claims ~ q common
cause to all and 10 produce q unity Of
action Mr.. Jefferson also insisted that
| the institution Of correspondence between
the several Colonies looking TO . confedera-
| ton thereof was not due 10 Massachusetts,,
a. had been asserted, but 10 Virginia, which
first proposed It In May. i77t. What the
! General Court Of Massachusetts, did In Sep
! tember, ITO, was 10 choose . COMMITTEES
Of correspondence, not TO communicate
with other Colonies but to bring about joint
action among the several towns Of that
particular province.
The author Of this essay does not fail TO
show the superlative Importance Of the
resolution unanimously adopted by t1e
Virginia convention on May Is. lie, in
structing the Virginia delegates In the
Continental Congress 70 move Thai body
to declare the Colonies free and indepen-
dent States. How timely and necessary
was this action Of the Virginia convention
will be evident when the fact 10 recalled
that on the very day when the convention
parsed this resolution another resolution
discussed in the Continental Congress for
suppressing the exercise Of all powers de-
| rived from the Crown had thrown tho
middle Colonies New York, the Jerseys
Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland
into a ferment. and had demonstrated that
the people Of those provinces had not yet
accommodated their minds to q separation
from the mother country. Some Of those
Colonies. indeed, had expressly forbidden
their delegates TO consent to a declaration
Of independence, and others had given no
instructions and consequently no powers
10 give such consent. Even 40 late as
July 1. l77o, when the original motion
in favor Of Independence made by the
delegates Of Virginia was put to a vote,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia
voted against it, while the two members
from Delaware who we're present were
divided, and the delegates from New York.
being authorized by their instructions to
vote in the Affirmative. asked leave TO with.
draw.