The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1865-05-31

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principles on which they were decided
TIE WHISKY INsURREUTIosIsTs.
! What is commonly knowy as the "N hisky
| lnsuneetiOn' gave rise to the first trials
for treason under the Constitution of the
| United States. This rebellion upon a small
scale, as it would now be considered, sprang
! up in the early years of Washington adj
| ministration, and has been honored with
elaborate histories ly two cotemporaneous
writers, and by one historian of modern
! datc.* 1t grew out of the act of Congress,
of March 3, 1871. which imposed duty
upon spirits distilled within the United
States. This measure, although necessary
| to raise revenue toward cancelingt the heavy
deaf of the Revolution, was violently de-
bounced III the Middle and Southern States
as burdensome aud tyranlcal. A portion of
! North Carolina became seriously disaffected,
and large meetings were held to denounce
the law But it was in the western part of
| Pennsylvania, settled chiefly by the Scotch,
and Irish Preshyterians, that opposition to
! the law was most determined. In the
Counties Of Allegheny, Washington, Fay
| cite and Westmoreland, an agitation was
| started which, in two or three years, ripeh-
ed into an organized Insurrcction, and in
volved its leaders in the crime OF treason
! 1t was the strong motive of pecuniary
interest that led the people of these coun-
ties to such lengths. The war of the Rev
oution, by cutting off importation, had
stimulated these rich grain-growing regions
to the manufacture Of spirits, until the most
OF the United States was supplied from this
source and the whole Western Country
| of Pennsylvania as it was then called, (for
! as yet the greatness of Ohio was not).
swamed with distileries. The trade was
! lucrative, and whisky was so valuable that,
in the scarcity Of specie, it was used uni
versally as currency, thus becoming, in more
senses than one, "a circulating medium.
Those who are familiar with the fcrvid
loyalty Of Western Pennsylvania in the
present day will read. with surprise, of the
| widespread disafIection which then obstruc-
ted the laws of the Federal Government,
and had previously opposed the adoption of
the Federal Constitution. Public meetings
were everywhere held to deuounce the law;
the Pittsburgh Gazette teened With violent
abuse Of the Government and its officers;
petitions for repeal were poured into Con-
gress; the excise officers were driven from
| their Offices, prescribed, and, in several
eases, tarrcd and fcathced; lea CUES of dis
tillcrs were formed, pledged to non. n.compli
ancc with the law, and the stills of such a.
complied with it were destroyed; an asSocia-
ton, called the "Nlingo Creek SUciety,"
was formed, composed of a battalion of
militia, governed, absolutely, by President
and Council, and it's members sworn to
secrecy. These outraces were stimulated by
the fm bearance of the Government, Just as
the failure of the Government to put forth
its strength, early in 1861. brought it into
contempt with the rebels and semi-rebels of
the South. Congress, in 1892, modified the
law, somewhat, to pacity the indictments,
but this had the opposite effect The viola
tors of the law were encouraged by the hope
Of IMMUNITY and the first mild proclama-
tion Of the President tWashingtony. issued
in September, 1892, was utterly disregard
cd. Y
AT length Congress awoke to the hcccSSi-
ty of gone stringent legislation, to enable the
Executive to enforce the laws, and, in June,
1854, an act was passed providing for the
| trial Of offences against the revenue laws, at
the same time it was determined. and in
structions issued by Alexander Hamilton,
the Secretary Of the Treasury, to prosecute
deinqucnts with rigor, and to collect the
revenue at all hazards. Process was served
upon number Of persons, but the Marshal
| was fired upon, captured, and threatened
with death unless he promised to serve no
process west Of the mountains. General
Neville, Inspector of the Western District,
was hesiegcd in his own hous., near Pitts
hurah, by PARTY of insurgents, numbering
forty guns. Warned Of their approach, his
windows were nailed up with plank and a
number of his negroes behind them, sup
piled with arms and ammunition. The RIO
terS fired upon the house, but being unex-
pectcdly attacked in return by the negroes
one of them killed, and six wounded-thcy
hastily retrcated.
The attack was renewed the next day by
five or six hundred men. General Neville
| could procure as reinforcements for his me-
groes, but eleven soldicrs-regulars from
Fort Pitt. The civil authorities feared to
order out the posse comttdtus to suppress
the riot, lest it should be found that the
majority were on the side Of the insurgents
The latter had appointed a committee Of
three (in imitation OF the National Com
missioncrs which, at that day, attended the
French amics), who were to superintend
the enterprise, hold parley with the besiegcd
and compel him, if possible, to resign HE
obnoxious office without blood, he'd. The
redoubtablc army marched to the lnspec-
tor $ house, and the committee" gravely
| seated themselves on an eminence, at some
distance, to overlook the war. A flag was
first sent in, to demand his resignation -
This being summarily refused, notice was
given, by another flag, for the women and
children to withdraw. The attack then
commenced The defenders of the house
replied warmly, and Maclane, who led the
assailants, was soon killed. A message was
sent to the COMMITTEE, to know whether
the house should not be stor1ned Mean
while, the outhouscs were fired, the house
threatened with conflagration, and the small
party within were compelled to come out
and surrender themselves The attack las
ted about an hour; two of the assailants
were killed, and three Of the soldiers woun-
ded While the house was burning, the
| insurgents broke opon the cellar. and drank
up the wine, and, becoming intoxicated,
| were hardly restrained from massacre of
their captiycs, most Of whcm managed,
however, to escape.
A great meeting of the country militia
was now called by the leading insurgents
They met at Braddock's Field, on the Mon
ongahela, on the first of August. About
seven thousand men, armed and equipped,
attended, and very warlke disposition
was manifested. 1t was resolved that the
army should march to Pittsburgh. The de-
sign of attacking the garrison IA trifing
squad of United States troops in Fort Pitt,
was however abandoned. The people of
the town were very hospitable. Whisky
(untaxed) flowed freely, and the army
marched through and crossed the Monon-
gahela, where they mostly retired to their
houses, having made a demonstration of
strength which, it was thought, would ef-
fectually prevent any future attempt to exc
cute the laws.
VI. ''Incidents of the insurrecton in