Rome Free Academy - De O Wain Sta Yearbook (Rome, NY)

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16. THE SENIOR ANNUAL. diminish colonial rights proved unsuc- cessful; because the great body of mer- chants in general agreed not to trade with England, while patriots of the Samuel Adams type bound themselves by oath to “eat nothing, drink nothing, wear nothing’ imported from that country until the duties on all articles should be cancelled. Thus, the obstinacy of the colonists began to assume a serious aspect; there- fore, in order to retain harmony and peace Parliament resolved to repeal all taxes, except one of a few cents per pound on tea. This duty was kept merely to maintain the RIGHT of the British gov- ernment to tax the colonies, and also, be- cause of the pressure brought upon it by the great East India Tea Company, which was closely allied to the govern- ment, and which at this time was almost a bankrupt. Seventeen million pounds of tea belo nging to this vast concern had been stored up in its warehouses, for the simple reason that there was no demand for the article in America. Accordingly, Parliament satisfactorily appeased the East India Company by adjusting the matter of duty payment, so as to enable that great corporation to under-sell the Dutch in trading with the American colonies. But, regardless of the fact that the Americans could now buy the tea, in- cluding the tax, cheaper from England than they could smuggle it from Hol- land, whence they were copiously sup- plied, still they continued firm and es- tablished in their belief that this small, insignificant tax on tea was based on an oppressive and unjust principle, since it was levied without their consent. Fur- thermore, the calonists foresaw the danger of having the East India Com- pany monopolize their trade in other goods besides tea, and, consequently, drive their merchants out of business. At any rate, three tea ships were sent to Boston, and several were likewise de- spatched to New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston; but in each instance the tea was either sent back or destroyed. At Boston, the citizens prohibited the cargoes from being landed, having ap- pointed guards, among whom were six horsemen, who held themselves in readi- ness to spread any necessary alarm con- cerning the movements of the ships. Governor Hutchinson, on the other hand, being a devoted Loyalist, refused to grant the vessels permission to return to England until they had discharged their tea. Under these exasperating circum- stances it was evident that the crisis must soon come, since the twenty days’ allow- ance granted for the unloading of a ship was gradually expiring. At last, on December 16, 1773, two days before the expiration of the twenty days’ limit, the patriots, headed by Samuel Adams, re- solved to take decisive action. An en- thusiastic indignation meeting of citizens numbering seven thousand was held in the Old South Meeting House on the afternoon of that day. While this as- sembly was in session, Rotch, the owner of one tea ship—the Dartmouth—was petitioning Governor Hutchinson for a permit to pass out of the harbor, home- ward bound. But the governor would grant no such permission. The day was now far advanced when it was reported to the assembled patriots that Hutchinson had absolutely for- bidden the ships to depart. Samuel Adams then arose and spoke, giving the signal for action which had already been agreed upon. “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country.”” Im- mediately, about fifty men, disguised as Indians and armed with hatchets, rushed down to the wharf, boarded the vessels, and, as has been so often related, de-

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18. THE office, being hereditary in the female line, must pass not to the presiding oficer’s son but to his brother or his sister's son. But if the rightful suc- cessor was deemed unworthy of this honor, the subordinate chiefs did not hesitate to elect some one in his place The Indians also had a very peculiar social custom. Each community, with- out regard to tribes, was divided into clans, each of which had its own emblem, consisting of the figure of some bird, beast or reptile. Each clan was distinguished by the emblem it wore, while the different totems were of dif- ferent degrees of honor; that of the Bear, Wolf, and Tortoise were consid- ered of the highest rank. No marriages between couples of the same clan were allowed because they were supposed to be related to some degree. The Iroquois had eight of these totemic clans, by which both the members of the whole family were held together and those of each clan were bound by the “closest ties of fraternity.” The one thing above all others that made the Iroquois especially powerful was their confederacy, the legend of which is particularly singular. The Indians believed that Taounyawatha, the God of the Waters, had “ descended to the earth to teach his chosen people the arts of savage life,” and seeing them tormented by giants, monsters, and evil spirits, he urged the scattered tribes to band themselves together in an everlast- ing league. Although this had not yet been accomplished, before he was called to the Great Spirit he had promised to send another to instruct them how to carry out their confederation. Conse- quently, while a band of Mohawks was wandering in the forest one day they heard a hoarse chanting and, following the direction of the sound, they came upon a hideous monster, with hissing SENIOR ANNUAL rattlesnakes hanging from his head, and on the ground about him were magic vessels made of human skulls. They perceived that in his chant he was telling them the laws and principles of their confederacy. As soon as they had over- come their terror sufficiently they sur- rounded and captured him. He was immediately changed into a human shape and afterwards became a chief of remarkable wisdom and prowess. His successors to the office of presiding sachem of the Onondaga council have ever since been given the time-honored name of Atatarho. Although by the invasions of De Nouville and Frontenac the dwellings and fortifications of the Iroquois were levelled to the ground, never again to be rebuilt, nevertheless we find many de- scriptions of them amongst the early historians. Parkman tells us. that they constructed their strongholds in clusters, ‘along the banks of the Mohawk and the Genessee, on the shores of Seneca Lake, among the hills and hollows of Onondaga and the forests of Oneida and Cayuga.” They surrounded them by palisades, in single, double or triple rows, pierced with loop-holes, furnished with platforms for the defenders to stand on, with magazines of stones to throw upon the heads of the enemy, and with appliances at hand to put out fires» The bases of the structures were formed of posts driven into the ground with a frame work of poles between them; both the arched roof and the sides of the building were covered with elm bark. Some of these dwellings were over a hundred feet long and were occupied by several different families, whose sepa- rate fires were built along the central space, while the private departments ex- tended along each side. They used bear and deer skins for bedding and above