m
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For tht Gazette of the United States.
inteutions of fettling over th* riveo
Ohio and Alleghany, thus the popuk
, tion was prevented, and a very lpaciofts
Mr. Fenno, > a "d valuable tract of country left unin»
WITH pleasure we mull read, that, habited, thVoilgh which, the lioltile in
among other rhinjs Aigulated with Mr. dians made frequent depredations onihr
Ja) by the Engl ih cabinet, is the miriu- inhabitants of our frontiers; and we wc re
m.flionofour d.flr.-lfed brethren in Algiers, compelled to defend them, without re
-Ift t0 & - ctiving an adequate return for „of fer
ncsrlca in thi6 buhnels may take place fa ' ,• , , 1 r
th,;i£ not very improbable, fudging from ' V ' C "' ch when we fa .' led to P erh>rm »
that nation's former conducV towards us) j a m,e was which genially a
and conlidering that the importance of the mounted to more than a fix fold tax. A
ocilion demands promptnc& of execution, draught was lately made out of each
(' or fellow-citizens, can be worse company of the militia, and orders giv
thln Algerme slavery) an individual wishes en to ,h era to arm and equip themselves
to cnu'iii c« wnst 112.1 lvf*ri fti.iHf' r r -i■ • ,
e•» • ' • r , fit for military operations, and to be
Dv t<ie committr 'sappointed a few months : , L •
ao for tins purpose ?—A degree of ardor yto march at . a moment's warning,
and benevolence was then displayed wor- ' 0" r citizens found that they were
thy of the American character ; but of liable to be ordered into public service
late we hear nothing on the fubjefl. Re- . for three months at a time, without re
member, that while we are at ease in our j ceiving one third part of the value of
£2?"*, and pr °P Cr y r ' and our minds only > their services, and at the caprice, of their
a o itateci now and then with a few pertur- * « n n 1 r
bations arifjig from the situation of our ° fc TV?"? * W °l
country, they arc hourly groaning under 1 as the , d( -' fc!l& ' e or to be ftationad at
the chains of ijairery, the stripes of cru- ! lome P' :ICC > where they could be tit no
eitv, and the yoke of fcrvi'tude. Put the ■ service, at which the people wete fret-
Ca '';.. t .° V oul "fjlve9, and let it spur you on I ted and soured in their minds; and at
d r lll rut ' ein P t ' ol ' - Have that critical moment the marshal of the
nrl em I P 'T ? „x' ,cd 'TTar; are P P e r / diftrift came with precepts to enforce
new employed in colle£tirig them ?It so, -.i,. 11 a* r. 1 -r -in
kud an adequate sum railed, Have the tlle collection of the excise, with all lts^
Committees appointed for that purpose a " eai ' s ' whlch was 01,t of ll ? e P°wer of
fc-nt on, or are they preparing to fend on P*HTon* concerned to pay ; and
the purchase money of the liberty, I be- summoned them to appear at the next
I:eve> of fr.rae hundreds of our iellow-ci- Fedetal Court, where they could not
tizens ? Surely humarUty, justice, love of have the benefit of trial by a jury of
, dema ", d i haf , these ! h i"S shh r e "- their own country. The people then
quire*! into, and that the real state of the , r -i l j
bufmefs be kno*„, that if things are not btgan f ° conver s e nc Wlth another, and
yet in a train of accomplishment, citizens to murmur againlt the general govern
may now agaiii at this moment recollecT: ment » faymg. was not this one of the
their vigour, and carry mrafurestn effect ; teafons that Congress have given for re
if they are, that they may enjoy the heart- jedting the King's government : name
fat'®faai.°" ,° : hav refcL ' ed ] y> the transporting us beyond the seas,
•"***•' *>.«" » w c 0.,„ L pre ,«»d«d
oltences; now the Judiciary of the U
nited States have summoned us over the
mountains, to be tried at the Federal
Court. Another reason they have af
ligned <vas, that the King had endea
vored to prevent the population of these
dates, &c. Have not Congress and
the ItAteof Pennsylvania also prevented
the population of land nortfiwefl of the
rivers Ohio and Alleghany, by not fuf
fering us firft to feat oorfelves thereon,
and hold them By improvement till we
could get money to take oilt office
rights for them ? these are privileges we
did enjoy in fettling lands ftni'th east of
the rivers Ohio and Alleghany, as well
tinder the commonwealth as the propri
etors of Pennsylvania. Although the
Congress of the United States have laid i
a duty on fpiritous liquors of oiir own '
mauulafture, not excepting that for our i
own consumption, it dots not therefore J
Legiflafure of Pennsylvania.
