Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-12-17
The Boston Tea Party.

which time some three hundred and forty
two chests of freshly imported tea, were at
one setting put to steep in the slightly saline
waters of Boston harbor. The actors in this
tea party, those who made this hugo cup OF
tea and treated all the little fishes, were
men dressed in the Indian costume. So COM
plete was the disguise of these tea-makers,
and so quietly and quickly did they accom-
plish the work to which they had elected
themselves, and return to their wonted avo-
cations. that history has never been able to
trace out and reveal their names. The tea
once emptied into the water, these cred
men " disappeared from public view, and all
efforts to unravel the mystery in which these
men disguised themselves on that occasion,
have thus far proved futile. Who they
were, and in what manner so efficient an or
ganization was obtained, are questions for
the historian of to-day to determine. 1t is
not too much to expect that the research
which this centennial will call forth all over
the country may eventuate in bringing to
light the names of these tea makers, and the
secret history of how it came to pass that
they adopted the costume they did and the
motives which prompted them to spill the
tea as they did.
The Boston Globe of recent date gives q
brief account of the transaction which may
have an interest to our readers. The Globe
CLEANS its facts from brief history print
ed in the Massachusetts, Gazette and Boston
Ne,cs Letter of December %, 1878, weekly
paper of small size then published in Boston,
there being no daily paper in Boston at
that date The Gazette of that date says
that on Tuesday morning, Dec. 14tb, the
following notification was posted up through
out the town:
d" Friends! Brethren : Ccuntry,en!
The perfdious arts of your restless en-
emies to render Intellectual the late resolu-
tions of the Body of the People, demand
your assembling at the Old South Meeting
House precisely at 2 O'Clock, This Day. at
which time the Bells will ring"
That meeting, we need hardly say, was
held, but it was adjourned till the following
Thursday, and then, at its dissolution. the
first Boston tea party, on grand scale, was
celebrated. The arrival of the ship Dart
mouth on November %, with ll2 chests Of
the tea which it was intended, fguratvely
speaking, to force down the threats of the
people, had already created great excite
ment and on the LIST of December, the ship
Elinor, with more of the obnoxious stuff,
came into port. There was of course, a
good deal of eager discussion at the meeting
at the Old South, and during it Josiah
Quincy pointed out the probable result of
the controversy. MIR. Rotch, the Captain
of one of the ships, expressed his inability
to comply with the request to send the tea
back, and brought message from the Gov
ernor " that for the honor of the laws and
from duty towards the King, he could not
grant the permit until the vessel was regular
ly cleared" As it was evident that there
was danger of an attempt to land the tea,
the assembly at the Old South was deeply
moved, bus it dissolved without doing any
thing more than express its opposition TO the
action of those who had attempted to force
the tea on the people.
1t was just at the close of the meeting
that the tea party was formed. Suddenly a
figure dressed like an Indian appeared in
| the gallery, and, as his war whoop rang
through the house, other persons similarly
disguised showed themselves at the door
Then there was a hasty stampede from the
church, and the "red men " made their way
down to Grifin's (LiverpooD wharf, where
they boarded the ships and threw the tea in
to the dock. No less than 342 chests were
thus dealt with, and contemporary newspa-
per states that the surface of the water was
covered Herewith considerable way from
the southern part of the town to Dorchester
Neck, and lodged on the shores. 1t was
noticeable, however, that no other property
was disturbed at the tea party, and the
quietness of the town during this and the
following night was, under the circumstances,
remarkable. Everybody felt that the i'm
portance of the occasion demanded soberness
and deliberation, and there was none of the
wild excitement which might have been ex-
pected from the nature OF the uniertak
ing.
The first Boston tea party was the recog-
milton of the principle Of liberty which few
years afterwards was fought for and achieved
by our heroic ancestors, otter an eight years
l. 6t' ii; l., t overt act of resistance tC
the kingy principle insisted upon by George
the Third of his sovereign right to levy taxa
ton upon the colonies without allowing
them representation. 1t led Inevitably al
most to the bloody scenes Of the Revolu tion
which gave US our independence as nation
1t is fitting and proper that the day should
have due remembrance and commemorative
at this time. We are glad to see that it il
being generally observed in all parts of New
England. The Tea Party given by ths
ladies of Montpelier Tuesday evening" il
Trinity Hall, was said to have had its
inception among those taking prominen
and pronounced stand IN favor of resistance
to the slavish demand and tyranny OF King
Alcohol. This may be and doubtless in
certain sense was true: but we could n
help thinking the ladies had been both wis
and shrewd in their generation by bringing
covertly and yet prominently to the iress
consideration OF the voters of to-day tn
question ofwhether taxation without repre-
sentation has now fairer look than it ha,
in 1878, when so much tea was spilled t.
show mems hatred of such principle.
RUFUS NUrTING, formerly of Randolph
and now of Wheaton, Illinois, writes to th
Windsor Journal, denouncing the grang
movement. Mr.. Nutting by persisten
effort started the Farmers Club of Randolph
which has been productive of much good, a
he states in his letter. There is considera
BILE talk of organizing a grange in the tow
where this club is, and very likely it will
done. No doubt in case such action shout
be taken, the Club would continue, as som