Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-29

men-thought in terms Of freedom defeated
attempts at reconciliation and thrilled the
hearts of the masses with their own dream OF
independence Samuel Adams, master agitator
laid the pile; Patrick Henry struck the match
Never did two men work in truer unison
with people thrilling to the great Virgnians
eloquence the shrewd BOStonian now took up
the work OF keeping dScontentment alive.
Charles TOwnShend, that brilliant unstable
near-statesman played directly into his hands
for not only did he go further than George
Granville in enforcing the trade and navigation
acts but he had the stupidity to put heavy taxes
On . selected list of commodities
STRAI0HTwAY Adams conceived the idea Of
boycott and his famous circular letter
secured the consent Of the colonies to q non
importation and non consumption agreement
Americans suffering every privation rather than
buy what England had to SELL The ouarterine
act, compelling the oolonists to support the
10000 soldiers sent to coerce them and
King Georges folly in suspending various legis-
latureS all furnished Adams with material for
new pamphlets and more furious agitation
BY now the Massachusetts, leader was King
Georges favorite nightmare and Townshend to
save his royal master from apoplexy revived an
ancient statute OF Henry VIII, and announced
an intention to arrest Adams and bring him
Whereupon Patrick Henry introduced the Vtr-
gina Resolves, branding the proposal as bar
barous. illegal and observation-disclosures
T0wnShend to do it,
Again in 1773- when Adams conceived the
idea Of committees of correspondence TO bring
the towns of Massachusetts, into closer touch
We md Henry's eloquence driving through a
resolution to apply the idea to the legislatures
OF the colonies. Well might William Lee write
from London that "it struck a greater panic
into the ministers than anything that had taken
place since the stamp act" From the beginning
English policy had been to keep the colonies
apart, creating and inf1aming divisive preiudices
NOW the vision of Adams and Henry had found
the way to weld them. Lord North, succeeding
TownShend as King Georges rubber stamp re-
pealed taxes on everything but tea maintaining
this as an assertion of Englands fright" to
tax Adams. seizing the new opportunity, used
it as lash to whip the tagging spirit of New
England. and the result was the Boston Tea
Party, when 342 chests of choice botea were
tossed into the harbor
Lord Norths answer was an order closing the
port of Boston, and the answer to Lord North
was another batch of Virginia resolutions that
set aside June l, 1774 as a day of fasting
humiliation and prayer. together with many
furious words against King and Commons
Lord Dunmore, that lewd old dandy now COVER
nor, dissolved the House, as had become his
habit, and Patrick Henry, leading his fellow
rebels to the Raleigh Tavern judged the time
ripe to take the last step in his plan for CO.
lonial union Sweeping the timid with him.
ne carried his proposal for an. annual congress
ito deliberate on those general measures which
the united interests of America may from time
to time require"
The bold idea captured the colonies, and a
Virginia convention elected Henry Washing
ton, Harrison, Bland, Peyton Randolph. Ed
mund PendletOn and Richard Henry Lee as
delegates to the first Continental Congress
Henry stopped at Mount Vernon for a night