The Ordway new era., 1913-08-16


rough in his free southern speech and
manner; and Mr.. Bland seemed to
them "a plain, sensible man." such as
would be more given to study than to
agitation.
II such men, artless and steady as
any downright country gentleman of
old England, held 80 high fancy for
the business Of the congress. 1t was
easy to conclude what the hastier
younger men would be likely to plan
and do; and the Massachusetts dele
gates found themselves greatly heart
ened.
John Adams, Thomas Cushing. Sam
uel Adams and Robert Treat Paine
were the representatives of Massa-
chusetts. 1t was their people who
had most provoked Parliament to be
high-handed and aggressive.
The struggle with the ministry at
home had taken shape in Boston. 1t
had come to actual riot there. All the
continent and all England had seen
how stubborn was the temper, how In
corrigible the spirit of resistance. in
that old seat Of the Puritan power, al
ways hard set and proud in its self
willed resolution to be independent;
and all eyes were turned now upon
Cushing and Paine and this brace of
Adamses," who had come. It was
thought. to hurry the congress into
radical courses. Kindness. applause.
hospitality. "studied and expensive
respect" had attended them at every
stage of their long ride from Boston
to Philadelphia.
Great Excitement Over Congress.
The country was much stirred by
the prospect of general congress Of
committees" at Philadelphia; and the
delegates from Massachusetts were
greeted as they passed even more gen
erously than the rest, because their
people had been the first to suffer in
this bad business; because their
chief port at Boston was closed, and
relocated sentries were on their
streets.
It behooved the MASSACHUSETTS men,
however. not to suffer themselves to
be misled. Many looked upon them
askance; some disturbed them hearth
ly. Their own hot.headed mob had
provoked the massacre" Of which
they made 30 much. They had wan
tonly destroyed private property when
they threw the tea into their harbor
to show the government their spirit.
Suspicious Of New EnsIanders.
There had been more than touch
of violence, more than q little turbu-
lence, and vast deal Of radical and
revolutionary talk in all that they had
done; and the colonies were full yet
of men who had no tolerance for any
thing that transgressed. were 1t never
so little, the moderate limits Of con-
stitutional agitation.
There is an opinion which does in
some degree obtain in the other colo
nies that the Massachusetts, gentle
men, and especially of the town of
Boston. do affect to dictate and take
the lead in continental measures. that
we are apt, from an inward vanity and
self-conceit, to assume big and
naughty airs" said Joseph Hawley.
who, for all he had grown old as
quiet Massachusetts lawyer among his
neighbors. had kept his shrewd eyes
abroad. ''It is highly probable" he
told John Adams. with wholesome
bluntness, that you will meet gentle
men from several of the other colo
MES fully equal to yourselves or any
of you in their knowledge of Great
Britain. the colonies, law. history. gov
ernment. commerce. . BY what we
from time to time see in the public
papers. and what our assembly and
committees have received from the
assemblies and committees Of the
more southern colonies. we must be
satisfied that they have men of as
much sense and literature as any we
can, or ever could. boast Of"
Advised to Be Prudent.
1t was mere counsel of prudence
that they should play their part in the
congress with modesty and discretion.
Not Cushing and Paine. but the
Adamses, carried the strength of the
Massachusetts delegation; and it was
Samuel Adams, rather than John. who
was Just now the effective master in
the great Bay Colony-"master of
his enemies called him.
Hale. bluff, adroit, plain, a man of
the people. he had grown old in the
business of agitation. Fifty-two years
he had lived. planning always for
others, never Tor himself. He had /
never looked forward in his life," he
frankly said: never planned, laid a
scheme. or framed design of laying
up anything for himself or others aft
er him." had let all his private busi-
ness go neglected, and lived upon the |
petty salary of small public Office. |
the indulgence of fortune, and the |
good Offices Of the friends and neigh
bors who loved him.
The master Of Puppets"
He was in Philadelphia now wear
ing the plain suit and spending the
modest purse with which his friends
and partisans had fitted him out-the
very impersonation of the revolution