The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-06-28

military policy of the English overshad-
owed In Importance by another OF Hendricks
speeches at the congress. 1t was delivered on
July 4, 1854 and In it he anticipated by % years
to the day some OF the Ideas expressed In the
Declaration of Independence. He said.
Brethren 1t Is very true, as you told us, that
the clouds hang heavy over us and 1t is not very
pleasant to look up; but we give this belt TO
clear away all the clouds. that we may all live
In bright sunlight. and keep together In strict
union and friendship. Then we shall become
strong and nothing hurt US.
Brethren | will just tell you what people
we were formerly. II any enemies arose against
u.s. we had no occasion to lift up our whole
hand against Them for our little finger was suffi-
cient, and as we have now made a strong con-
federacy II we are truly In earnest therein, we
may retrieve the ancient glory of the Five
Nations"
1t Is easy to imagine how attentively one
delegate to that congress listened to the words
OF the Mohawk chieftain as he told of the an
cient power OF the Iroqnos confederacy. power
gained so many years before because these "sav-
ages" realized that "In union there Is strength
put that realization into practical effect
That delegate was Benjamin Franklin of Penn
sylvana. who had In his pocket plan for a
union of the colonies which he had brought from
Philadelphia with him.
His plan provided for the appointment OF a
president-general for the colonies appointed by
the Crown, and the election by the various
colonial assemblies OF legislative body to be
called the grand council. The powers which they
were to exercise resembled In many ways those
conferred upon the President and congress by
our federal Constitution. The delegates to the
Albany congress unanimously adopted franklin
plan, but 1t was defeated when brought to vote
In the colonial assemblies.
So the colonies and the Mother country turned
deaf ears to the wisdom that came from the
ups OF such men as King Hendrck OF the Mo-
hawks and Benjamin Franklin OF Pennsylvania
and went back to their policy Of "blunderng
through" They Numbered seriously several
times In the campaign against Crown Point the
next year One of their blunders was In disre
garding the advice of King Hendrick who had
led his Mohawks to aid his friend, Sir William
Johnson, who commanded the expedition
When 1t was proposed to send a detachment
OF 1000 troops and 300 Indians to the aid oil
beseged Fort Edward, the Mohawk chief OBJ
iected "If they are to fight, they are too few,
he said ..If they are to die, they are too many
But the council Of war OVERRIDE him. Then wher
It was proposed to send the detachment agains
the enemy In three parties Hendrick agar
preached his message of I'm union there Ii
strength" Picking up three sticks from tht
ground he said: PUT these together and yoI
cannot break them take them one by one ant
you will do 1t easily"
But again his advice was disregarded and thu
detachment started against the gallant and abl
commander, DIeskau The result was the ambush
at Bloody Pond. the defeat Of the colonals Will
the loss OF 100 men. including the leader Of tn
detachment Col. Ephraim Williams, and stou
old Hendrick His horse was shot down at tn
first yolley and before he could extricate him
self a French bayonet pierced his heart
So the great Mohawk died before he could Sc
his English allies blunder through the Frenc
and Indian war to successful conclusion Blu
his oftrepeated I'm union there Is strength wa
not utterly lost Another man who had preache
the same message at the Albany congress cor
tlnnad 10 nreach it-through his snake cartoon
through his writings and in his speeches In tn
Continental congress- So Benjamin Frankli
lived to see 1t become an accomplished fact Il
helped write pledge to such a union IN tn
Declaration of independence and even thong
during the dark DAYS OF the Revolution the bond
of that union seemed about to be broken the
survived long enough to win American inert.
But before he died he saw that union impe
ishnbly preserved In the Constitution OF u
United States OF America
BY western Newspaper Union.