Housb of Representatives,
September 11.
The following is an accurate state
ment of the obl'ervations made by Mr.
White, on the motion for the appoint
ment of a comrhittee to bring in a bill
authorizing the Governor >to complete
the qilota of militia required from this
state by accepting voluntary enrolments,
and to provide bounties for such volun
teer#.
Mr. 'Speaker,
As we are convened by the Governor
oil account of the late disturbances in
in the vveftern country, I convecive it
vvili out be disagreeable to the members
"f tlnV honfe to hear tin- xstaLu.
Tnra Cfycu mi la ftceabT iliole difurbancw
ilated to theiri, and as the vefolutiou
now under Conlideration contemplates
an awful appeal to arms for their sup
pression, I hope I fhull be indulged so
far as to be permitted to make the
Ibtement I have alluded to.
Mr. Speaker,
I have risen from my feat in order to
state to this house, the reasons which
have excited that part of my conltitu
ents who are citizens of the western
counti« ot this commonwealth, to op
p'ofe fuc!i part of the revenue laws of
the L .iited States, as demand a dutvon
fpiritons liquors of their own manufac
ture, and ror their own confnmption.
The reasons are various, but as many
of tnem as I am able, 1 shall communi
cate in as few words, as my abilities
will admit of. In the firft place then,
we lived in a flew country, and many
of the neceflaries of life could not be
had nearer than the trading towns on
the ealtern fide of the mountains, which
great diflance of land carriage, made it
impracticable for us to procure them
with the produce of our fatms ; there
fore to these places we were compelled
to fend our money, which greatly dt
minifhed our flock in hand. The land
office was another channel through
which oui money was conveyed into the
lreafury of this commonwealth, and
from thence veiy little ever returned to
us again, so that we were left bare of
cafli, and the greatest number of us
who had not land, were unable to buy,
and were prevented from fettling north
west of the "rivers Ohio and Alleghany,
by laws that provided against any man
holding land thereby improvement, and
the men who attempted to build and im.
prove, were driven off by armed men
and their houses burntd with fire. The
people thus prevented from taking up
lands, were anxious to enter into some
kind of bulinefs, to procure money, or
other property, wherewith to buy ; and
as whisky, See. were more portable than
any other produce of oiir country, ma
ny of the people entered into that branch
of business, so that it became general,
that when any thing was fold, it was
ftipulatea that the payment should be
made in Whisky ; thus for want of mo
ney whisky became the circulating cur
rency of that country, and many of the
Biaitufadiurers thereof amused from their
->•- -*, J- "s&** ~1»:-yfr»r
HUM ANITAS.
j and although it was conflitutional, we
conceive it was a wanton exercise of
their conflitutional powers, inaf'much
as it is a violation of the rights, liber
ties, and hippinefs of the people of the
nation ; for if one article of our own
manufa&ure may be considered as an ar
ticle for revenue, another may be eonfi
dejed in the fame predicament, and the
rule will hold good should Congress fee
proper, to encreafe the number of arti
cles for revenue, till a duty is laid on
our cyder, beer, grain, cattle, horses,
windows, hearths, spinning-wheels. i'c.
which would fubjedt us to every oppres
sion, that England, Ireland and other
European countries are compelled to
fuffer.
And if it is our duty to he contented
in that situation, we may then fay,- wel
come flaveiy, under the galling yoke
of tyrants, farewell happiness, farewell
freedom and felicity; we must now
take our last long look of liberty. Was
it for Vlila that we rejeded the king of
Great Britain ; were the sons of Ame
rica inspired with noble minds, and
were they in the right, when they re
fufed to pay a duty on the tea, and car-'
ried their resentment so high, that they
consumed it with fire ; far be it from
us to fay, that Congress shall not do
this, we know there must be a revenue
to fi:pport the government of the Uni
ted States, and think it right that it
should be raffed not only on the tea,
bflt upon every other foreign manufac
ture, and whenever these shall be found
inefficient, that an equitable tax on
our lands &c. fha|J supply the deficiency.
