The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1778-01-20 00:00:00, page 1

By an OFFICER in the Army.
AnADD R£ SS to the EXTORTIONERS and
WITHHOLDERS among the FARMERS,
THOUGH I am not so HAPPY as to believe, that
the observations lam making will tingle very
gratefully in your ears ; I muff be to honest as to de
clare. that they are formed upon two important an oc
casion to be either receded or trifled with. There has
no evert turned up since the firft opening of the war,
that has Struck me with so painful an Horror as your
treatment to the Army. Moss of the misfortunes that
have attended our opperations have b^n of such a na
ture as ardfe and might be expefied to arise from the
peculiarity of our filiation. Andmany Oithe misman
agements may be expiated by a plea of inexperience,
and many other difficulties, that have embarraded the
progress of our arms. But no palliation can be offered
in favor of theevil, lam complaining of It is an evil
which is neither necetfary nor tolerable. And though
it may daftly be remedied by you it is not porible at
any rate to be borne by us. Your ownreflexions must
have fugyehed by this time that the sub est of my
complaint is your withholding the neeeffary articles of
fubfiftance, or disposing of them only in the way of
Barter, (equally hurtful to us) or felling them at so ex
aggerated a price that to buy the commodities of life
for° one half the year will effectually consume the
means and put it out of our power to procure any thing
for the other..
You won d think hard if I were to deny that Twas
addraffing rc^felf to.men w l v>^ c r °-
upon the fair 4aws of humanity. But iet it not furprize
you to hear me avow thatyour . Ift to the obcers
or (what amounts to as much) the f in ilie : of the <>ai
cers is a palpable deviation rom ^heprinc p es ofmice
wisdom and generosity. Extravaga. :as this assertion
naay seem; view it upon the proper maxims of rcuoa
and experience and you will allow it is not more bold
than true.
To prove the justice of this complaint, I am willing
to make use of your own arguments. War" you
fay is a national evil and tlie burden fhuuid fall^
as near as can be, upon all professions of men alike.
Officers must bear their part of the public calamity as
well as others." This I must own is a very uft and
pertinent way of reasoning Keep to this rule and 1
pledge you may Honor no officer inall murmur. But
if you will view our case as you would wdh your own
viewed in a like Situation I trust you would cease to
envy our fortune and prosperity, I Should soon expert
to fee you tumbling under the weight of your own prin
ciples." It is obvious to every man who knows any
thing about thewhrld that you are^atheringin Large fams
ofMoney ; that your profits and incomes are much
greater (I mean nominally) than they were before the
War. Soppofe if you please it will require all you
are now laying up and perhaps much more to pay your
rates. So that at the end of the war you are no better
off, considered upon a pecuniary line but worse than
yen was before it began. Granting, I fay, that it will
turn out exactly as you have prefigured. This is your
profpea. And IF this is donein the greentree
what will become of the dry ? If you can barely
save yourselves. those officers that were upon an equal
footing with you three years ago will infallibly be
ruined three, years after the elofe of the war. Their
estates are taxa^e. A*d what has become of all the
money ? Their wages are so far from filtering them to
get beforehand that .the mod niggardly foul with only
captain's pay will scarce make the two ends of the year
meet. And the captain wno lias only a tolerable Share
of generosity, and that mixed with c mmon pru
dence, cannot with the whole of his pay * Judds,
support a midline farpily in circumstances .my how de
cent. It will take considerably more t' an an hundred
poundsa ye< as commodities are now fold to diicnarge
his acreages. For this he must draw upon his estates
if he has any, if none, upon his credit. Of course he
becomes a bankrupt and falls a prey to usurers and ex
tortioners.
Property however, is not ail that is affected. For
once in the war, be it granted (tho' 'tis far from being
the case) that c hears Have as fair a profpeX of Maying
up money as the 'farmer-:. Tnetc ^tuition is their lets
favourable. Tl 3 nad confe uences which grow up
on Mor nature 4 well as moral faculties, are too many
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
Containing the Freiheit ADV ICES
TU ES DA Y, faw#, 20, r,7s. THE. NUM3ER 678.
Printed and Published by WATSON and GOODWIN, near the GREAT BRIDGE.
BW^^O^
^^^&ti^^^4^^^^^
to admit and too obvious to need being enumerated.
I fay nothing of the open vices which men are prone
to commit in the army. Every man must personally
sustain the Shock ofhis own. I juftify none of them.
