Show THE T H l E ki kiA A R II H G H T 0 IF F WI WAY A Y I B By RICHARD COPYRIGHT 1921 BY THE TIm HARDING HARDIN WHEELER ELER NEWSPAPER SYNDICATE G DAVI DAV J This This-la a true story st r ry and one that 1 IB IE Intended to Illustrate a characteristic of the English people It shows I think to what lengths an an Englishman will go to to gain his rights when an American would s say Oh what Is th the tha use or r Never mind mind One of the reasons England is la such a comfortable place In hl which to live Is due to the fact that the English people have this peculiar peculiar peculiar pe pe- pe- pe culiar habit of fighting fo for tor by letters letters' to the Times or by taking the numbers of at cabmen and policemen and appearing against them In In- Inthe the morning morning- or by sending warships into strange harbors harbor's where th the windo v panes of f some English merchants have been smashed If there were elevated roads in London th the clerk who lives in Kensington would not hang and swing s from a strap satrap trap on his way to and from the city H He would see th that t he was given the seat for which he had paid The American Is too busy and too good natured to fight for his rights so he ho continues to stand from Rector street to Harlem and to walk over unclean streets and sees the hb beautiful green greenpark greenpark greenpark park at the Battery taken from him and turned Into a railroad terminus He will l learn rn In n time tithe that the reason the Englishman has better roads and ard better streets and better protection for his life and anti property Is because he makes a kick about it and nd prote protests ts and growls and is is- generally dl disagreeable disagree agree able until he gets what he wants Good Goodnature Goodnature Goodnature nature is not always a virtue and sometimes the easy going goinA p person is a avery a. a very selfish one ne too Equally strong with his desire to have his rIghts is the Englishman's deference for for- forthe the rights of others He shows this deference deference def def- by oy respecting the English law I which makes those rights good There Ther was a young woman in England who 1 told me that she and seven or eight other ether young people had tramped in single file tile through a din gentleman's ing room one evening while he and his guests guests' were at dinner In order to i establish a right of way The Englishman Englishman En En- had built his house on a al meadow directly across cross a pathway that I had bad been used for tor centuries and once a a. year ear the young people a af of the neighboring neighboring neighboring neigh neigh- I boring estates marched across his lawn la and up his stairs and through his his' house In order that he should remember remember ber her that the right of way still existed She was an exceedingly shy and well well- bred person and of a family quite as old as the right of ot way but it apparently did not strike her that she was rude In tramping through a strangers strangers stranger's strangers stranger's stran- stran gers ger's house or indeed that she was doing anything but a public d duty ty And the interesting point of the story to me was that the English householder In Instead Instead Instead In- In stead of getting a Winchester and drivIng driving in ing the young trespassers off ort of his Ms lawn should have had so full an appreciation of their right to question his right that he simply bit his lips and ana went to law about It There w was wag s ah an n Irishman In the same county who liv lived d in a small cottage on onan onan onan an estate and ana nd who was in In the habit ot or crossing fr from m It to another through the gateway of a very distinguished and noble gentleman He had done this for and when the tie noble gentleman gentleman gentleman gen gen- came into some more money and hun hunto two gates between the posts the Irish laborer tooka took crow crow crow- bar and broke the hinges on which on-which which they hung and tramped over them on his way He was put In Jail for this for tora a month at the the- end of of- which time h he went after his crowbar and tore tore- the gates down ag ln When Then he in jail five times timea In itt six months the people round about took u up hIs case and the right of f way was d declared a ajust ajust ajust just one and the the- the gates gates came down for for- ever The Englishman will vill go go further further than this he will not only fight for his rights but he will wUl fight for tor some some oth other r mans man's rights he will go out o of his road to tramp through a gentleman's property property property prop prop- erty simply because the people eople In the neighborhood are disputing to fox for right pf of way with him I heard of three young barristers when hen I was In London who w went nt on a walking tour and who laid out their route entirely with the purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose in view of taking in all the disputed disputed disputed dis dis- dis- dis rights rights' of of way way In th the counties through which they passed and who cheerfully s sacrificed themselves for forthe forthe forthe the good of others b by forcing their way Into houses and across private g grounds gl arid and by tearing down hedges This brIngs me to the particular right of way case In