John Randolph of Roanoke.

home, Bizarre, thirty miles away. Richard Randolph was a high-toned, generoushearted, brilliant man, and his death in 1796, when he was only twenty-six years old, was a severe blow to John who was ab sent from home at the time. Theoderick had died two years before, and John, the only surviving brother, became the head of the household at Bizarre. His brother's widow and her two little fatherless boys, St. George and Tudor, became the objects of his warm affection and solicitude. Richard Randolph was of a loving, kindly nature. He had given a home at Bizarre to a be loved cousin and her children, and John, in his turn, offered asylum there to friends who needed care and comfort. All the estates inherited by the three brothers, were en cumbered by a heavy British debt of their father, which they afterwards paid. It is now universally acknowledged that there were fundamental differences of opinion among the great patriots of the times, who had perilled everything to throw off the British yoke, as to how the free govern ment of the Republic they had created could best be administered. Washington, Mar shall and others in the South, together with the Adamses, Hamilton, and other leaders in the North, saw the evils of unlimited Democracy and favored a strong Federal Government. The Anti-Federalists, after wards known as Republicans or Democrats, led by Mason, Lee, Henry and other fathers of the Revolution, dreaded nothing so much as a central government powerful enough to control the individual States. State's-rights was the principle on which they wished to see the Republic established. Both sides were honest in their views, and earnest in the efforts they made to carry them out. The whole country was in a ferment in 1799. Washington had been able to keep the United States neutral in the war be tween France and England, and had sub sequently signed an unsatisfactory treaty with the latter power. The French Direc

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tory, enraged at American neutrality, and still more at Jay's treaty, showed their anger by legislation injurious to American com merce, by indignities to American envoys, and hostile treatment to American vessels. To meet the danger of French invasion, Congress authorized the increase of the army and navy, and laid heavy taxes to pro vide for their maintenance. Under Presi dent Adams it went so far as to pass the Alien and Sedition laws, which empowered the President to expel from the country any foreigner he might think obnoxious to the government, and to imprison anyone mak ing adverse criticism upon any officer of the government. The vast powers thus con ferred upon the President were plainly con trary to the principles which the colonies had fought to establish. The legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia promptly con demned both laws, declaring them to be subversive of all freedom. Party spirit ran so high that some even dreaded lest French influence might bring about civil war. In this emergency, Patrick Henry was induced to become a candidate for the Senate of Virginia, that he might persuade the legislature to repeal its con demnation of the government. John Ran dolph, at the same time, sought election to Congress that he might oppose the govern ment and uphold the rights of the States. From the time he had won his first laurels in the " Parson's Cause," thirty-six years be fore, Henry had been the first orator in America. When it was announced that he was to speak at Charlotte Court House, in March, 1799, men from all the country round hastened to hear what, from the feeble state of his health, was believed to be his last effort. This was the occasion on which John Randolph made his first appearance in politics. The youth and fragile appearance of the untried speaker who had the hardihood to appear against Henry were cause for merri ment and pity among the crowd. But they