But will not any candid statesman,
who 13 fully acquainted with the amount
of revenue which may be raised on ar
ticles imported, without any other re
source whatsoever, fay, that was no
more given to the public officers and
servants of government than an equita
ble compensation for their'fervices, it
would be fully fufficientin time of peace,
to fopport the government of the Uni
ted States j and more than would be
used, were they as sparing in the wages
of Congress, and other officers of go
vernment, as they are penurious in al
lowing wages to those worthy citizens
who are devoted to move forth into the
field of battle, to ward off the blow j
directed at the life of the defencelefs |
citizen. Shall these brave heroes and j
«2L .
guardians of our lives at the risque of
their own, J )e thus flighted, or poorly
compensated _ for their Cervices, with
three dollars per month, and (hall fix
dollars per day be lavilhed on a Congress
man, three upon an AfTemblyman, two
thousand pounds per year upon a go
vernor, upon three officers in the land
ofßje department 500 pounds each per
annum, and upon the comptroller ge
neral, register general, and treasurer of
the commonwealth, five hundred pounds
ea4h per annum, lhalla 1000 pounds a
year be paid to the judge of the su
preme court, 600 each t© his associates,
and five hundred pounds per annum to
each of the diftrift judges ? Is it right
that such sums of mosey as these should
be paid to individuals for ttteu ftrvices
when the very Half of life is i atched
from the indigent citizen, the widow
and the fatherlefs orphan, even the
bread on which they Ihould fad; and
the cows that should give them milk,
to fell and procure these large fumsuof
money. And yet tliele are not so ex
travagant as the prices paid to the offi
ceis of the United States, a part of
which we shall now enumerate, vix. to
the President of the United States
25,000 dollars per annum, to the Vice-
President 5000, to the Secretary of
the Treasury 3,500, to the Treasu
rer 2,400, to the Auditor 1,900, Re
gister 1,740, Secretary at War 3000,
judge of the supreme court 4000, and
to each of the nfTociate judges 3500
dollars per annum.
Is it right for the President of the
United States to receive 68 dollars per
day, to fit it* honor's easy chair, and
but 36 dollars each for one whole year's
service be given to the men who are de
stined to Hand as marks for the roaring
cannon, to wade through the gore, and
leap over the heaps of carnage, or fall
in its ruins, by the intrepid valour of
some fierce European foe; or worn
down With fatigue and toil exposed to
all weathers and the well aimed (hot of '
the savage warriors, which should they )
survive, the greateil number of them
will still feel to the end of their lives. t
View the brave soldier with his confH
tution thus impaired, or perhaps ruin
ed, fee him return to his young and
helpless family, or into that stage of
life where it is right to acquire one, de- j
fpifed by many whose lives and proper- j
ty he has preserved, neglecltfd and fur- 1
gotten by the IJriitvd Sfritts arid all i
others, and left to breathe out the reft !
of his -days in want and miferv : where j
is the humane thinking man artiong lis, '
who is a friend to equal laws and equi- j
rtmrperrfariong , be he where he
will thrj when laid naked to his view j
will cause the very bkod in his veins to I
1 unch'i'll, and.lnn. LuuuX_iiiLtm.j&'itL_iu
dfgnation.. This is not all, if he re
turns a hale man he mult become a te
nant to some Congrefs-tnan, salary offi
cer or other e'ngrdfTer of large quanti
ties of land, (info whom the United
States or the Hate of Perinfylvanta have
fold it; it was to them that exorbitant
sums of money for their services were
paid, and therefore they were able to
buy. Was h right for tlioufands and
tens of tlioufands of acres of land north
well of the river Ohio and Alleghany to
be fold to an individual, while hundreds
of thousands of others, who though
worthy citizen?, by partial laws if I
may term them such are rendered lina
ble to buy and art in want of planta
tions, whereon tc rai'fe their families,
and would immediately fettle those lands,
and if not otherwise defended,would de-
fend themfclves against the savage, or
other enemy, and would foot) through
industry and care pay up the price of
their lands with its intcreft ; this would
bring more into the public funds, and
the wellern defence would then be less
expenlive. Then would we, who are
inhabitants of the western counties, no
longer be obliged to leave our families
to fufFer, and our rising and ripening
cro'ps to deltruftien, while we are drag
ged from our farms to defend thefpecu
lators' lands ; while the greatest num
ber of the owners are in Philadelphia
and other interior places, living at ease
and luxury ; was it juit and wife in Con
gress thus to make hundreds rich by
leaving millions in abject poverty and
slavery. Wetruft, Mr. Speaker, that
you will view these measures, in the fame
light that the author of .the rights of
man does. He asserts that it is by dif.
tortedly exalting some meii, that others
are dillortedly debased, till the whole
is out of nature; a \aft mass of man
kind are degradedly thrown into the
back ground of the human pi&ure, to
bring forward with greater glare, tht
puppet (how of Hate and aristocracy.
