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Show George Mason, Patriot and Statesman IV TIIIC word "immortality" he used Willi he familiar formula. "Some are born , some achieve , ,ynd some have thrust tilicin them," it will he found thai the last pluase most aptly applies to ilcorjie Mason, father of the Virginia hill of rights, which substantially con- stilntes the lirst ton amendments of (he Constitution of the 1 nited Stales, : I'Morenre Seville llerryman writes, in the Huston Herald. Sneh a man was (ieorge Mason of Gunston hall, in KairlYix eounly, Virginia, Vir-ginia, who was the fourth to bear : this name in America. Hut although lie was "as palriotle as Washington, : more intelligent than .TelTerson, and far superior to' Patrick Henry ill philosophy," as Some one has said, his name is as yet obscure compared to ; theirs, because he ignored opportunities opportuni-ties to Immortalize it to an extent scarcely paralleled by any other patriot. pa-triot. Of English Descent. o ore Mason exhibited, to a marked extent, qualities of mind and character charac-ter which he had apparently inherited from his grent-nraudfulher, the first Ceori.'e .Mason of Brewood, Staffordshire, Stafford-shire, England, who had been a member mem-ber of parliament under Charles I, and had fearlessly and eloquently opposed op-posed those royal measures which seemed to him arbitrary. Yet at the same time lie believed in supporting the established order against radicalism, radical-ism, for he fousiht wi:h tfce cavaliers against Oliver Cromwell, after whose victory he was obliged to escape to Virginia, where he settled in Stafford county, and soon gained wealth and prominence in the colony. Ceorire Mason IV was born in Stafford Staf-ford (later Fairfax) county, Virginia, in 17'Jo. No record of his birth has been found, and consequently there is extensive confusion as to the exact date. His education lieiran early, for he attended a boardine school in 1'iiiiee William county from the years lT.'U; to lTe'.l. inclusive, at a cost of l.i on pounds of tobacco annually for board, and N-iri pounds for schooling and books. Such schooling had customarily custo-marily been pieeedeil by private tutorship tutor-ship at the yoiiiu' student's home. Mason's Service to State. Throughout his career Oeorire Ma-sou Ma-sou contributed to the political liiera-utrc liiera-utrc ol the 1'niied Siales some of tlm most important docutuen'fs" e-vpr written. writ-ten. The Non-iiiiportalion resolutions constituted his first outstanding piece of work, and were a momemous .-iep toward the Revolution. Georye Wah- tomac and I'okoiuoke rivers. A conference con-ference held by these commis.-ion rs at Mount Yenem was in reality the first steps toward a new federal government, gov-ernment, for Maryland, ratifying the compact, proposed that Pennsylvania' and Delaware should be Invited to join them, and Virginia favored inviting all other states to con.iider a uniform commercial system. . George Mason's next great role was that of a delegate from Virginia to-the constitutional convention in Philadelphia Philadel-phia in 17S7. His aetivilics in the convention were highly intltieiitial and altogether creditable. cred-itable. He was ever alert to the proceedings pro-ceedings and on his feet in an instant South Front of Gunston Hall. to defend the states' rights with what Flanders termed "inflexible integrity and unbending republicanism." lie was the first to argue that coercion could not be used against states; first to see the danger in the resolution that the national legislature should be empowered empow-ered to call out the force of the Union against any delinquent member, and the first to suggest an acceptable alternative. al-ternative. He opposed every measure which would perpetuate slavery, yet at the same time advocated that the South should be protected iu regard to those slaves already held. He proposed the Virginia constitution constitu-tion (which, he had written) as a model for the new national constitution. P.ut although a great number of features were adopted in this new organ which Mason had consistently fought against, stab as a single executive, he was willing to sign until toward the end of the convention, when It passed the clause giving Indefinite powers to congress con-gress and to the executive, and -"the power given to congress, by a hare majority, to pass navigation acts." which would bind over the minority southern states to the eastern stales. So. on September 17, the Constitution Constitu-tion was read and signed by all except Mason. Filinund Kandolph and Fl-bridge Fl-bridge Cerry. Mason returned to Virginia Vir-ginia and led the light tbft following year against ratification Within two years, as we recall, the Constitution received ten amendments, which were substantially Mason's bill of rights; and I he elevenih amendment amend-ment prohibiting stiilsag.-.insl via.,. in federal courts is the ditect f'ruil Mason's arguments. j I'oif bis liirbl proved vain. ;yj retired to Cuiistou hall, whore i,. . a few years later, ou October 7, I . . region, the 'near neighbor and close friend of Ceorge Mason, who was frequently fre-quently associated with him in schemes for the public welfare, wrote. to Mason warmly advocating nonimportation associations, as-sociations, which; should be bound by voluntniy agreement not to import or use articles-from England which were burdened "with" obnoxious duties.- Thi3 scheme -was thoroughly sound, as- it attacked the -Achilles heel of Great Britain, the'iiurses of her merchants. Mason heartily- favored the Idea, and drew up1 the plans, which Washington was to sponsor at the next meeting of the house of "burgesses, of 'which he whs a member at the time, While Mason Ma-son was not. Lord P.otetourt, then gov- ' nor of Virginia -(and incidentally one ' of the sanest and most popular of all ! pre-llevolutiouary incumbents of that ! o(liee), had heard of these resolutions I mid felt obliged to dissolve 'the house; before they could be offered. But Its ' oh mbers met immediately afterward J and unanimously' adopted this Mason I and Washington scheme. ; I Declined Seat In Congress. ' 'I George .Mason w.is a member of the Virginia convention during, (he years 1775 and 177(5. He was elected a delegate dele-gate to the Continental congress In. .1775 and again in '77,- but he declined to serve, for ids beio'ved had died in , '73, only thirty-nine years of age, and : he felt he owed his first allegiance to ! his motherless brood. - ' j Vet in all lirobahKity the services tie rendered, the cause of liberty .In his own state surpassd: in importance anything he could have done in the Conliiienlal congress: Early in 177G, in Virginia's last co- lonial assembly before tile Revolu- j linn, George Mason drafted the Bill t of Rights, ills greatest work, and also ' the lirst constitution of Virginia, both adopted unanimously by the convention. conven-tion. The Bill of Rights was substan- j George Mason. tially the inspiration of the Declaration Declara-tion of Independence, for .TelTerson was an intimate friend and enthusiastic admirer of George Mason,' his senior by IS years, and often visited Gunston hall, where there is now a "Jefferson" room in which the great Democrat wrote au ontllng ofthe Declaration. Defended States' Rights. Mason was one of the commissioners who made a compact with commissioners commis-sioners from Maryland on the jurisdiction juris-diction of the Chesapeake bay, the Po- Relief Society ward conference was held in the Moroni. Fountain Green, and Wales ' wairdj Sunday evening, June 27t.h. Mem-hera Mem-hera of the stake .rr.ef society board was in attendance in each ward 'Hid a pageant, "Love of Service" 'Vi'iltu by Jin. H. G. F.ricltsea, Mrs. ilvriHii Oh; ii:r-r,sei, Mrs. W. II. Brin-'nn, Brin-'nn, all of Ml. Pleasant and Mrs. HLs Coonvbs of Fairview, will be oao 'f the fcatu;.e3 of the conferences. I'ho pageant incUtdes a cast of thirty characters in .solos, nuarttets, and ciioru? numbei-3, and portrays the rour phase? of relief society work, iheology work, literature, and social -c vice. |