The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-15
70Oth Anniversary of Magma Charta To
 Be Observed Today

In every continent of the globe there will be held celebrations today to mark the 700th anniversary of Magma Charta the foundation of English liberty. This "Great Charter inaugurated a new era for the world, and it's Influence has been felt and is still felt, not only in England, but throughout the mighty empire she has mothered and in the republics of the New World which, seven cen turies ago. was still undiscovered. Ever since that fifteenth of June, 1915, when the rebel barons forced King John to attach his unwilling signature to the Magma Charta at Runnymede. the AngIo-Sazon has cherished an ideal of political free dom, and that ideal has developed into the powerful democracy of to- day and will blossom forth in the greater democracy of tomorrow.
 Magma Charta restored the rights which the monarchs had abused, pre- vented the imposition of taxes with out the consent of the great council, set up the famous law of habeas corpus as a bulwark of individual liberty and inaugurated the reign of justice by establishing the jury sys- | tenn, and instituted many other re- forms. In forcing King John to sign the immortal document the barons braved the displeasure of the Pope and the church, and later, with the
 
 to tear up the charter.
 Magma Charta, important as it was was but the first step toward free government The next was the meet ing in Oxford of the first assembly to which the name of Parliament was officially applied, and this body be- l came the guardian of Magma Charta-. In 1884 the burghers and petty no bi1ity were admitted to Parliament, and in the following year representa- 1 lives of the counties and cities were elected, marking the beginning of the House of Commons. Within a cen tury after Magma Charta. the PaElia- | ment had become sufficiently power full to curb the extravagance of royalty and to make the king respect 1 the law.
 The spirit of Magma Charta, erni- l grated to the New World with the l landing of the first English settlers, l and it was that spirit which later caused Enghshmen to revolt against | the mother country and set up a new republican government George H., \ for all his armies of German mer- | cenaries, could no more prevail against those aroused farmers and | shopkeepers of the New World than King John and his successors could cope with the barons and burghers | of an earlier time.
 l There is wealth of evidence to prove that Magma Charta, was power full in inspiring the patriots of the 1 American revolution. The favorite union device of that period was that 1 originated by John Hall, the publish 1 CT of the New York Journal, after the adjournment of the frs Conti- mental Congress in 1774A He had a l column standing upon document labelled Magma Charta," and firmly grasped, as a pi11or indicating in alienab1e rights, by twelve hands, representing the twelve colonies | Georgia not having had a, representa- tive in the first Congress. The whole was surrounded by a large serpent, perfect, and in two coils, on whose l body were the following words:
 United, now, alive and free,
 Firm on this basis liberty shall stand, And, thus supported lever bless our
 land,
 Till time becomes eternitY',