But there are certain moral weaknesses in all men which
do not arise to vices, and w|/& upon the usual temp
tations of a camp, seldom Sail of betraying themselves.
It commonly happens, th* in an army people contract
hat ts of Indolence, m attachment to company a dis
inclination as well as incapacity for bufiuefs. These, as
far as I can udge are the common fruits of a military
life. They are such as ne&Arily arfe from the nature
0; the prefefion, I do not, no man of candor will 1 Erne
soldiers tor running into these detrimental practices.
The blame will fail upon the profeffion cf arms, and
the nature ofman. Every occupation has inconveni
ences peculiar to itfelf. T efe fhouid red prdy upon
the public, and not altoger or upon the perlons wno
have undertaken into those see pations. It is known
at firit getting out that mb consequences will take
place. And the damage wtich soldiers so lain by these
ordinary events of custom delves compel fation as
much as what they fuffbr in t cir e'l^es. The c r
try, in whole 'ehaifthev eject the hills fhouid le&
some part of the calamity : judice req tires it. Be 'ides
the inevetabie difteropers w, ; rh at&wk the moral pow
ers, the health and welfare f the body isapt to be im
paired. The occasional ft 'rues cf duty, and these
that come in rotation a% f '^ so hard and constant,
a s will put 0: meft AY?„^ 3 . non 0 uric? '0 wreck.
Ought toe >Wn who end.u; .^%hthe :ri of this nif
fortune to te-r ailtle politico bad exec's of it. Di
vde the burden my countryr.cn and we are e £%
When we were entering the Service upon the new
efUbliShment you made grei racket about the exorbi
tancy of officers wages. I mefl own, their pay appear
ed to me, by no meuis contemptable. Iherd no of
ficer complain, and though a considerable p~rt of them,
could have bettered their circumstances by continuing
at home, they facrific^d their profpeX of imtreft to the
honor and utility of becoming soldiers. Infead of im
proving their own fortunes, they are now themselves
exposed to hardships and lingers in the camp, and their
families to hunger ai d indignity at home, that under
their protest no you might eifarge your properties. It
is not the declared wish ofa. of the officers to raise
an edate by their military services. Higher pay is not
what they are asking. The T dk,indeed they claim it,
as piece of uftiee, that you fhouldnot only furnifh their
families with the neeeffaries of liv ng, but Supply them
at the fame.rates that commodities went at, when they
undertook to fight in your c ife. Whether their wa
ges wetethen too high or top low is not the ouedion.
They ilipulated upon those conditions and no other.
The rife and fall of caff Shwld not 'ffed their pro
feffion. Their money is their fubfiftance. The me
chaaic need not complain %: wheat Should rife to
five dollars a bushel, he cat t..'e proportionally upon
his Rock and labour, and will eel no immediate di" r efs
by the means. The poor-rated notion of one thing,
answering another, extends net to tie circumfiances of
the army. I fi^cerely hope it will fall to pieces where
it is. Instead of raffing our pay we would choose to
have you reduce other tilings to the fame level.
The ill polity of your eviction is no less glaring
than the jniuftice. Tae pahrcal evils, that will flow
from it, are so numerous and extensive that they are
not easily described; The depreciation of your paper
currency may be counted among the firft of those Mif
chiefs. Every meafafe that would contribute to pre
serve its value, fhouid be reli foufly observed ; and to
tranfgrefk one of those rules sould be deemed a crime
equal to facirlege. You art, it seems, with all your
might, undermining those firing pillars, upon which
the Safety of America Stands. I view a man who en
deavors to enrich himfeJf by advancing upon the price
of his commodities, much in the fame light as I do a
poor difeonfoiate wretch, who ties to elevate his Spi
rits. by drinking Strong liquor ^e rer.ews---he en
creafes his draught and for a while, really feens (o
bare obtained his end. But when the force of t'e
fol-it is expended, he finds :i e fillacv of his prescrip
tion and finks into a far work: condition, than, he was
be'ore he made use of so ongerous an experiment
With fall as much indifare^n, does the man, who
thinking his purse too empty, attempt to fill it by ad
ding to the pree of his produce. It is tie unfity
that fhouid be encreUod, not the price. Tl e one is
only animaginary, the otl er a real source of riches.
