The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-04-25

Tne- government at nome Kept COLO
NAL sentiment very busy. Even LORD
Rockingham government, with Burke
to admonish it, coupled its repeal Of
the stamp duties with a "declaratory
act" which sought to quiet controver-
sy by giving the lie direct TO every
argument urged against its authority
in the colonies. parliament has pow
er to bind the colonies in all cases
whatsoever" was its round assertion
: "a resolution for England's right 10
do what the treasury pleased with
| three millions of freemen," cried
/ Chatham.
Though Rockingham's government
would not act on that right. its sue
cessors would without scruple; and
they were soon about it, for Rocking
hams ministry retained office scarcely
a twelvemonth Grenviile was, in
deed. discredited; but Grafton and
! Townshend were as bad. as stubborn
I in temper, as reckless in policy.
More Taxes for the coIonists.
/ The year 1867 saw taxes proposed
/ and enacted on glass. paper, painters
j colors, and tea imported into the col
onies. with a purpose to pay fixed
/ salaries to the crowns officers in the
j colonies out of the proceeds; and the
, contested ground was all to so over
! again.
To show their temper. the new min
! listers suspended the legislative pow
( ers of the Colonial Assembly in New
York for refusing to make provision
for troops CHARTERED upon the colony
! To complete their fiscal arrangements
they presently created a custom house
and board of revenue commissioners
! for America.
! 1t was an ominous year and set
/ opinion forward not a little in the col
onies.
Protests from the Burgesses.
The House of Burgesses broke. at its
next session Q768). into fresh pro-
! tests and. remonstrances. and there
was no one to restrain or rebuke it.
Fauquier was dead, and gone TO his
reckoning; the reins of government
were in the hands of gentle John
! Blair, president of the council, a Vir-
/ ginian every inch, and with never a
thought of checking his fellow-colo-
nists in the expression Of their Just
opinion.
The autumn brought Lord Bote-
tourt, the new encouragement. who
came in SNOWY state, and with genial
display of courtly manners and good
feeling; but his arrival made little diff
ference. The Burgesses smiled to see
him come to open their session OF
| 1869 with pageant of coach and six
brave display of royal insignia. and
the manner of a sovereign meeting
Parliament; and turned from him al
most IN contempt to denounce once
more the course of the ministers,
argue again the rights of America. de.
clare they would draw the colonies
together in concerted opposition. and
call upon the other colonies to concur
with them alike in their principles
and in their purpose.
Out With the Governor.
Botetourt came hot foot to dissolve
them; but they only shifted their
place of meeting, gathered again at
the private house of Mr.. Anthony Hay
and there resolved no longer to i'm
port the things which Parliament had
taxed in despite of them. George Ma.
son had drawn the resolutions, at
Washington's request, and Washing
ton himself presented them.
Mason's thought had FASTENED very
far along the path of opposition under
the whip of England's policy; and
Washington's quite as far.
The government had not only sent
troops to Boston and dissolved every
assembly that protested. but had adj
vised the king to press prosecutions
for treason in the colonies. and
-hould there be deemed sufficient
ground, transport the accused to Eng
land to be tried by special commits
sion
Riot outburst from Virginia.
It was this last measure that had
provoked the Burgesses to their hot
test outburst at a time when our
lordly masters in Great Britain will
be satisfied with nothing less than
the deprivation of American freedom
wrote Washington to Mason. with a
sudden burst of passion. sit seems
highly necessary that something
should be done to avert the stroke
and maintain the liberty which we
have derived from our ancestors.
That no man should scruple, or hest
tate moment, to use arms in de
fence of so valuable a blessing. on
which all the good and evil of life
depends, is clearly my opinion. Yet
arms, would beg leave to add, should
be the last resource"
Addresses to the throne and remon
strances to Parliament had failed; II
remained to try starving their trades
and manufactures" to see If that al
last would arrest their attention. Nc