The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-12-09 00:00:00, page 1

Indian corn in the town where I live, and the
towns adjoining is very certain, and 1 never
heard it was cut short in any part of this
state; and the found of the fail after our
wheat harvest, I have scarcely ever heard less
frequent, during my life, which I have ever
looked upon, as the most infallable sign of a
scarcity of bread, and I can further fay, I
have often known farmers, obliged to reap
some early ripe spots in their fields, thresh
and grind the lame, to procure bread for
their reapers to get in their harvests when a
Scarcity has not been so loudly complained of.
These things being fads, and I solemnly
believe them to be io, and so far as they fall
within the compass of my acquaintance I
know them to be true, I cannot fee anyjuft
reason the farmer had either to withhold or
raise upon the produce of his farm. But it
seems the farmers relenting the rife of Weft-
India goods which the merchant had on hand,
were determined to seek redress for the fap
pofed injury done them, by rising in their
price, on theproduce of their farms, but
each one not being willing to appear in the
rUESD A Y/b^^r { 1777.
CONNECTICUT
AND
weekly
For the Connecticut Courant. ,
CATO continued.
I HAVE heretofore endeavored to prove,
that the price of the necessaries of life,
ought always to be proportioned to the de
mand for.them, arising from a real, an^not
an artificial scarcity ; and that whenever their
price, either by monopolizing or withholding, is
railed above the real scarcity, it is extortion
in the highest and ftrifteft fehfe of the word.
I shall now endeavor to shew to the full
fatisfaaion of any unprejudiced mind, that
there is not \fuch a scarcity of the various
forts of grain used for bread in this State,
that will juftify the withholding or asking the
present price demanded for them by the far
mer, whenever he is pleased to condescend so
far as to fell them for Continental bills. \
That the English harvest in this state.
came in light A. D. 1'776, is not to be de,,
nied; but it is equally notorious, English
grain, nor even Indian' corn, has not been,
imported from abroad during the last sum-.
mer in any quantities, except in,to some of.
the eastern towns on : the sea shore, where
they always do import more or less, either,
from, abroad, or from the western towns of
this state, and perhaps some small quantities
of Hour has been brought into some towns,
from the State of New-York, in exchange for
rum, lugar, salt, &c. which they were obliged
to smuggle from this, into that State ; how-'
ever, I presume I may fgy, not more was
brought into this state, during the summer
past, than at this present time may be found
of the growth of the harvest in 1776 if dili
gent search was made ; I judge thus from
some faiall ; ftores within the verge, of my ,
knowledge.
It has always been remarked, and it holds
true universally, that a plentiful crop of In-,
dian corn greatly affe&s the price of wheat
in this state, and it is always dear or cheap,
in proportion as Indian corn is plenty or
scarce. That there was a plentiful crop of
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
front, in rajfing the price of wheat, rye, In
dian corn, &c. in autumn 1776, a total flag
nation of the market ensued; not a single
bpfhel of either of those articles was to be
bought at any price for continental bills, or to
pay, any debt. Such was their cruelty they
would not fell, even to our Soldiers, who hap
pened to escape the 'mortal diseases of the
camp, or the fami.nt to which they were ex
posed by the brutal commanders of the Bri
t|fh, troops., This is an undeniable fa& ; for
the truth of which, I appeal to every soldier
who returned home, and had a family to
maintain, But the farmers must own they
did not aft their part wifely, so but that a
man of common discernment might fee thro'
the falacy of this pretended scarcity ; for a
bushel of Indian corn, was as.hard to be ofc
tained, as a bushel of wheat: But the last
spring, their wit, and cunning being bright
ened up.by the frofts of winter, they all on
a sudden became great flickers for doing jus
tice to our soldiers. r ^
Upon the recommendation of his Excel
lency the Governor and Council of Safety,
in order to fill up, the continental army, it
was thought advisable that^he towns Should
convene, and' vote tq supply the families of
such Soldiers, a,,Should inlift with the neces
saries oflife, at the price stated by a& of as
sembly. This was done in consequence of a
falfe alarm of a great Scarcity in ihe country,
railed by the farmer, in order-with a good
grace, to ask an ungodly price for the produce
of his farm, and the evenc^has proved, the
