Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1926-10-14
THE WORLDS
GREATEVFNTS
ALBERT PAYsoN TERHUNE
The Magma charta


the floor OF his palace on the night Of
Dune Is. f2fa5- He was f0amfug at
the mouth, biting the PUSHES 60 frag-
ments and filling the spacious apart
ment with biasphemy and lamenta-
lions.
The man was John. king OF Eng
land. He had that day been forced to
sign a document that cut down his
own tyrannlcal powers and granted
certain just rights to his people. How
unwillingly he had affixed his sigma
ture was proven by the habylsh rage
he gave way TO as soon as he reached
his own abode.
Nearly century and a half had
passed since the Norman conquest
Norman and Saxon were becoming
blended into one consolidated English
race. II needed hut a mutual grlev.
ance to make that blend complete.
And the grievance was at hand
Richard, the Lion Heart" descend 4
ant Of the Conqueror and Johns pred
ecessor as king Of England, had
passed most OF his life In France. His
courage and rough integrity had made
him popular monarch. although he
knew no word OF English. He had
done brilliant. If Ineffective. work In
the Crusades, and on his way home, |
had been captured and thrown into an
Austrian prison. John. his brother. |
had taken advantage Of his absence to
make an effort to seize the English |
crown. Richard was the typical knight
Grant, the highest type of chivalry
John, on the contrary. was a coward
and an uii=around scoundrei. The IA
ton raised money for Richards ran
som and he returned home. only to be
killed In battle soon after.
Richard died without leaving any
children. The natural heir to the
throne was thus Prince Arthur. son OF
Richards next younger brother. Geof-
frey. But John threw Arthur into
prison, had his eyes put out with hot
irons and at last murdered him. thus
securing the crown for himself Hav-
ing done so, he launched out on a ca
reer of tyranny, oppression and mis-
rule worthy of Nero. But the people
of England were not so submissive as
had been those of Rome They grum-
bed at Johns exactiOns and recalled
with longing the fair and seui-social-
Istlc laws that had governed England
IN the good old Saxon days of Edward !.
the Confessor. For by this time the
many grave faults Of the Saxon rule
were forgotten and only its virtues re-
/.
Yet In their discomfort Normaa :,
baron and Saxon farmer were at epesk j.
The king and his tyranny being their =
common foe. The barons. represent =
ng alike the nobility and the people i
irew up modified sort of Declaration Il
II Independence. This document they
'alled the Magma Charta (grand char q
err, and they presented It to King :
Tohn for signature.
This charter was the keystone of
Auglo-Saxon liberty. and was In a n
way the basis of many of our most i'm n,
'ortant laws. Among other things II "
ut an end to unjust punishment and u
rovided that every prisoner receive al
fair trial BY jury Of his peers It 81
fso authorized resistance to arbitrary Al
oval power and put law and the VIII 2,
I the people ahead Of the mere die n,
ttes of the king. of
Naturally John refused point-bIanK dr
) sign n document that would cut his M
over In half and give justice to tile gr
lain people. whom he despised But in
lie barons were prepared for such b.
.fusal. They rose In arms and intimi-
ated the eewardly sovereign into
-anting the people their rights, and
that he sign the document.
On June Is, 1915, John and the ~
aFoRs met at Runnymede, a little .li'
land in the middle Of river. There ~
e Magma Charta was read aloud to 3.
e king. while circle OF stern men, ~
med to the teeth and In no mood to %
;ten to refusal stood threateningly -
out him. The scared monarch 10
yned the charter under this force and -, =.
en- rushed home In a paroxysm Of ui'
lpotent fury. '
his senses, he cast about =.
re a cornered rat. for some way to
40 Wn0I he UHQ zone. A DTiiiitul
aa came to him. Some time before. .
ing frightened by a papal threat. he -
d become formally a liege servant
the pope. He now sent to the Vati- of.
n. explaining his lH-lHek and beg or
* for aid. In reply the Pope at aft
ce issued decree declaring the
lgna Charta null and void. and ex-
all who should seek wat
uphold It. goe
But the barons and people Of Eng are
ID were too thoroughly aroused to eae
affected by even this command.
ey stood by the Magma Charta and 4
.pared to defend their rights TO the In
lth. with a vast army Of foreign fun
rcenaries John ravaged his own cot
gdom in mad effort to secure sub and
;sion to his tyranny. In retaliation
barons declared he was no longer y
Ir king, and invited Louis king of cal'
,nce. to come and reign over are