CHAPTER VII.

THE GERMS OF UNION.

It should be remembered that the English colonies, which were stretched along the Atlantic coast, had but few bonds of union. They were colonies of the same mother country. They were subject to the laws of Great Britain. They were, more or less, according to their several charters and grants, under the control of the British parliament; but they were jealous of each other. There was no mutual dependence one upon another. Their interests were diverse, and it was an exceedingly difficult matter for the leaders of the people to foster a spirit of union between them. When that union came, it came not from the leaders, but spontaneously from the masses of the people themselves.

Each of the colonies exercised certain powers of selfgovernment, but none claimed independence from England.

THE FIRST UNION. The first union that was formed between any of the colonies was as early as 1643. At that time the Indians were threatening the white settlers of Connecticut and Massachusetts. To resist the common enemy a union was formed between the colonies of the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven, under the name of "The United Colonies of New England." Another object of this union was to resist the claims and encroachments of the

Dutch. More than a century passed before there was any further attempt at a general union among the colonies.

During this time the colonies were growing, introducing the comforts of the old world, and carrying on large traffic with the mother country. Though suffering severely from the several Indian wars that characterized this period, they held resolutely apart from each other, jealousies and alienations, instead of common interests and friendships, controlling public affairs. Nevertheless, union was in due time to be brought about.

THE SECOND ATTEMPT. At the request of the "lords commissioners for trade" a convention was held in Albany, in June, 1754, when commissioners from seven of the colonies, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland - met and held prolonged sessions. The object of this convention, as designed by the lords commissioners, was to form a treaty with some of the Indian tribes, and to consider the best means for defending America against France, that country` being then on the eve of a great war, which we have already considered, and which began in 1756, and was terminated by the famous treaty of 1763.

carried

After due consultation the commissioners their views much farther than had been intended by the British government. The plan of union was proposed by Dr. Franklin, who was a member of the convention, providing for a confederation of all the colonies, with a council to be chosen triennially, and a president to be appointed by the crown. The president and council were to have power to regulate all affairs

with the Indians, to control settlements on lands which should be purchased from the Indians, to govern such settlements, to raise soldiers, build forts, and equip vessels for guarding the coast and protecting the trade. They were to have power to make laws for the execution of these purposes, and to levy duties and taxes as they might think proper. The president was to have the veto power on all laws and acts of the council, and it was his duty to see that the laws were properly executed. The plan never went into operation. It was rejected from different motives, both by the government of the colonies and by the home government at London.

Difficulties. The difficulties in the of union way were so serious that some of the most intelligent men of this country were fully persuaded that it would be impossible to reconcile the differences of the colonies so as to unite them in a common confederacy. Pitkin, in his history, says of the plan adopted by this convention : "It had the singular fate of being rejected in England because it left too much power in the hands of the colonists, and of being disapproved in America because it transferred too much power to the hands of the crown."

Remember that this convention was held just at the beginning of the war with France. The importance of such a union as was here proposed was acknowledged by all, and apparently the principal benefit which followed from the convention was, that it made the idea of union familiar to our colonial ancestors, so that after the close of this war, when the English parliament began to exercise what the colonies considered unreasonable authority

over them, they were quite ready to consult together on the means of defence; and to concert measures for a general resistance.

THE CONGRESS OF 1765. — Hence it came to pass that in 1765 a congress of delegates from nine of the colonies was held in New York. The immediate cause of this congress was the Stamp Act, which had passed the British parliament, in March of that year. Although the colonists vehemently protested against the right of parliament to tax them, yet that body fully committed itself to the policy of raising a revenue from the colonies by taxation. They passed the Stamp Act, which required that all legal documents used in the colonies, in order to be valid, should be upon stamped paper furnished by the British government. When the news of this act reached America, a common opposition to it rose to fever heat at once in all the colonies. The colonial assembly of Virginia adopted most vigorous resolutions. These resolutions were moved and supported by the fiery eloquence of the celebrated Patrick Henry. It was in the heat of debate prior to their passage, when Henry exclaimed: "Cæsar had his Brutus, Charles the first his Cromwell and George the Third-" Here he was interrupted by the speaker and others, with the cry of "Treason, treason." Pausing a moment and coolly turning to the speaker and fixing his eye upon him, slowly and with a low, calm voice said: "may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it."

The proposition for a congress to meet at this time was made by Massachusetts, whose General Court voted that it was desirable that a congress of delegates from all the colonies should be held. New York was fixed

twenty cents on one hundred dollars, or two dollars on each thousand dollars of property. In large towns and cities the rate of taxation is often as high as two per cent, or twenty dollars on a thousand: possibly in some instances it is much higher than this rate.

COLLECTION OF TAXES. In the older states, and in some of the newer ones, the custom prevails for all taxes, town, county, and state, to be collected by the taxcollectors of the town. In other cases the county system prevails, and the county collector receives the assessors' lists for the entire county and makes collections of the taxes.

The law fixes the time of payment of taxes. If one neglects to make payment within the specified time, a fine or penalty is added. If the person is still delinquent, after a further specified time the property is sold at auction. The government thus collects enough money to pay the tax and expenses, and gives a tax title to the purchaser. The former owner has a specified time in which to redeem his property, by payment of the tax and all costs.

TREASURER AND AUDITOR.

-The collector pays over

the money collected as taxes to the treasurer, whether town or county, and takes a receipt from that officer for the amount paid. The treasurer is required to give bonds for the faithful performance of his duties.

It is customary for the town, county, or state to have an officer called an auditor, whose duty it is to audit every bill presented for payment, before the treasurer is permitted by law to pay it. The treasurer's final account must therefore correspond with the final account rendered by the auditor.