Was not that a cruel and oppreflive
law which demanded of a part of our
citizens an excifs and arrears thereof for
three years past, on fpiiitoiis liquors of
their own manufadiure, such a number
of large sums of mony, that from the
molt accurate calculation we covld make
ir procure, had all the persons in .the
bur western counties together with'the
jerfons concerned* gone forward to the
narfhal, exciseman, or other receiving
jfficer, with all the money they posse*
Ted and put it into his coffer, it wou|d
lot have amounted to halt the demand,
md bad the people complied thus
ar, what ttiuft have followedj the fe
|uel is obvious, the whole property of
he persons concerned, would have been
>Ut to sale and as no person there)
vould have had moiuy to buy with, a
lumber of the salary ifficers of govern
nent,. together with the miufhal, ex
tifemen, and other men of affluence,
vould have gone fronl the eastern parti
>f the state, and have purchased up al
heir ellates, at perhaps one fiftieth pan
jf the value, and those citizens beirtj
Iripped of their property mull have be
:ome Tenants to these, great accumula
:orß of wealth, the purchasers. Mr
Speaker I have now slated as far as]
>vas able to the members 6f this house
the local situation, ideas and sentiments
t>F iriy constituents in the western coun
ay', a;nd I have no donbt of tlieir ; find
ng fume rcdrefs in a proper channel
md I hope it will extend as far as it i
right aod just, as well by the legiflafuri
jf the United States, as this itate, an<
that the ihembers of this house wholi
local fitiiatibri will adfnit of it, will bi
it some pains in removing any miftakei
deas that may hav* taken place; an<
further I confide, that every membe'
jn the floor of this house, will taki
their grievances into their moll ferioui
:onfideration ; and think what part the]
would take if the cafe was, their own
[ hope they will think with' me, thai
:hefe people having a' sense of all thefi
njuries, revolving in corroding and in
flaming their minds till they are Workec
iptoa pitch, have made no greater op
position to so dangerous a law as ihai
whifch would compel! our citizens to paj
1 duty on any article they make them
telves, for their own use, than any othei
.■irfuous citizens would have done;, hac
•hey been in their situation ; and con
siding in the v/ifdorn, coolncfs anc
lelibeiation of the members of thii
rioufe, I hope and trull /hey will fay,
that there is not fufficient cause for
the legislature of Pennsylvania at pre.
Tent to provide any military prepara
tion to go against the inhabitants 0;
the western country ; or give any great
rr energy to the laws on their account
led we should be acceiTary in destroying
the live of many thousands, and theii
blood cry again 11 us, which would leav«
» lasting stigma on the United States
hi welt at thia commnnii-falili ; hut If 1
us pod pone this buiinefs till the Congrefi
of the United States shall be assembled ir
NuvemW_next, nnto whom these peo
pie will petition for a redress of griev
snces, and I trufl that that auguftbody
111 their wisdom, will give redtefs in e
" er y measure, that is just and expedient
it lead so far that an amicable unioi
frill take place, as wellfn every othei
part of the union, as the one alludec
to.' And for the uprightness of my in
.entions, I appeal to an omniprefeni
God, by whose afliftance I trust, thai
bc, ' n g thus united, shall be able tc
jefend ourselves against any enemy wt
«ve on the globe, or all of them toge
.her, were they to unite and invade us
Before 1 had gone more than hal;
through with the above address, I wai
nterrupted more than once by one 01
)ther of the members, -who addreflec
■he chair requesting that I should not b<
uffered to proceed ; however the houfi
*a"fllill difpoft d to Lt me go oni bui
>n my proceeding, one of the member
Tom York county made a further ob
ection. I found that the house was no
n a temper at thai time for receiving
my favorable imprefiions by hearing thi
entiments of the western people anc
hought it belt to flop before I had si
ufhed the above (latement, and pro
■eeded more immediately to the nefohi
ion under consideration by addreflinr
he fpeakcr to thi following purport
Although there appear to be fomt
Jerfons in the western counties of this
rommonwealth who are not well afFeftec
o some of the existing laws of the U
lited States, yet we find «by the pub
ic papers' that there are a much great
x number who are willing to accede t<
he proposals made by the commissioner
>f government and who will use tl}ei
nfluence to bring the people into 1
knowledge that the only way that a re
lrefs can be obtained is by a petition t<
he congress of the United States,
herefore move that the further confide
ration of the resolution now before th.
louse be postponed until Congress (hal
ie afTemhled. This motion was fecund
°d by Mr. Blair—the motion, howe
ver, for poftponment was loft, and thi
resolution, after some time spent in de
bate, was adopted .
