Edmund Burke, renowned for his support of the American cause in the British Parliament, once said,
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Five hundred years from now, when historians and philosophers have the opportunity of viewing the twentieth century in perspective,
They may decide that the outstanding characteristic of our time was a willingness to pass responsibility
to others. In a sense, this has become the age of pass the buck.
In the British Isles until the 20th century, the cry, Stop Thief! echoing down the street
caused good citizens to cease their daily endeavors and rush in hot pursuit of the fleeing
are miscreant. Each man felt a concern when the property rights of others were violated.
But in the twentieth century, we have learned dependence upon government. Wherever possible,
we shirk responsibility and thrust it away. Not too long ago, in New York City, on Broadway,
a young man seized a brick and hurled it through a plate-glass window of a men's clothing
shop. At least a hundred people waiting for transportation, or passing by, observed the
The action and what ensued.
The young man calmly climbed through the broken window, helped himself to clothing, and then
walked on down the street.
Not a voice was raised in protest.
No one called the police.
No one wanted to become involved.
It wasn't the duty of the citizens to arrest a criminal.
It was the duty of the police.
Besides, why worry about it?
The owner of the store was probably rich and deserved the loss.
With these ideas in mind, now let me tell you the story of Aunt Jemima.
Most of us may think of Aunt Jemima as a round-faced black with red bandana, smiling invitingly
behind a stack of hotcakes. But the original Aunt Jemima was a Welshwoman. Her unwillingness
to be indifferent to the threat of danger, and her courage in organising private defences
for the Welsh coast when government proved to be incapable, may have prevented the expansion
of the French Empire when Bonaparte was on the march in the latter years of the 18th
century.
The Welsh people who inhabit the county of Pembrokeshire are noted for their independence.
They are suspicious of all tidings, good or evil, until they've checked the source.
They are dubious of government and question what it does for them that is of any value.
They have an inherent love of liberty and observers who know the people best say that
The Theory of Money and Credit
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the ships sailed up the coast of southwest Wales, past the Strumblehead Lighthouse, and hoved to, within sight of the town of Fishguard.
The Irish loved freedom and were angry with government generally.
Napoleon was eager to ensure that Irish anger would be directed against the British king.
At two o'clock in the afternoon the ships sailed up the coast of southwest Wales, past
the Strumblehead lighthouse, and hoved to, within sight of the town of Fishguard.
Apparently no one on shore was unduly alarmed at the sight of the French vessels.
Three months earlier, Spain had declared war against George III, and evidently the British
had had many problems of larger concern.
With his glass, the French Commodore could detect no unusual activity in the streets
of Fishguard. There were no milling crowds, no British redcoats. There was no reason why
the French ships, all carrying troops to assist in the Irish rebellion, couldn't assist
that rebellion right here at Fishguard. And by staging a quick raid upon the Welsh coast,
they could seize stores and munitions, and possibly even a few prisoners. The Commodore
The French had correctly analyzed the military situation. The Welsh were, militarily, unprepared.
But the invaders had made a monstrous miscalculation. They had failed to consider the Welshman's
love of liberty and his refusal to be too dependent on his government. And then, too,
Thomas Williams of Treleden, St. David's, a county magistrate who had been a sailor,
noticed the French as they hove too. Although the ships were flying English colors, he recognized
them for what they were and immediately sent runners to warn the people of St. David's
and Fishguard to be on the lookout for enemy movements along the coast. In a few hours
The entire countryside was aroused. A message was sent to Lord Cawdor for a troop of Castle
Martin Yeomanry to drive the foreign invader from Welsh soil. But their leader, Colonel
Davies, was nowhere to be found. Rumour was that the Colonel had been tippling, and it
appeared that the Welsh were at the mercy of Napoleon's troops. And so they might have
been, had they depended upon their government for protection. If the Welshmen had believed
that the French arrival was none of their business, and that government has an exclusive
monopoly in the field of protection, the history of the Napoleonic Wars might have had a different
ending. The French, in fact, were so confident of success that they made no attempts to exploit
their original advantage of surprise, putting off until the following day the landing of
their main forces and the raids upon farms and nearby communities. They left only a token
When Aunt Jemima Nicholas heard the news of the landing of the Frenchmen, she was not
surprised. She knew of the trouble between the French and the British, and any stranger
in Wales, be he French, Spanish or English, was not to be trusted. And she was concerned
about the protection of her home and her country. Late that day, when word came to the worried
and excited townspeople that the troops of Castle Martin could not find their leader,
Aunt Jemima decided to take events into her own hands. Picking up a pitchfork, she soldered
to Goodwick Sands where the French had established a temporary beach camp. History gives no details
of how she completed her daring exploit, but armed with nothing but that pitchfork, Jemima
Anna single-handedly captured twelve Frenchmen and marched them back to her shoemaker shop.