In proportion as he enlarges his heap of money; he di
minishes its value. By putting a penny in o o e pocket,
he hazards the loss of two pence from the ot' er. He
Strives to get money fait, bee use be experts bis taxes rd
be heavy; when at the fame time, he Should colder
that the great reason why the public del t hwel's is be
cause be enhances price, of his commoditis, the u
clination and the practice ofextorting topped in the
farmers hand, there might e some ground oh "current
on their fide; But the c eis far 'merwhe. T.e -uf
ton penetrates every w ere. Tede'.ud?r.w ? h A fear,
hurr/ you or tdl^pu . .re pad recovery. If threatens
tie ruin of your p per money . .d when that i.-,ruined
God nows what V/ 1 .ecome of you ad.
Another e efl of v< r continuing 11 your extortions,
a con deraLle ?rt oft. eomcers of 'A dim- ^ihe
o', jiged to retire from i e fer< Cc. Too perhaps doe o t
appe rto you a vervf^.-.ida! .e o ! cc^cn. You froter
yourselves t sat more officers ^ good as thef? may
easily be obtained. 1 thi is ^ar ^ anis a- mod
wieched cne. It is hvio ens po £ be you can
find a fcAatk num c r o' me.fi t I'me^pUces w>
would undertake to fe *eo. toe pre enters 'o %r %: cm ;
inf 1 if it were pr.&r,.i'.c, lam to c.aic udet at any
ver rev cha. ge in orficer would ft;r up a .ruLny,
amorgr.e fold cry. The .old dneers k: ^fo pefA'y
. -,d'. %< L Wh_ -n.f
men that a i,uw ore t,my worthy on <<ue accrues
would net give to* .an Action nor c mraa d mA re
fped and obedience which military order and dhc pline
re. uire.
It most evidently is in the power of the- army ~o do
themselves uftice, and av^ige the wrongs w del d ev
and their families have furfered 4 y your avar ce and e^
tortiop. And it deeply concerns you to secure t : er
section and deserve their friendship; that when 'or m
tumults Sulfide, and Handing forces areno io ger re r
ed they may quietly difoand and mingle once more
with their countrymen.'
I will now appeal to your affections ford yet I c.eve
you have the feelings of mankind. I challe: ge ry
man who has the lead degree of compel on to view 1 e
circumflances of the army, wkl out will ng to rel ^ re
their difficulties. Instances of fam ^ d %ehe i -< ur
avarice are but top fre uent. A. MAKE.,mt nv d # ys
fine*, went from camp to fee the fituat on of .^ m /,
and when he came home .e hu d the ad edh e
nough, but was told by his wife t it t -.v '- 1 Ad io
bread for three weeks butwhat Was m de of petao \The
Major on his return to the army, dec' e t< s ure
as there was a God he would leave t'.e erv^ehm '<rs
did not take a different turn ; for bis co ilet ce r d
him to fight for thole people who would And I y nd
fee bis family starve.—just God I Said , ' st mu '' .ve
been ^e resentment of a man of pirit at 1 n dj ^ inhe'f
in such deplorable eircumffance merely to yr tfy rhe
avarice ofnis ungrateful neigh' ours ? are you so k e A^te
of all the tender pahions of humanity as is cooly cok
on and even take in active part in reducing henci ar c
ters to a Starving condition; &th .t too for no cAre? Are
nottha.hatards,are not the Eardll 'pm eyareexpofed to,
fufficient to prevent ever" man of a free nd generous
spirit from abusing tbe.r families from preying upon
their estates ?---moft certainly they are. You km vmy
countrymen, the officers of t' e army were many of them
reputable at home. Indeed some of them were men of
talents and influence. It was no arrogance in tl em to
have' extended their views conuaerabiy far upon the
line of honor and ntere't. Tltir employments point
ed to the one their good conduct might have Retired
the other. On the po! tied theatre they could have
made Shining figures. These mm by cortmAng in
the service for a toirfe of vet:, will entirely loose
tight of their former employments and will un inge
tier mines 'from t!?at attentive concern for bn 'refs,
without which they have r.o gmat refon to lock for a
decent livelihood I can foresee nothing except it be
the weapons of violence that will preserve them from
infsllibfy finking into beg? at, and difrefs. Does ir
not appear proba : le that when men have worn , *
their confthutions in yenr service and on tl gir - ^q
home, find that you by your extortion have Klip}*
COURANT,
HERTFORD
INTELLIGENCER.
; Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.