Afid now as ray last effort for the
fafety of my finking country, at th(
hazard of, perhaps more than my repu
s
tation, I submit this to the press just as
it is. Haply it may draw one sym
pathizing refledtion from the legislative
or executive department of this liate or
•he United States in their {vivor, so ;:s
:odelay the intended wreck, imtill they
•an be heard by theCongreis of the U
lited States, which I trull would bring
ibout a reconciliation.
q£sz-r
* N '
RESOLVED, That it is the opinion of
this committee, that it is the interest of
the people of this country to accede to tie
proposals made by the commiF.oncrs on the
fide of the un,on and of the State of Penn
sylvania.
Resolved, That the committee "to be ap
plied to confer with the commifT",oners 011
the part of the United Stales and of the
State of Pennsylvania, with inftrudYion,
to said committee to try to obtain from said
commiflioliers such further modification in
their proposals as they think will be more
agreeable to the people ;:t large, and alio
to represent the neeeflity of granting fur
ther time to the people before their final
determination is required.
Resolved, That the said committee shall
publish and communicate through the se
veral counties the day on which "the lenfe
of the people is to be taken.
Resolved, That on the day published,
the following question {hall be fubmittcd to
the citizens duly qualified to vote, of the
counties of Weftmoreland, Walhingtou,
Fayette, Allegheny and that part of Bed
ford county which lies weft of the Alleghe
ny mountains, iu Pennsylvania, and of
Ohio county, in Virginia—Question, Will
the people submit to the laws of the Uni
ted States upon the terms proposed by the
commiftioners of the United States.
Resolved, That the members of this
committee for each county shall determine
the manner in which the sense of the peo
pie shall be taken in their rcfpedlive coun-
ties,
Resolved, That the determination of
the inhabitants of each county shall be com
muuicate'd to a committee, to consist of
one' member from each county, who shall
meet for that purpose at Parkinfon's ferry
within two days after the sense of the peo
ple shall be taken, and fuall transmit the
general resolutions to the cOmmiilioAers ps
government.
We lay before our readers the foregoing
proceedings of the Handing committee at
Redftone, which gave rife to the following
correspondence between the commiffionei s
of the United States and the new com
mi.tee of conference.
Pittjburgb, Sept. I, 1794.
Qpinkirigjv.
The committee appointed" by the com- '
mittee of fafcty at Kedftone the sgth
Auguftlafi, to confer with the commission
ers of the United States .and State of Penn
'ylvania, and agreeable to the resolution of
laid committee, Do reqtieft :
ift. That the said commissioners do
give an afiurance, on the part of the gene
ral government, of an -indemnity to all
persons as to the arrearage of excise, that
have not entered their stills to this date.
2d T Will the commissioners aforefaid
give to the eleventh day of October next,
to take the sense of the people at large of
the four counties weft of PennfylVauia, and
that part of Bedford weft of the Allegheny
mountains, and the Ohio county in Vir
ginia, whether they will accede to the re
solution of the said commissioners as stated
at large in the conference with the com
mittee of conference niet at Pittlburgh, the
lift of August last.
By order of the Committee,
JOHN M'CLELLAND.
The honorable the Commissioners
on the part of the United States
and of tile State of Pennsylvania.
Pittjburgb, Sept. 1, 1794.
Gentlemen,
We have received your letter of this
date ; and as time prefles, have determined
to give it an immediate answer, although
we shall be prevented thereby, from ma
king so full and correct a reply, as the im
portance of the fubjedl requires,
In our correfpondehce with the late com
mittee of conference, we detailed th»fe
1 aflurances of submission to the laws, which
would have been deemed full and fatisfac
tory, and which were neceflary to the ex
ercise of the powers veiled in us. This
detail was minutely fettled in a conference
w'ith a sub committee of that body. From
a desire 011 our part to accommodate and
to render the proposals as unexceptionable
as possible, they were altered and modified
at their request, till being superior to all
exception, they received the unanimous
approbation of those gentlemen.
The detail thus fettled, required from
the Handing committee afliirances of
their explicit determination to submit
to the laws of tlie Unjted States ; that
they would not direttly or indirectly
oppose the execution of the acts for
railing a revenue upon distilled spirits
and Hills, and that they would support,
as far as the laws require, the civil au
thority, in affording the pnoteftion due
to all officers and other citizens. These
alTurances havt not been given. On the
contrary, vre learn with emotions, dif
ficult to be reprefled, that iri the meet
ing of the committee at Redltone, re
benjamin white.
United states.
PITTSBURGH, September 10.
Rcfolve.i oj the Committee at ReJJto'ne.