The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-10-05

The most notable event y shs !! !

" T. = &
The most notable event ii the
early history Of Washington county
was the Whisky Insurrection con-
tinuing from 1871 to 1874 inclusive,
which was simply moonshincrs,
rebellion against the authority OF
the Government to impose and col-
lect revenue taxarnon whisky,
similar to the Gus s.i.w enacted.
The excise tax WAS first Il State en-
actment, but afterwards, at the sylg-
gestion of General Alexander Hanil-
ton, then Secretary of the Treasury,
March 3d, 1871, Congress passed q,
law placing q duty Of four peiace up
on every gallon Of distilled spirits.
There were at that time 272 stills in
operation in Washington county.
The people of Western Pennsylva-
MIA claimed that the only way they
could pack the rye and other cereal
products Of their farms ascross the
mountains ON horseback and ex-
change them for salt, iron and other
necessities was bv first manufactur-l
ing the grain into whisky and con.
tended that the Government tax was
unjust and burdensome. A hot
headed lawyer named David Brad
ford, residing at the town OF Wash
ington, headed the insurrection, and
a certain person known as Tom the
Tinker" who is supposed to- have
been John Holcraft, issued the orders
to and directed the movements of
the insurgents, while the Pittsburgh
Gazette was their official organ.
The purpose of these rebels, like
that of the Southern traitors in our
own time, was to withdraw from the
Union and set up IA sovereignty Of
their own, or even to place them
selves under British authority. A
more nefarious plot of rebellion
never was conceived in the mind of
man, and it finally required all the
fnrce and power of the Government
to defeat its purpose. The insur-
gents outraged every provision of
law and principle Of decency in
their attempts to thwart the collec-
tors in pursuance of their duty.
They erected liberty poles surmount-
ed by flags bearing the device, lib
erty; No Excise; Death to Trait
|ors;;" assembled in arms, tarred and
feathered the officers of the law,
shot down the agents Of the Govern
ment like dogs, and committed in
dignities and outrages that would
utterly disgrace any semi-civilized
condition of society. 1t is not with
in the provision of this sketch to
detail the wicked schemes of these
conspirators, butamong their designs
was the destruction of Pittsburgh.
Washington, who was then Presi-
dent Of the United States, issued
several proclamations calling the
insurrectionists to their duty and
finally sent the army comprising
1900 men under command of Cen
eral Daniel Margan, across the Ale
ghenles to quell the spirit OF seces-
sion and rebellion. At public
meeting held at Parkinson's Ferry,
now Monongahela City, on the 18th
of August, 1894, in which II. II.
Breckenridge, the historian of the
troubles, the celebrated Albert Gal
latin and David Bradford were the
principal actors, it was finally de-
termined to return to the allegiance
of the Federal Government. David
Bradford, who was mainly instru-
mental in stirring up strife, fled to
Bayou Sara. in what's now the eState
of Louisiana, and which was then
part of the Spanish possessions in
North America, and Albert Gallatin
and Breckenridge. both satisfied the
Government that they were acting
in its interests throughout the heat
ed struggle that decided the issue
between loyalty and rebellion.