The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-01-07

power as a sort of an uncrowned
king. His hatred for New York
was as strong as ever; for New
Hampshire he had an aversion
almost as great as for the other
colony and for the Continental
congress, in whose name he had
sworn at Ticonderoga, he had
profound contempt.
This congress, refusing to deal
with Aliens ''outlaw administra-
tion," steadfastly declined to
consider adding Vermont to the
United Colonies. So Allen began
negotiations with the British for
annexation of Vermont to Canada
under British dominion with a
certain measure of independence
reserved. For this he has been
branded by some historians as a
traitor, although his treason" is
doubtful in light of the fact that
the congress had cast Vermont
loose to shift for its own indie
pendent existence.
Ethan Aliens turbulent career
came to an end in the roistering
manner in which he had lived. In
February, 1889, he died on a
load of hay while returning from
a joyous drinking party on an is
land in Lake Champlain A year
later New York gave up its claim
to the Vermont lands and recog-
nized the independence of that
colony. In 1871 it was taken into
the United States as the first
to be admitted after the ID origi-
nal colonies. And when Vermont
came to honor her two greatest
men by placing their monuments
in Statuary hall in the National
Capitol in Washington, the first
one chosen was Ethan Allen.
In striking contrast to the ca
reer of that frontier rough
neck" was the career Of John
Hancock, scion of two genera
tons of clergymen, a graduate
of Harvard college, cultured,
polished gentleman whose heri-
tage and training assured him a
leading place in the affairs of
the colony. Choosing a business
career instead of the ministry,
he showed a conscientious devo-
ton to his work which would
have assured his success even If
he had not inherited a fortune
from the uncle who adopted him.
For seven o'clock in the morn
ing found young John Hancock at
his desk in his foster-father's
counting house and even after he
became the "great Boston mer-
chant" he still observed those
early hours.
Some of the modern school of
"debunking" historians have
made much of the fact that, just
before the Revolution, Hancock
was engaged in smuggling goods
into the country to evade the
British excise taxes. They have
pointed out that there were 500
indictments against him for this
offense and that eff convicted the
penalties would have been 100, 900
pounds, twice the value of all his
property" In this fact they see
the motive for his encouraging
the revolt against the crown.
But it might also be pointed
out that, when the best method
of driving the British from Bos-
ton was under discussion at a
patriotic club in that city, he de-
clared BURN Boston and make
John Hancock beggar, if the
public good requires it." Further
more, in the autumn of 1776,
when congress gave Washington
instructions to destroy Boston il
it should be necessary to do it in
order to dislodge the enemy,
Hancock wrote to the commander
of the Continental army saying
that, although he was probably
the largest property-owner in the
city, he was anxious the thing
should be done if it would benefit
the cause" Certainly that does
not sound like a man whose main
concern was private gain.
A Soldering Statesman.
As for Hancock's other serv-
ices after the outbreak of the
Revolution and especially after
he had become famous as the
first and only signer of the draft
of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence which was first published,
he was a member of the CONT
mental congress from 1775 to 1870
and again from l785 to 1886, serv-
ing as president from May, IT'S
to October, 1777. We do not or
dinarily think Of him as a SOL
der, yet the fact is that, as
maior-general of the Massachu-
sets militia, he commanded the
contingent from that state and
served valiantly in the expedi-
ton against the British in Rhode
Island in 1778.
After the close of the Revolu-
ton he was a member of the
Massachusetts constitutional con-
vention and in 1880 he became
the first poyerpor of fba ,o,,,