Evening star., 1934-04-19
REVERE INCIDENT
APPLICABLE HERE
Capital KeenIy Sensitive to
Impulses of Heroic Ride
for Liberty's Sake. e
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
History has nothing to say about the
character Of the sleep Of Lord Fred
erick North, later Earl of Guilford, on
the night Of April Is, IT'S; but II he
was troubled and restless, the cause
may have been some underlined per-
ception Of events which then were
happening on the western side of the
Atlantic.
A signal lantern had appeared in
the belfry arch of Christ Church
Boston, and its gleam had been seen
by Paul Revere, the herald Of the
American Revolution, and by other
Minute Men, equally alert. If not
equally destined to be famous.
The roads of the whole environment
of Massachusetts, Bay were echoing
with the thunder of the hoofs Of fly
ing steeds and the cries of their pa
triot riders, the messengers Of inde-
pendence. ITO arms! To arms!'
was the cry. War has begun"
BY sunrise of the first Patriots day
the tocsin Of British rule had been
sounded throughout New England
The die was cast. irretrievably. Only
the tedious struggle to confirm the de-
cision remained. And Revere's asso-
ciates in the Inauguration of the new
deal Of the age ere William Dawes
Samuel Prescott, Israel Bissell and
John and Bartholomew Richardson
names strange in the ears Of the pres
ent generation, but far from un-
familiar to their countrymen ON that
historic April 10.
Boston Night Patrol.
Their sponsor, fated to die at Bum
ker Hill, was DR.. Joseph Warren,
president of the Provincial Congress
Of Massachusetts, and creator of the
Committee Of Safety. "All Winter, "
says the record, Revere and about
80 others had made it their duty to
patrol the streets Of Boston at
night.
"On Sunday, April 16, Warren sent
Revere to Lexington to tell John
Hancock and Samuel Adams that
Gen. Gage had given warning of his
plans by launching the boats of the
transports, which had been laid up
in Boston Harbor all Winter
Revere delivered his message, re-
turning by way of Charlestown, and
there agreed with Col. Conant and
others that if the British went out
by water We would show two lanthorns
in the Old North Church steeple, and
If by land. one. as a signal In Bos-
ton he reported to Warren"
Two days Of watchful waiting
passed and then. on Tuesday evening,
Warren discovered that the Redcoat
troops were to move Immediately. The
alarm had to be given at once, If
at all. Revere and John Richardson
went to Charlestown, Dawes to Rox-
bury, Bartholomew Richardson to
Woourn, Bissell to Worcester. When
their work had been done Revere,
Dawes and Prescott were captured
by British detachment. His COM
panions escaped, but the principal
hero Of the story was dragged back
to Lexington a prisoner. Meanwhile,
however. the ernbattled farmers were
firing the shots heard round the
world at Concord.
News Travelled Slowly.
1t was several weeks before Lord
North. in London, received the news,
and what he said when the announce
ment was made to him is not re-
corded Perhaps he was not as
wrathy as might have been supposed
A sense of humor was one of his
saving graces and surely it did not
fail him when he needed it most.
The American notion Of the Tory
Tyrant" appears to be somewhat in
accurate. He was not the monster he
was painted. On the contrary, he
really was a gentleman in the proper
meaning of the word. Born in 1733
he became one of the lords of the
treasury at 80, chancellor of the ex-
chequer and leader of the House of
Commons at SO. He was a success
full debater and, on account of his
wit and suavity of temper, great
favorite" in parliamentary circles. He
gained extraordinary favor" with
King George III and became prime
minister in ITO. remaining in that
position until March. 1892 Not even
the surrender of CORVALLIS at York
town was enough to drive him out OF
office; his retirement from active par
ticipation in public affairs did not
come until Pitt attained control in
December, 1888. Dying in 1892. he
was praised by Lord Brougham 'as a
debater and a man-the American
war is the great blot on his fame"
In justice, it should be made clear
that the coercion of the Colonies was
not North's own idea. Actually, it
was the wish of his sovereign that the
costs of the French and Indian War
should be met by the Americans.
They have profited by the victory
George said. Why should they not
pay for it?"
Issue Of Representation.
The great irreconcilable issue was
that of representation. The colonists