The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-10-14

preston injury and insult was to be unity Of
cton by iTd & from Which was
the government of which is vested in the people,
thousand repressntStiye men '" Would assemble
largely from the New Hampshire Grants, in cordial
greeting, unbounded peace and security, amid thou
sands r OF happy homes =, T.. 49,.
the hand of oppression, but without success. The
people then resolved to appeal to the King; and they
ployed William s. johnson, eminent lawyer Of
i;st IN ase mem sso A ag in
tton to Lord Shelhurne principal secretary Of Che
in letter to Governor Moore Of New York ststins
that II was the order Of the King that the inhabt
ants should not be molested account of territorial
differences or disputed jurisdictions that the power
TO accommodate and not to distress settlers thathe
attempt to obge large tract Of country to pay the
and that the Xxi King directed the 1es strict
est 9S to Se qs nt e ire Moore
but unfortunately he died september H. i7es and
He was succeeded by Governor Dunmore, and Dun
more by Governor Tryon, who was the last and most
governors paid no attention to the mandate of the
ence with the Kings secretary Of f the colonies They
issued their patents to Workers covering thousands
aEsreyed we're lett % seek tber reme % PAW
mn6n e a CGrs of Of NeT 4Sr Then he trials
| appear and defend, and employed able counsel The
land in sHaftsbnry Judge Robert ,' r. Riyingst ION
presided at the trial All the evidence offered by the
defendant was ruled out and judgment rendered
for the plaintiff Likewise the same in all the eject
/
1t was at this trial that the pioneer who subse
quenty became so famous in the annals of the state
He boldly Expressed his CONTEMPT Tor 'S such meckery
not the soG Of the % + WAS 81 E Tne yaAe sN are
gnf Of tier af SO c GenG S e.
unto 0 death When 10th the sheriff of Albany
peared at Bennington with writs against two resi-
Tended by upwards of one hundred fifty armed men.
Inc snerln rose were unwilling to contend with
process. This Incident gave confidence to the set
tiers OF TIER ability to defend their @
stitution Committees of Safety, through their gen;
the people Their mandates were supreme; but
there was no desire for usurpation of power; and
was purely matter q necsssity ''' ''S'''''''"
During this period Cumberland county, on the east
side of the mountain, had not suffered severely
oyer the titles to their lands; and the feeling of hos
people In 2 this county elected s Samuel Wells Of
to t5e General Of of NeS
York; These men were devoted to the Interests of
They were our first Legislators; but it should be
membered that their history Is not ours, for they
Cumberland county embraced nearly the same
Windsor. It's shire was Chester for four years and
then Westminster. In no Gloucester county was
Cumberland and east of the Green Mountains. Its
\ log building was erected in the wilderness of
Kingsand' now Washington. i'm the county of Or
tempt was made to hold court there the coming
February, but it was abandoned because the officers
of the court could not find it.
The county of Charlotte on the west side, was con
ahd ana SG Included p9 Of w ssre
a 0S 'Sth rRg rems Hs
then in Albany county, New York.
g the people of the east east side were not SO
as those on the west side, yet their resentment
that the formation of Cumberland county was
sham ana party from Windsor appeared at fhes
transacting business.
Revolution was shed in dispensing the Kings court;
and thence onward there was union of sentiment
King issued proclamatons for the arrest the riot
ers and sent surveyors on to the disputed territory
ance and; in few instances; applied the beech
When the War of the Revolution began, Vermont
had no government aud no law. save such as ema-
she rallied and Joined in the cause of her fellow
hc et y to @ OF S a%
and were anxious to aid in the common cause.
own by the adoption of the first Constitution of Yer
mont and here began the second period of our state
While the Constitutional Convention was in SEES .
conderoga had fallen into the hands of the enemy,
l when the convention would propably have adj
for thunder. shower which detained them. Where
they their work sd1pted the GSns
for the first election in December and the first ses-
advance of Burgoyne prevented the carrying out of
this plan; and another convention was held which
for the election and meeting Of the Legislature:
The Constitution was submitted to the people and
As soon as the government of Vermont was thus
settlers east Of the conneccnt to unite with the
new government; and their petition for admission
this state, the Assembly ordered that the union take
/ and New Hampshire. As there was strong 9pposi-
ton developed to the admission of the New Hamp-
the scheme was abandoned soon thereafter , Yer
StrpuuOsly OpnOsen
New York New Hampshire and i Massachusetts Bay;
by Congress indicate that Vermont was regarded as
territory in to one or portions
efforts Of Vermont to enforce its laws We're at times
a asFRhF%fS Of the Ensa q atss
At a convention in walpoe. November l5 1850 it
shire Grants east of the Connecticut river unite with
o Vermont. Several towns in what now Washing
! ton and Saratoga counties n, Y, also decided to
unite with Vermont, which unions were accepted by
e In the meantime Vermont was continually press,
: ing her claims to Congress for admission. In Isl
mission Of vermont and liked its boundaries as they
ye eEmss E
Y Diary and relegated the east union to New Hamp-
t Congress. New York nor New Hampshire did any,
!; thing to defend her homes against the attacks OF
e Thus during the whole period of the Revolution
the General Assembly of Vermont, with its Governor
and Council continued to maintain her independence
as state, successfully defended the rights Of her
Hampshire; and withSpt the aid Of Congress main ,
tanned her frontier. The efforts OF Governor INIT
tenden and the Aliens through discussion, delays,
sagacity and perhaps 1t may be called sharp tactics
kept the English army our borders in such state
of hope and anxiety AS to the conduct of Vermont
that during the latter part of the Revolutionary
struggle but little blood shed in this state. by
u reason of her exclusion from the Union, Vermont
y not subjected to the frequent calls OF Congress
{ the several states to share its portion of the
| public burdens She had met her expenses of the
tories: and though she coined money and issued
bills of credit and treasury notes. II was all promptly
U redeemed in specie. The people had established
postal routes, appointed their postmaster-generai
s and fixed the rates postage. They had adopted
L the common law established courts of justice, and
y passed many wise and salutary acts, notably the
q Retirement act of lls5.
y At their first session they divided the state INTO
l. Bennington and Unity counties. The name OF the
y latter changed to Cumberland and in lIsO
u they practically divided IL into two counties-Cun
berland and Gloucester then in ISL these counties
u divided to form the three counties OF W ma
- ham, Windsor and Orange.
a At the close of the Revolution the settlers of the
New Hampshire Grants, who had for over quarter
of century pettioned for recognition of indie
- pendence, found themselves in the easiest crcllm-
% stances of the whole people of the nation. There
y fore there was then no pressing desire for adms-
" sion as state. After the national government had
g improved the public credit and adopted the federal
" Constitution, Vermont again applied for admission.
. payment of u piltry sum- and on the 18th of March,
7gl pursuant act of Congress of February 18th,
% Vermont became the " Star that has never set"
v Prior to sOs the Legislature convened in diff
q ferent towns, pursuant to adjournment. Fourteen
sessions were held at Windsor eight at Bennington,
= three at Manchester four at Westminster and one
n at Charlestown, ~ H.; six at Rutland, at Nor
No. l..aVx ~ aNa Lot AsR-