The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-11-25

for their lands and to pay for fresh
titles meant ruin. A few complied
and obtained charters from New York
The majority resisted and a species
OF guerrilla warfare continued for
years between the sheriffs and other
officers of New York on one hand and
the settlers of the grants on the other
II was a picturesque warfare and de-
veloped many burlesque features. Not
withstanding this, however, the set
tiers were determined not TO pay New
York for the lands a second time and
they we're equally determined to main
tain their rights regardless of the
power against them For years the
handful of settlers successfully
fought the officials of New York and
forced them to retire from the con.
test, even though the latter was at
that time, as now, the most powerful
state on the continent. The misun-
derstanding continued until 1854 when
the king decided in favor of New
York, Evictions were Immediately
begun, or, rather attempted 1t
was then that the famous beech
seal" was applied, and officials were
suspended from sign posts for hours
to mediate upon the difficulties in
which they found themselves. 1t
was during this period that the New
York authorities learned, in the pic
turesque language of Ethan Allen that
the gods of the valleys are not the
gods of the hills" In 1867 the New
ant mn Cd I.xyf Tho
king to make no more grants In the
disputed territory and thereafter the
New Hampshire grantees were unmo-
Tested.
The routine history is well known
1t is unnecessary to recount here the
exploits of the Green mountain boys,
the capture OF Ticonderoga by Ethan
Allen and his handful of troops and
the other well known events of the
Revolutionary struggle. They are all
in the books and because they are out
of the ordinary have been told and re-
told. Probably they are looked upon
somewhat as are the half legendary
stories OF other heroes OF the past.
And undoubtedly considerable mass
of legend has grown up around them.
Yet there is sufficient truth to make
them valuable as historic Incidents 1t
was an extraordinary band of patri-
OTIS that gathered about Ethan Allen
upon that memorable night in May,
1775, and took Ticonderoga. Crown
Point fell the next day and Skenes-
Dor was taken soon after. The in
trepid Allen followed this up by TAX.
ing all the English shipping on the
lake. Thus, almost before the Eng
fish realized what had occurred ali
their forts, garrisons and munitions
of war on Lake Champlain had fallen
into the hands of the Americans. II
was a good beginning and had the
successes here been repeated else
where the war would not have drag
ged through seven weary years. The
munitions were very valuable. There
were 200 cannon, which we're after
ward used with good effect upon the
English. The stores were also con-
siderable.
The celebrations now In progress in
the state have served to emphasize to
Vermonters, both at home and abroad
something of the unusual character
of its early inhabitants. Perhaps
they can be described by that new
term progressive" They were, in
some instances, the restless and turbu
lent spirits of Connecticut who want
ed more land or a free opportunity to
work out their peculiar ideas OF gov
eminent. Connecticut was English,
and it retained the characteristics OF
the Massachusetts government
These discontinued ones who wanted
reform. or more freedom for the de
velopment OF their theories of gov
eminent and social policy. seized up
on the opportunity offered by the
cheap lands to the north to found
new commonwealth which should be
different in its governmental features
from any that had been established
previously. And that they succeeded
in doing what they intended is dem
onstrated in all their after history.
Vermont's early history reads al
most like one OF SCOTS novels. Yet
the early settlers were all men of
hard, common sense. II they were
! theoretical about the rights OF man.
and insisted that their own rights be
respected by New York and otherg
who sought to interfere with them
they were at least sufficiently practic.
al to found commonwealth which
was the first republic upon this con
tinent They succeeded In keeping a
British army OF 10000 men inactive
in Canada during three campaigns
and at the same time fought before
/ Congress for admission to the Union,
regardless OF the claims OF New York
and New Hampshire, The state had
no friends among the early colonies
excepting Massachusetts and was for
ced TO make its pleas unsupported.
Ethan Allen, the picturesque hero Of
Ticonderoga, was born in Connecticut
but his restless adventurous spirit
was early attracted by the opportuni.
ties In Vermont and he was more re-
sponsible for its erection into a state
and its fina, admission into the Union
than any other single man. Yer
mont's contribution to the Union OF
states has been large number OF
men OF exceptional ability, thoroughly
trained In all the virtues and fitted
to be leaders. Vermont received
scant justice during the Revolution
and even her able men, born diplo-
mats, succeeded In holding the Brit.