alarm given was falfe, and no such -scarcity
has, as yet, appeared in this state: '.The town's
in consequence of. his Excellency's recom
mendation convened^-IT he town in which I'
live (and for^ught I have ever heard, othei'
towns conformed fcgenerally attended, far
mers, tradesmen, and mechanic's, of every de
nomination, even merchants, unless tindtfred'
by tory principles. ,fall appeared ; his Excel-
lency's recommendation was read, all ap
proved the measure, and acknowledged the
justice ,and, r^afonablenefs of it, and from the
great cry of fcarcityraifed by the farmer, the
meeting were induced to.believe that every
single article that would be wanted for the
soldiers families, must be brought from the
more distant towns in the state, or from the
state of New-York, if they would permit it,
after we had denied them the privilege of
Welt-India produce from hence, and not for
the soldiers families only, but for many of
our own families. The vote was according
ly prepared, that they would provide neces
saries for the families of those soldiers who
had, or Should inlift in the continental Ser
vice, at the price dated by ad of assembly,
and if any higher price was given, and the
expence of procuring it, fliould be paid by
the town. This I take to be the sense and
meaning of the vote, and it was unanimously
voted without one digesting voice. In this
vote were included many farmers who had
neither wheat, rye, Indian corn, beef, pork,
or any one single article more than they
wanted for the necessary Support of their
BS^^fe
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
lor a single article to supply the soldiers fa,
milies during the summer---and there never
was brought into town by individuals, 10,
small a quantity of provisions since my re
membrance, as there has been during the
summer pih^-lndeed some have said, there
has been more fold out of the towp than has :
been brought into it the year pall, but this,
I will not affirm
Is not this double dealing? Is not this
legerdemain, to'ol« tin a vpte from nineteen of.
the voters present, to put, a double price in
to the pocket of the twentieth perlon who
had thole very articles to fell, some of whom.
'to mycerfain knowledge have wheat, rye,
and 'lndian corn, at, this prelent time, of the
growth of the,year ) 7.76 now in their houses ?. ;
Thus the farmers who had nothing to pare
with, some ohnem obliged to buy, for the
life of their own farpilics, the mechanicks
and day labourers wer^ deceived, and made .
to vote an advanced price upon themlelv.es, :
as well as for the use of the soldiers families;
"for which they mutt be taxed in common
with others into the bargain :---Thus the
town was gull'd by ? seeming concern for the
efoldiers---This conduct before was beyond
my kin and frankly own I was near.fighted in
I this case, being deceived by their zealous
concern for the families of the poor J.oldiers,
whose complaints Q.ey had often heard du
ring the winter without redress. How the
town will conduftnow the fraud is exposed
by the event, I know not, but I fhuuld think
those farmers who had none of those articles
to fell, or perhaps had to purchase for them
selves, would not be yery fond to tax them
selves, to pay a double or treble price for
others, unless they a,lfo can be made to be
lieve, when they are called upon to link the
money, that feme money will be again pur
chased out of their hands, at an ealier lay,
than if the credit of our bills had been sup
ported from the beginning.
Thus the affair ;relative to supplying the
families of soldiers inlifted in the continental
army was conducted in the town in which (
live, and by the event which happened, just
as I have related, proves there was in reality
no such scarcity as was pretended the year
past. How this fame affair was conducted
in other to<vns, I have not been careful i
enquire; but as the town in which I
MUMBITR 672.
nOIT^ ANT J
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCER: ,:
-j. - ; i^,
own families • ,many who knew they had to
purchase some or all of them for themfelves^
The mechanicks and day laborers who knewf
they had to purchase the whole of their lub^
finance; yet they all chearfully voted to
comply with his Excellency's requisition.
From principles ofjuftice and equity..--Had
any honest and unbiaffed stranger been pre
sent, I doubt not but he would have thought
that if the articles wanted for that purpose
were in the pofteffion of any of those who
were present and had so unanimously voted,
they would readily and willingly have part=
ed with them at the prices fixed by aft of aty
Sembly---but hear the event!- — Shis pre4
tended scarcity ofprovifions was in la& f<>
great, that we never went out of the town