友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
the quaker colonies-第16部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
Governor Morris; besides demanding that the supply of 20;000 pounds should not go into force until the King's pleasure was known; insisted that the paper money representing it should be redeemable in five years。 This period the Assembly considered too short; the usual time was ten years。 Five years would ruin too many people by foreclosures。 Moreover; the Governor was attempting to dictate the way in which the people should raise a money supply。 He and the King had a right to ask for aid in war; but it was the right of the colony to use its own methods of furnishing this assistance。 The Governor also refused to let the Assembly see the instructions from the proprietors under which he was acting。 This was another attack upon their liberties and involved nothing less than an attempt to change their charter rights by secret instructions to a deputy governor which he must obey at his peril。 Several bills had recently been introduced in the English Parliament for the purpose of making royal instructions to governors binding on all the colonial assemblies without regard to their charters。 This innovation; the colonists felt; would wreck all their liberties and turn colonial government into a mere despotism。
The assemblies of all the colonies have been a good deal abused for delay in supporting the war and meanness in withholding money。 But in many instances the delay and lack of money were occasioned by the grasping schemes of governors who saw a chance to gain new privileges for the Crown or a proprietor or to weaken popular government by crippling the powers of the legislatures。 The usual statement that the Pennsylvania Assembly was slow in assisting the war because it was composed of Quakers is not supported by the facts。 The Pennsylvania Assembly was not behind the rest。 On this particular occasion; when their large money supply bill could not be passed without sacrificing their constitutional rights; they raised money for the war by appointing a committee which was authorized to borrow 5000 pounds on the credit of the Assembly。
Other contests arose over the claim of the proprietors that their estates in the province were exempt from taxation for the war or any purpose。 One bill taxing the proprietary estates along with others was met by Thomas Penn offering to subscribe 5000 pounds; as a free gift to the colony's war measures。 The Assembly accepted this; and passed the bill without taxing the proprietary estates。 It turned out; however; to be a shrewd business move on the part of Thomas Penn; for the 5000 pounds was to be collected out of the quitrents that were in arrears; and the payment of it was in consequence long delayed。 The thrifty Thomas had thus saddled his bad debts on the province and gained a reputation for generosity at the same time。
Pennsylvania; though governed by Quakers assisted by noncombatant Germans; had a better protected frontier than Maryland or Virginia; no colony; indeed; was at that time better protected。 The Quaker Assembly did more than take care of the frontier during the war; it preserved at the same time constitutional rights in defense of which twenty…five years afterwards the whole continent fought the Revolution。 The Quaker Assembly even passed two militia bills; one of which became law; and sent rather more than the province's full share of troops to protect the frontiers of New York and New England and to carry the invasion into Canada。
General Braddock warmly praised the assistance which Pennsylvania gave him because; he said; she had done more for him than any of the other colonies。 Virginia and Maryland promised everything and performed nothing; while Pennsylvania promised nothing and performed everything。 Commodore Spy thanked the Assembly for the large number of sailors sent his fleet at the expense of the province。 General Shirley; in charge of the New England and New York campaigns; thanked the Assembly for the numerous recruits; and it was the common opinion at the time that Pennsylvania had sent more troops to the war than any other colony。 In the first four years of the war the province spent for military purposes 210;567 pounds sterling; which was a very considerable sum at that time for a community of less than 200;000 people。 Quakers; though they hate war; will accept it when there is no escape。 The old story of the Quaker who tossed a pirate overboard; saying; 〃Friend; thee has no business here;〃 gives their point of view better than pages of explanation。 Quaker opinion has not always been entirely uniform。 In Revolutionary times in Philadelphia there was a division of the Quakers known as the Fighting Quakers; and their meeting house is still pointed out at the corner of Fourth Street and Arch。 They even produced able military leaders: Colonel John Dickinson; General Greene; and General Mifflin in the Continental Army; and; in the War of 1812; General Jacob Brown; who reorganized the army and restored its failing fortunes after many officers had been tried and found wanting。
There was always among the Quakers a rationalistic party and a party of mysticism。 The rationalistic party prevailed in Pennsylvania all through the colonial period。 In the midst of the worst horrors of the French and Indian wars; however; the conscientious objectors roused themselves and began preaching and exhorting what has been called the mystical side of the faith。 Many extreme Quaker members of the Assembly resigned their seats in consequence。 After the Revolution the spiritual party began gaining ground; partly perhaps because then the responsibilities of government and care of the great political and religious experiment in Pennsylvania were removed。 The spiritual party increased so rapidly in power that in 1827 a split occurred which involved not a little bitterness; ill feeling; and litigation over property。 This division into two opposing camps; known as the Hicksites and the Orthodox; continues and is likely to remain。
Quaker government in Pennsylvania was put to still severer tests by the difficulties and disasters that followed Braddock's defeat。 That unfortunate general had something over two thousand men and was hampered with a train of artillery and a splendid equipment of arms; tools; and supplies; as if he were to march over the smooth highways of Europe。 When he came to drag all these munitions through the depths of the Pennsylvania forests and up and down the mountains; he found that he made only about three miles a day and that his horses had nothing to eat but the leaves of the trees。 Washington; who was of the party; finally persuaded him to abandon his artillery and press forward with about fifteen hundred picked men。 These troops; when a few miles from Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh); met about six hundred Indians and three hundred French coming from the fort。 The English maintained a close formation where they were; but the French and Indians immediately spread out on their flanks; lying behind trees and logs which provided rests for their rifles and security for their bodies。 This strategy decided the day。 The English were shot down like cattle in a pen; and out of about fifteen hundred only four hundred and fifty escaped。 The French and Indian loss was not much
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!