The Washington herald., 1913-01-22

statesmen in London TO make a new
| and larger place for England's authority
in America, and yet that was what thsy
Immediately attempted
| Save Chatham and Burke and re"
discerning men who had neither place
nor mower. there was no longer any one
in England who knew, though IL were
never so vaguely, the real temper and
character Of the colonists. Twas mat
ter of common knowledge and comment,
II Is true. that men of MASSACHUSETTS
| were beyond all reason impatient Oh
command or restraint, affecting an inde-
Ependence which was hardly TO De as
tinguished from contumacy and insubor-
I dination; hut what ground was there to
| suppose that a like naughty and ungoV-
ernable spirit lurked in the loyal ana
quiet South, or among the prudent trad
ers and phlegmatic farmers who were
making the middle colonies so rich. and
so regardful of themselves In every
point of gain or interest.
GLANDS On,' the British Policy.
Statesmen of an elder generation had
had a sure instinct what must be the
feeling of Englishmen in America, and
had. with "a wise and salutary neglect,
suffered them to take their own way In
every matter OF self-government.
Though ministry after ministry had as
| serted a rigorous and eXacting suprem-
acy for the mother country in every az
fair of commerce, and had determined as
they pleased what the colonies should
| be suffered to manufacture, and how
they should be allowed to trade-with
| what merchants, in what commodities,
in what bottoms. within what limits
they had nevertheless withheld their
hands hitherto from all direct exercise
of authority in the handling of the in
ternal affairs OF the several settlements,
had given tham leave always to originate
their own legislation and their own
| mea sures OF finance until self-govern-
ment had become with them thing as
II OF immemoriaI privilege.
4 shrewd Statesman.
Sir William, Keith. sometime Governor
of Pennsylvania. had suggested TO Sir
Robert walpole that he should raise
revenue from the colonies WHAT ex-
claimed that shrewd master of men. "I
have Old England set against me. and
do YOU think I will have New England
lkewise?''
But men had come into authority in
England now who lacked this stout
sagacity. and every element OF sound dis
cretion. English arms and English
money, they could say. had swept the
that the colonies might no longer suffer
menace or rivalry. A great debt had
been piled up in the process. Should not
the colonies, who had reaped the chief
benefit. bear part of the cost?
| They had themselves incurred burden
some debts.~ no doubt, in the struggle.
and their assemblies would very likely
profess themselves willing to vote what
they could should his majesty call upon
them and press them. But an adequate
and orderly system Of taxation could not
be wrought out by the separate meas
ures of a dozen petty legislatures; 'twere
best the taxation should be direct and
by Parliament. whose authority. surely,
no man outside turbulent Boston would
be mad enough seriously to question or
resist.
i To Assert a Mothers Power.
It would, in any event, be wholesome,
now the colonies were likely to grow
lusty as kingdoms in their roomy conti-
nent, to assert a mothers power to use
and restrain-a power by no means lost
because too long unexercised and ne
elected.
/ 1t was with such wisdom the first step
was taken. In March. I7s4. Parliament
voted II Just and necessary that a
revenue be raised in America" passed
an act meant to secure duties on wines
and sugars, and took measures to in
crease the efficiency OF the revenue serv-
ice in America.
George Grenvire was Prime Minister.
He lacked neither official capacity nor
acquaintance with affairs. He thought
II just the colonists should pay their
quota into the national treasury, see
ing they were so served by the ma
tional power; and he declared that in
the next session Of Parliament he
should propose certain direct taxes in
addition to the indirect already in force
fNa..a~
that the colonies would acquiesce, 1f not
without protest, at least without tu-
multi or dangerous resistance.
| A Serious Blunder.
II was a sad blunder. Virginia re-
sented threat and execution alike in
such matter as deeply as did Htigious
| Massachusetts,.
| long generation ago, In the quiet
year liz. wien bluff Sir Robert was
Prime Minister, there had been an in
cident which Gov. Keith. maybe. had
forgotten. The ministry had demanded
of Massachusetts, that she should es-
tablish fixed salary for her Governors
by standing grant, but she had re-
fused, and the ministers had receded.
| The affair had not been lost upon the
| other colonies. That sturdy one-time
1 royal Governor. Alexander Spotswood,
in Virginia, had noted it very particu-
| Idriyp ana spoken OF II very Oiuntlyr
diligent servant OF the crown as he was.
to Col. William Byrd. when he came
his way on his progress to the mines.
He declared that II the Assembly in
New England would stand bluff, he did
not see how they could be forced to
| raise money against their will. for II
| they should direct It to be done by act
Of Parliament. which they have threat
ened to do (though It be against the
| right of Englishmen to be taxed but by
| their representatives,. yet they would
find 1t no easy matter TO put such an
act In execution"
| No observing man could so much as
travel in Virginia without finding very
promptly what It was that gave point
| and poignancy to such an opinion
A Level-headed Parson.
That quiet gentleman, the Rev. Andrew
Burnaby. vicar tof Greenwich. was In
| Virginia in 1759, and saw plainly enough
how matters stood. The public or poll
4 tical character of virginians," he said,
4 Corresponds with their private one
they are naughty and jealous OF their
liberties, impatient of restraint, and can
! scarcely bear the thought OF being con-
| trolled by any superior power Many
\ of them consider the colonies as In
| dependent states. not connected with
4 Great Britain otherwise than by having
(, the same common king and being bound
1 to her with natural affection" Not only
l so. but "they think II is hardship not
| to have an unlimited trade to every part