American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-10-18

at Christana has raised the question-What is
treason? Fortunately for our country, few
instances of this crime, doubly atrocious in a
republic, have ever occurred to settle the legal
action upon the subject under the Constitution,
which defines that it i" shall consist only in levy
ing war against the United States, or adhering
to their enemies, or giving them aid and com
fort, definition which seems jealously to
guard the citizens against arrests for exercising
freedom of speech and of action, which are alb
solutely necessary under q free popular govern
ment. The most formidable resistance to the
laws of the United States was that which oc-
CURED in 1874, in the western part of Pennsyl-
vania, known as the "Whisky Insurrection,"
and which has recently been much referred to-
though many of those who have undertaken to
enghten the public upon the matter have con
founded this insurrection with Shdys rebellion,
and the opposition shown to the alien and sedi-
ton laws.
The Whisky Insurrection broke out during
Washington's administration, in July, 1894. 1t
originated in opposition to the collection of the
excise tax. A number of distillers having ne
elected to enter their Stills indictments were
found against them. The marshal, with Gen.
Neville, in serving the warrants, was resisted
and fired upon The house of Gen. Neville
was attacked by forty armed men, six of whom
ing his kinsman, Major Fitzpatrick, with eleven
United States soldiers, to guard his house. The
next day five hundred armed men attacked the
house, and burnt it down. The insurgents then
seized upon the United States mail between
Pittsburg and Philadelphia, opened it, and all
persons who were found to have expressed
opinions condemnatory OF their acts were com
PEELED to leave Pittsburg. A convention of
delegates was called, to consider what measures
Of resistance were necessary and whether the
western district ought not to erect itself into n
separate State. The western militia were also
called out by this convention, and 1000 armed
men assembled, and marched into Pittsburg,
where they committed many excesses, and
obliged all the excise officers to fly.
Gov. Mifflin having objected, for want of au
thority to call out the militia of the State, to
resist this formidable insurrection, President
Washington took the responsibility upon him
self, and obtained from the Supreme Court a
| certificate that the laws were obstructed by
combinations too powerful TO be suppressed by
ordinary course OF judicial authority. A proc
lamation was issued, and ID, ZOO militia ordered
out-the insurgents being 10000 in number
Commissioners were sent to apprise the insur
gents of these proceedings. They found the
Convention assembled in Bedford county, and
made propositions for an arrangement of sub
mission 10 the laws, giving ull the l4th OF sep
tember for decision. An armed body of men
entered Brownsville, to intimidate the Conven-
ton. The conferees asked further extension
of timc and proposed to take a vote Of the peo
pie upon submission.
The election was held, and many of the polls
were broken up by violence. The committee
returned to Philadelphia without effecting its
object Gen. Washington gave orders for the
troops to advance. The latter were much ex-
asperated at being called out, and vowed ven.
geance against the rebels. The rebels finding
the determination of Government was to put
them down, sent commissioners, who met the
troops on their way west and the difficulty was
then adjusted. Two thousand of the soldiers
remained encamped in the neighborhood all
winter, to protect the peace and assist in the
arrests. a great number of prisoners were re-
moved to Philadelphia for trial. but only two
were convicted; one for arson, one for robbing
the mail; not one for treason though the insur-
gents were in armed resistance to the laws
nearly two months.
Whether the Chrstana affair has any simili-
tude to this formidable popular outbreak, the
reader will be able to judge for himself by the
facts already published.-Phd. Ledger.