The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-28


bluff within the fair HAWAII River
which they presently called the Ash
ley. in honor of the distinguished no
bleman for whom Mr.. Locke had writ
Their settlement they called Charles
town; and there they lived for ter
years without notable incident. ex-
cept that Sir John Yeamans. who was
their governor from 1671-1674. brought
negro slaves with him when he came
from the Barbados in 1872. Mr.. Jo-
seph West was governor most Of the
time during the first years of settle
ment. and ruled very sensibly, assisted
by council of which the freemen OF
the colony elected part. Things went
quietly enough until the proprietors
and the government at home bestirred
themselves to enforce the Fundamental
Constitutions and the laws of trade.
II was no mere perverseness of tenn
per or mere love of license that set
the colonis:s so stubbornly against
the plans ard the authority of their
governors. 1t was rather their prac-
teal sense and their knowledge of
their own necessities. Virginia her
self. for all she was so much older.
so staid and loyal. was moved to re-
volt almost as easily as Albemarle
and Charlestown when put upon more
grossly than she could bear. She was
herself in rebellion at the very time
the men at Albemarle were openly de-
flying their governor to put into force
among them the laws which forbade
their trade with the Indies.
Virginians had seen their burdens
and their grievances against the gov
eminent alike Of their governor and
of the King grow ominously heavier
and heavier ever since the Restora-
ton, which they had once deemed so
happy an event. until at last the con-
dition i'll which they found themselves
seemed quite intolerable.
Sir William Berkeley was no longer
the manly. approachable gentleman he
had been in the earlier time of his
first gOvernorship-bluff and wilful
but neither bitter nor brutal The long
days of his enforced retirement, while
the Commonwealth stood I652-166O),
had sOured his temper and alienated
him from the life of the colony; and
he had come out of il to take up the
government again. not Nircinian.
like the chief Cavalier gentlemen about
him. who now accounted Virginia their
home and neighborhood. but harsh
and arbitrary servant of the crown
and of his own interests. ready to
fall into a rage at the slightest con-
tradictIOn. suave only when he meant
to strike.
The change was not obvious at first:
but 1t became evident enough ere long.
The King recommended mere place
hunters and Adventures TO Sir Will
lam for appointment in Virginia, wish
ing to he rid of them. or to pay his
personal obligations at NirCinia'S cost.
Sir William put them in office in the
colony. and along with them his own
friends. knsmen. and favOrtes. until
councillors. sheriffs, magistrates. sur
veyorS, customs clerks, the whole civil
service of Virginia. seemed a body of
placemen who meant to
thrive whether justice were done and
the laws kept or not
Nor was that the worst of IL. II
was next to impossible for the small
planter. or for any man who did not
thrive exceedingly. to pay the grow
ing taxes and the innumerable petty
eNacticns which were demanded of him
to pay these men. satisfy the Kings
collectors. and maintain the eXpen-
sive government of the colony The
Acts forbade the colonists
to send their tobacco anywhere but
to England. in English ships. and so
the English skIppers could demand
what freight they pleased and the
English merchants could buy the to-
bac"O at such prices as suited them.
The same acts forbade any goods to
he brought into the colonies except
rom England. and so the English mer-
chants could exact what they chose
he
shippers could get their return freight
charges. There was no coin in Vir-
cinia. or next To none: tobacco itself,
her principal crop, served as money.
and when il was worth little and the
goods ii was used to pay for were
worth great deal. il was hard to
i've at all. and poverty seemed Il thing
enacted and enforced.
The restrictions put upon the carry
ng trade had but the other day been
made complete in their kind. In 1872
IN act for the still better securing of
he plantation trade" had forbidden
even Coastwise trade among the
colonies themselves. or with the Eng
ish Bermudas. in sugar. tobacco. cot
on, wool. indigo or any other of the
articles of the former acts.
Except they were first taken into Eng
and. or paid at the port of export the
luties levied at the English wharves
AS if poverty. and heavy taxes to
make it the mere burdensome. were
not enough. deep anxiety lest Vir-
yinia should lose even the forms of
Ter liberty was added, and finally war
With the Indians. to make the meas
Ire full to overlooking.
1t was useless to appeal to the |
House of Burgesses for redress of |
Grievances. because Sir William Berke-
ey would allow no election of n new |
louise. For fifteen years he kept alive |
he House which had been chosen in |
SCI, at the time of the Restora ton |
I was made up of hearty partisans |
4 the Kings government. as was nat
lral. having been chosen when II was |
md was quite ready TO follow Sir !
Williams lead in most things He |
would adjourn its sessions from time |
o time, but would not dissolve It; |
nd so there were no elections at all |
The Burgesses themselves were con-
ent enough to prolong its life. and |
,eep the governor in good humor by |
heir votes. Each member received |
wo hundred and fifty pounds of to-
'acco for every day he spent in the |
ssembly. to keep himself, his serv-
mt. and a horse; every committee of
he assembly had its paid clerk and /
money out of the colonial treasury for
ts liquors: and there was oftentimes
nore profit to be got out of a long
ession than out of diligent tobacco
lanting at home
Tomorrow, "RebelIion In virsinia.-