which I was Involved in involved involved In- In and of which I r w was s appointed chronicler r. r I have been tardy In bringing the true story of this inglorious Oxford mOvement to the attention attention at at attention of f but now that it Isto Isto is isto to be writt written n it will b ha bd given giyer fully tully arid and with all all' pO othle d detail t ts as' as befits bems so ah event in hi the history of the struggles for tOr English liberty The B Eight had bumped the boat boa t in trOn t t li Y arld were cele celebrating brating the th fact with a a dinner I 1 re remember remember re remember re- re member this thIs' very well b because cause each ach of the eight me in a friendly way during th afternoon t and had told m me mO liot t to tb dress for dinner as only bounders bounders' and cads cad wore dress clothes at a wine I accordingly came camo In flannels ls' ls arid anti to th the tha entire eight in the prall I garments of evening eve eve evening ning and with with's a pained and surprised look at my appe tanCe and When I de demanded demanded de- de with SOma indignation why they had put n me In such a position they all denied eVer ejer r having having- spoken to tome tome me ne at any time on the subject of dress and apologized for my appearance to the other guests by explaining that I came ame from America where evening dress was unknown T The Te e guests ac accepted accepted accepted ac- ac this as an interesting fact and the eight grinned together in unison at atthe atthe i ithe the success of what they considered a avery avery I very subtle practical joke But I had my revenge as they were still in training training train train- i In ing for Henley and could eat nothing but cold meat and so were were forced to look on at the celebration of ot their Victory vie Vic tory by the only men present Wh Who had Ih Jh no possible way contributed towards It It was near the close of the dinner i when the Hon Hubert Howard who pulled bow that day rapped for silence I and when he had obtained it announced announced an an- I an-I gravely that he was looking for volunteers rs to Join him In hi an ex expedition expedition expedition ex- ex 1 which h promised much excitement excite excite- excite I ment possible danger and the ultimate success of which would bring liberty I to many British Last summer he began a chap named Curzon started to row from i Stratford to Warwick with Harry Farmer armer the gentleman on my right whose work at stroke I may add parenthetically parenthetically par par- so largely contributed to our success of this afternoon Mr Farmer blushed at this and bowed his head and everybody except the boy who wanted Farmers Farmer's place In the boat rapped with his knife knite handle and cried Hear hear hearl in patronizing tones They rowed about seven miles Howard continued until they were stopped by a barrier of chains and Iron rods across the rIver at Charlecote The Charlecote estate as you know belongs to the Lucy family and their land runs on both banks of the Avon They keep deer there and they claim that the ex excursIonists excursionists excursionists ex- ex from Warwick and Stratford Stratford Strat Strat- ford who row up and down the river frighten these deer As you ou may re remember remember remember re- re member the Lucys were always very particular about their deer they or orone orone orone one of ot them had Shakespeare himself up for tor kIlling a 8 deer and so handed themselves down to an inglorious Im im- Im- Im mortality Well they've put this iron barrier up now to keep the boats out and they've marked the river that r runs ns through their lands private water I When Farmer and Curzon discovered d It I they rowed back to a village and borrowed borrowed borrowed bor bor- rowed some tools and broke the barrier down and rowed on into the private water for which the agent of the estate took Farmers Farmer's name and told him he e would summon him hini to the high courts for trespass and destruction of private property That was Just a year ago this June and they haven't summoned him yet and they never nevet will wUl And why Why be because ause they are afraid because they know they've no moie more rIght to to block that thoroughfare th than n they have to to- build a wall across the Strand Suppose a man oWned a house on b both th sides of the Strand that woul wouldn't nt give him the right to torun run a fence b between his twp properties would it Of cours course it wo Well VeIl that's what these done Now we have haye been bEten corresponding with the Stratford Roving ying club lub and they tell tellus tellus u us that the barrier has been built up again and arid they want to know if It we wont won't go there and break It down They're afraid to do it themselves you ou see bec because use they live to near to Charlecote and the make It unpleasant for them So l Farmer armer and andI I are going down there tomorrow or next day to tear down that barrier and any other gentleman who wants to sacrifice e himself for tor the sake of liberty can come with us I call for volunteers There was much much nuch confusion and questioning questioning ques- ques i and mocking laughter I Right on our out side demanded How How- ard There never was a case with so much right on one side It Is overbalanced overbalanced overbalanced over