She extracted from her captives the full story of the intended raid. Then, leaving her victims
trust up like fowl, she went about the town of Fishguard, and with the help of a Mr. Whitesides,
the builder of the lighthouse at Strumblehead, she aroused the people. A great military strategist
was born in Aunt Jemima Nicholas that night. Of course she had no authority to do these
things. She was acting quite unofficially, and without precedent. But she refused to
let the initiative go over to the enemy. She organized and worked until dawn flooded the
rocky coast with light, and then she acted. Just above a spot on the beach, where the
landing was being made in force, and within clear view of the French warships anchored
in the Channel, Jemima and the women of Fishguard circled proudly about the hill. Over the
shoulders of each flamed the bright red shawl characteristic of Welsh women. As they passed
round a little ridge, they would quickly run back, hidden from sight in a little valley,
and then once more march across the face of the hill. Jemima Nicholas and her fellow citizens
from Fishguard, continued this action all morning. And to the eyes of the watching
Admiral Hoche, it appeared that the hills were crowded with innumerable British soldiers,
all marching to intercept his troops. At a distance, the bright red shawl, the scarlet
mantle wrapped round the shoulders of the women, appeared like the red coats of the
British regulars. The French Admiral cursed under his breath. He had been led to believe
He believed that the Welsh people would not be aided by King George.
He also had understood that the Welsh were a discontented lot, and would be ready and
eager to join with Napoleon as the Irish had done.
Too late he realized that he had been trapped.
The Welsh hills were swarming with British regulars.
If only he had been better informed, he would not have sent his troops ashore.
He realized now that all was lost, and without so much as a parting au revoir to his compatriots
who had recently landed, he upped anchor, and the three men-a-war, with their lugger,
headed out for the open sea, abandoning Napoleon's troops upon the Welsh coast.
Now the women-a-fishguard, together with what menfolk were available, stripped the lead
from the roof of the cathedral, mounted scythes on long poles, took pitchforks, pistols, guns
or pole axes, anything that came to hand, and descended upon the beach, not as a troop
The French took one look at the motley horde descending upon their camp and ran up the white flag. A truce was quickly arranged. A meeting took place, next day, at the Royal Oak Inn in Fishguard. The French formally surrendered without having fired a shot. And finally, after all was over, Colonel Davis and Lord Cawder's troop of
And there you have the story of how men and women, who knew they were free, and who didn't depend on the government to save them, defended their liberty against an invading army.
Today, if you go to County Pembrokeshire in Wales, and make your way to the town of Fishguard, there, in the Royal Oak Inn, you will see a plaque which bears an inscription telling of the surrender and treaty that occurred on that fair day.
All wars are created by government, and the principal reason why the Welsh populace felt a necessity to protect their homes was because of the politically inspired war which their king had helped to cause.
Had there been no King George, had there been no war between the British Government and the Irish or the French, a French expedition off the Strumbled Head lighthouse could have negotiated peacefully with the private merchants of Fishguard in order to re-provision their ships. Trade is a far less costly practice than war, with few of the attendant risks. Certainly the French people would not have thought to invade the Welsh coast, nor would the Irish. Governments invade. Governments
and make war. Given a condition in which the rules of liberty pertain, there would be scant reason either for invasion or the necessity of defense of a coastal village.
But we can surely admire this Welsh Aunt Jemima for recognizing that the government can do nothing useful that private persons cannot do.
And her initiative and resolute action contain the elements of which freedom and independence are formed.
Often we are led to believe that government protects us from danger, or that government
solves our problems and permits us to lead happier, freer and more secure lives.
But in fact, government never does anything for us that we cannot do for ourselves, for
the very best government of all is self-government.
Those of us who would be free must always remember that liberty and self-government
are one.