The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-16
TODAY IN HISTORY
The Boston Tea Party.
FRIDAY. DECEMBER 10.

Today is the date OF the Boston Tea
Party. most interesting social event
that was held In Boston in l1I3.
Among the articles taxed by the Towns
hend revenue bill. passed by the British
parliament In 1851. was tea. There ap-
pcared no better way among the ColoDistS
10 avoid paying these taxes than To re-
fraiu from buying and using the articles
taxed. 4 general boycott was started. In
ll6S fifteen hundred OF the two thousand
families In Boston had totally given up
the use Of tea. The most patriotic palate
could hardly have found a more pleasing
substitute in the Liberty Tea" made
from the leaves OF the four-leavcd loose
strife, baSted with the juice from The
boiled stalks of the same plant and dried
In an oven.
Finally the East India company asked
and received tax permission 10 export
tea to America without payment of
duties in England. Thus II was hoped
the price could be made so low in the
Colonies that the temptation 10 buy coulc
not be resisted. Yet this was neither the
first nor the last time that English an =
thoritics failed TO realize how truly the
British quality OF persistence had come
TO the new world with the settlers.
Informed that tea ships were on the
way to Boston and that tea commits
sioncrs or cOnsgnces had becn ap-
pointed TO receive their contents, the
people promptly and squarcly faced the
problem before them. The tea commits
sioners were called upon To resign and
refused. Tho owners and the captain
OF the FIRST vessel TO arrive. November
IS, 1913 were told that her entry at
the custom house would be made nj their
peril y few days later two other ships
appeared.
ON the afternoon OF December is the
Old South Meeting house held What il
could Of the crowd of seven thousand
which had gathered from town and
country. Before the speeches of Samuel
Adams. Quincy and others were ended a
few candles were lighted in the darken-
Ing building. At the owner OF the ship
Dartmouth entered and announced that
the governor had refused TO permit the
vessel 10 leave.
From that moment the working out OF
a carefully planned programme was ap-
parent "This meeting can do no more
10 save the country said Adams a
war whoop sounded from the porch and
q band OF perhaps fifty men. dressed AS
Indians and known 10 history as The
Mohawks." hurried from the meeting
house 10 Griffins wharf where the tea
ships lay. Within three hours they had
finished their tea party" and Si2 chests
noise or opposition. All the scenes OF
the strange lttle drama had been so well
arranged that when the play WAS done
actors and spectators returned TO their
homes a s sobcrly as II they had taken
part in nothing more thcatric than
Thursday lecture.
Who these fitty Indian garbcd king
dcfirrs were is not known but 1t is
was tho mouthpiccc OF Boston Al this
moment. and of Massachusetts OF New
England of America--it was Samuel
Adams. the "Palinurus of the Revolu-
ton
ca-laden ships also reached Charles
ton. Philadelphia and New York during
the same month. Excited meetings OF
citizens were held in all these cities. In
Charleston the tea was landed. only to
rot in storage. but the Philsdelphiaps re-
fused 10 permit tho ships 10 land.
When the king OF England heard OF
the Boston Tea Party he was naturally
very angry and resolved to humble the
Americans at once; nor did his short
sighted majesty doubt for a moment his
ability To do so. or tho Coonists he
writes: "They VIII be lions while we
are lambs hut " VIC take the resoIute
part they will undoubtedly prove very
meek" But poor George had his mind
dsabused in this as in many other things
during the few years that followed.
December Is. 1858. Oliver Cromwell be-
comes lord protector of the British realm;
in 1885 the great fire in New York City
occurred, and tho marriage OF Napoleon
and Josephine was dissolved In 1907 To-
day is The birthday OF George WhIteneld
celebrated preacher U7lG; Beethoven,
composer GTT0): Jane Austen, novelist
G115): General John r. IIartranft 0S20);
Carl Maria Won Weber composer O7S6):
Mary III. Cathorwood. the author GS4D
and Lillian Russell the singer GS6lJ
Today is the date of the death of Sir
William Petty, eminent political econo-
mist G6S0. and Wilhelm Grimm writer
OF fairy tales dS59).