Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-11-06
THE WHISkEY INSURRECTION.
A CHAPTER OF HISTORY.
From the New York Sun.

Congress with respect To the military
power may be summarized as follows;
The President may send the army
into any State to operate against any
portion of the people without regard to
the civil authorities, either State or ma
tional. lie may do this at his own
pleasure he is not required to wait for
the call of the Legislature, or of the
Governor, when the Legislature cannot
be convened. to put down opposition to
the State laws, or for the certificate OF
the Federal judiciary, notifying him
that the execution of laws of the
United States is opposed by combina-
tions "too powerful to be suppressed by
the ordinary course of judicial proceed
ings, or by the powers vested In the
marshal
The advocates of strong government
sustain this position. 1t certainly, II
accepted, would make the administIa
ton strong-strong to such an extent
that life, liberty and property would no
longer be held in this country, except
at its mercy. The President would be a
military despot, whose powers would be
measured only by the number of his
battalions. We do not propose at pres
ent to discuss the legality OF this mon.
strous pretence. We refer to it merely
to expose the audacity of the fraud they
practise when they dare to quote the
great name of George Washington in its
support. Mr.. Hayes in his message,
Mr. Conkling in his Brooklyn speech,
and many ignorant or reckless spouters
following their lead, refer to Washing.
tons so-called suppression of the Whis.
key lnsurrection AS an illustration OF
their methods. Let us look at that
case.
In the four counties of Pennsylvania
living around the head OF the Ohio river
and in the neighboring counties OF Nir.
ginia there was developed in 1894
serious opposition to the Federal Excise
law. 1t bore very cruelty upon the in.
habitants of that country, and was in
truth unjust and oppressive. They re-
monstrated and petltioned in vain. The
State took up their cause and pressed it
with the same result. Alexander Ham.
ilton, Secretary of the Treasury, and
chief of the Federalist party, was deaf
TO their entreaties, and his influence
was sufficient to prevent any modItica.
tion oil the act.
The Ohio River was closed by almost
perpetual Indian wars. st. Clair's de.
feet had sealed up Congress in that di.
rection, and Wayne's campaign was in
course of preparation. With the East
there was no communication except by
pack horses over the rugged and dan.
gerous trails across the Allegheny Noun.
tains. To accommodate their produce
to this method OF transportation to
market, the people were compelled to
make their grain into whiskey, and
almost every farm had its distillery.
But the tax ate up the profits. gal.
Ion of whiskey worth a dollar in the
East was worth but fifty cents there I;
yet it paid the same tax. For a long
aime there was no serious attempt TO
enforce the law in this outlying border
land, and owing partly at least to the
neglect of Government, the farmers be.
gan to distil without regard to it. Then
when after long time men we're found
willing to take Office in the revenue
service. and execute the obnoxious law
against their fellow citizens, the delin.
quents were summoned to answer. not
before a court and jury of the vicinage,
but at Philadelphia, the seat of the
Federal Government. This meant wide.
spread ruin to the people, rs well "a un.
necessary and cruel rigor on the part OF
the Administration, and that was the
feature which provoked the few discon.
nected acts of mob violence which Fed.
eralist writer's have dignifed with the
name OF an insurrsotion.
Out of forty warrants at one time in
the hands of the marshal, thirty-nine
had been peacefully served. when he
undertook to serve the last in n paTtic.
ularly offensive manner upon a man
surrounded by friends aud neighbors in
u harvest field. The marshal was com.
PEELED to retire in some haste; the
house of the inspector was burned. and
the officials, like carpet bsggers OF these
modern days, betook themselves TO
Philaleiphia, where they assiduously
and Indignantly magnified the disturb.
auee. To the evil influence of these
A'exiles," backed by the ruthless pur.
pose of Hamilton, who saw in it the
opportunity he sought to exhibit the
,coercive strength OF the new Govern.
ment, may be attributed the needless
military expeditions and the brutal
outrages committed upon the people.
Washington was made 10 believe that
the whole Western country wss ablaze
with actual insurrection. lie had only
the accounts Of the exiles aud the artful
and effective report of Hamilton for his
information. But he moved with the
utmost reluctance. lie did not claim
the power to hurl an army upon the so
called insurgents without legal prelim
inaries. He was notified by the United
States District Judge that he found
"upon evidence laid before him" that
the combination was too powerful to be
dealt with by the courts. Upon this he
; called out the militia of Pennsylvanis
and the adjoining States, issued proc
lamation commanding the evil disposed
to desist, and in conjunction with the
Governor of the State sent commission
TO them TO hear their grievances, anC
offer them pardon and amnesty.
When the Commissioners arrived
they found the people more than wil
A .EHsa l.