Show SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT by F A WALKER THE OLD LIBERTY POLE TT WAS in 1770 that the liberty pole which stood in the fields of the city of new tork was chopped down by order of the british governor a century and a half after that event a replica of the mast was bet up by the sons of the revolution and historical society close to the original spot in city hall park no symbol of revolutionary days and the events which led to the foundation of the american republic coald clearly than ahls flagstaff the change in public gentl ment which borsht about the decla ration of independence and the con sUt ution when the first of five liberty poles was put op in the colonists had not become nationalists their idea of freedom was not independence they did not want to go their own way all that was to come later it was on the birthday of george III and to celebrate the repeal of the stamp act that the original pole was erected the ceremonies were marked by express lona of loyalty and general satisfaction but this was not to last for long what the americans of that day bad objected to was the way in the british parliament had treated them they could see no reason why british subjects ihling on this side of the atlantic should not enjoy the same rights as british subjects on the other side of the atlantic they objected as to what they billed the un english things oth er englishmen in london had done to them it the first liberty pole was associated with good will to the king over the water the other four poles which succeeded it took on a different alg the authorities came to dislike the new ideas that they stood for so they were cut down as having a bad influence the last pole was erected in 1770 after some opposition it stayed in place as a rallying point for the sons of liberty until the year 1770 when it was removed in the midst of the excitement caused by the alon the site of the liberty pole Is ahns one of the historic spots associated with the final and new freedom these include washington s pow in st pauls church the place on the treasury steps at wall street where the first president was sworn in and the little park at bowling green where stood the leaden statue of king george which was pulled down and melted into bullets for alie use of the american Ame soldiers ehy mcclur |