over- balanced with right And weve we've documents documents documents docu docu- ments ments and pictures and things and vere going to nail the documents to a achurch achurch achurch church door Theres There's a precedent for that and I speak to to- address the lace Mr here pointing to the father rather of one of the crew is an attorney attorney attorney ney and though he wont won't let his son songo songo songo go with us hell he'll be our legal adviser and Davis will be treas treas- Davis you Americans are al always always always al- al I ways talking about your love of ot liberty liberty liberty lib lib- lib lib- erty and hers here's a chance to exhibit it I Besides somebody must be treasurer or we cant can't go I temporized by saying that I should like to hear from the he legal leal adviser now Instead of later when his advice would not riot perhaps be so valuable The legal adviser smiled and asked what these documents of Howards Howard's might be One of them Is an order in privy council Issued by Charles II declaring that the Avon must be kept clear and andOpen andopen andopen open from Coventry to the Severn and weve got an old engraving of Charlecote Charlecote Charlecote Charle Charle- cote which proves conclusively ly that thai there was no barrier there as late as 1790 and we also have Indirect ct backing hacking In the fact that th the Earl of Warwick had t to get an act ad of parliament passed before he could put up a barrier at Warwick castle castles which Is a step the Lucys have never taken The legal adviser after a pause asked If It Howard Boward rested his case there and on th the Honorable Huberts Hubert's replyIng replyIng replying reply- reply Ing that he did the legal adviser In Instantly Instantly instantly In- In withdrew from it I 1 dont don't be believe believe be- be lieve you really want an attorney he said though you'll need one badly enough before you get through But But- they were not at all frightened and to the American there was was something something something some some- thing particularly amusing in the idea of ot destroying a gentleman's private property on the strength of a document document document docu docu- ment issued y years ars back In the past liast 1 I 1 wanted to see what an an English householder would do under the circumstances I could guess how the American householder would act So it was was' agreed that I should supply I Ithe ithe the money to bail ball them out In case I I I of their being arrested if it they would J supply the copies of the order In iii council and the weapons for the attack attack at- at I tack I was also to act as photographer photographer photographer and chronicler of the expedition expedition tion and to help enrol enroll two other m men n. n Further than this I refused to strike a 0 blow for the cause of British I liberty but as tt t turned out we all had to strike several blows We Ve went down downto to Stratford third class with three sl sledgehammers ers and th three ee crowbars s In a g green en bal baize e cricKet bag at whIch the guards would make a a grab and nd then hen drop dop i j It with a crash upon the platform with the final conviction as we drew o out t of the station that they had fallen upon a kit of burglars burglar's tools There were five in the party party Howard Howard and Farmer v T T. T P. P Rogers P. Rogers the Captain Cap Cap- tain of the Eight and Murray all of cOll college ge and nd myself There was was another man man coming who had been asked chiefly on accOunt of his name but he overslept hImself and so missed all the glory Howard tried to get several other titles for the thes s same me reason as he tho thought he would Impress the police but their owners strang strangely ly enough Dough objected and for the same reason saying that the police pollee I were about the last people they had any desire to Impress We told them tHey had no sporting blood and when they r read ad this they will be sorry sorry they did not not take tak the hi chance we gave them to add luster uste t their to their ancient lt and arid distinguished names names We We V Vc c called ourselves the the Sons Sons' of Liberty and when w we arrived at Stratford distributed dis- dis our orders In ou the top of the the c coach ach and left lef them at the doors of ot several ho houses ses belonging tle to gentlemen conn connected with the loc local l government government and the Stratford Rowing club There was no church on on our or way to the river so Howard could not notI I nail a 1 one of the orders to its Is and we we were in top m much ch of ot a hurry to wait walt fo for fo him Mm while wIle he e addressed the pop r lace Litle Little the they know Howard said as he pulled aWay anay In the boat we had hired at the landing as they gO go idly by that we are going to strike a a blo blow for their rights right's and l liberties eries To th them m we are merely merel a party of ot rowing men men out for tor a alark ark lark and that hat bag which is filled fied with wih d destruction contains n n ui- ui Ing more terrible than lUnche luncheon There again said Howard n. n you yo see the Ingratitude which makes mar mar- The Innkeeper doesn't know that we are going are going to Increase his Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day trade for travelers at least lest 2 pounds |