The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-13
The whisky Insurrectien--A Chapter Of
History.
From the New York Sun.


respect to the military power may be summar
ized as follows:
| The President may send the army INTO AM
State To operate against any portion of III,
people without regard to the civil authorities
either state or national He may do This a
his own pleasure; he is not required to wal
for The call Of the Legislature, or Of the Gov
crnor, when the Legislature cannot be con
vcned, 10 pui down opposition to the Stat,
laws, or for the certificate of the Federal judi
clary, notifying him that the execution of law,
of the United States is opposed by comblna
lions too powerful To be suppressed w thu
ordinary course Of judicial proceedings, or by
the powers vested III the marshal"
The advocates Of strong government sustain
This position. 1t certainly, If accepted, would
make the Administration strOEg-strung t.
such an extent that life liberty and property
would no longer be held in this country, eX
c,pt at its mercy. The President would be q
military dcspot, whose powers would he meas
ured only by the number of his battalions
We do not propose at present to discuss the lie.
gality Of this monstrous prttcnce. We refer
Ia it merely TO expose the audacity Of the fraud
they practice when they dare to quote the
great name OF George Washington in its sup.
port Mr.. Hayes IN his message, Mr.. Conk-
linz in his Brooklyn speech, and many igno,
refer 10 Washlngton's so.called suppression of
he Whisky Instruction as an illustration OF
their methods, Let Us look at that case.
In the tour counte, Of Pennsylvania iylng
around the head OF the Ohio River, and in The
neighboring counties of Virginia, there was
developed in 1894 serious opposition TO the
! Federal Excise law. IL bore very cruelty up
IN the inhabitants of that country, and WAS in
truth unjust and oppressive. They remonsirs.
ted and petitioned in vain. The State took up
lhcir cause and pressed it with the same re.
suit Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the
Treasury, and chief of the Federalist party,
was deaf TO their entreaties and his Influence
was sufficient 10 prevent any modification OF
The act
The Ohio River was closed bv almost per
petual Indian wars ST Chairs defeat had
sealed up egreSs IN that direction, and Wayne's
campaign was IN course of preparation. With
the East there WAS no communication except
by pack horses over the rugged and dangerous
trails across III, Allegheny Mountains. To nc.
lcummodate their produce to this method OF
Transportation to market the people were com
PEELED to make their grain into whisky, and
almost every farm had its distilery. But the
tax ate mp the profits, A gallon of whisky
worth dollar in the East WAS worth but fifty
cents there; yet 1t paid the same tax. For u
long time there was no serious attempt to en-.
force the law in this outlying border land, and
owing partly AT least 10 the neglect OF Govern.
ment, the farmers hogan To dlstil without re-
gard to it. Then, when after Is long time men
were found willing To take office in the revenue
service and execute the obnoxious law against
their fellow citizens, the deinquents were
summoned 10 answer, not before court and
jury OF the vicinage but at Philadelphia, the
seat of the Federal Government This meant
widespread rain TO the people, as well rs un-
necessary and cruel rlgor on the part OF the
Administration, and that WAS the feature
which provoked the few disconnected acts Of
mob violence which Federalist writers have
dignlted with the name of an insurrec,ion
Out of forty warrants at one time in the
hands of the marshal, thirty-nne had been
peacefully served, when he undertook to serve
the last IN particularly offensive manner up.
on man surrounded by friends and nelghbors
in harvest field The marshal was compel.
ed to retire in some haste; the house of the in.
spcctor was burned, and the officials, like car
pet baggers of these modern DAYS be,Ook
themselves to Philadelphia, where they assd-
uously and Indignantly magniticl the disturb
anCe. To tne evil influence Of these "exiles, "
backed by the ruthless purpose OF Hamilton,
who saw in II the opportunity he sought 10 eX-
hlblt the coerCIve strength of the new Govern.
mcnt, may he attributed the needless military
Expeditions and the brutal Outragcs committed
upon the people Washington WAS made to
believe that the whole Western country was
abaze with actual lnsurrectlon He had only
the accounts Of the exies and the artfu and
effective report Of Hamilton for his informa
ton. But he moved with the utmost reluct.
ance. lie did not claim the power to hurl an
army upon the sO-called insurgents without
legal prcllmlnaries. He was notified by the
United States District Judge that he found
upon evidence land before him" that the com
blnatlon WAS too powerful to be dealt with by
The courts. Upon this he called out the mill
tia Of Pennsylvania ana the adjoining States,
issued proclamation commanding the evil
disposed 10 dess!, and in conjunction with the
Governor of the State sent commission to
them to hear their grievances and offer them
pardon and amnesty
When the Commissioners arrived they found
The people more than willing TO accent
the terms offered them. They were met
ny u committee authorized to negotiate
for the socalled insurgents That com
mlttce reported their agreement 10 the stand
ing committee at Brownsville, which prompt.
| ~ accepted 1t, and two weeks later 1t WAS
unanimously accepted by full congress Of
delegates from all the counties at Parklnson's
Ferry. Everything was acceded to- everything
PROMISED, down to the signing of individual
pledges, on given day, by the whole popula.
ton. If 1t could be said that tins had ever
been an Instruction, its backbone was broken
The people were eager to support the Govern.
ment ON the terms extended; shcrlits volun.
tecred 10 execute processes; the really guilty
took their rifles and fled into the wilderness.
and the country was as peaceful and as LOYAL
AS it is today.
But the "eXiles" were not satisfied. They
wanted to return in triumph, and with power
to wrcak their revcnges Hamilton had an.
other purpose-a purpose which he had cher
ished from the first and pursued with cold
calculation to the end He determined to
make ms 'he occasion OF some signal display
OF the power of military coercion" Not
Iwithstanding the submission of the neo,la