GENERAL HISTORY. 



[193 



tinui-'ig the war. Although, there- 

 fore, the conduct of the president 

 was censured in this country for 

 the unusual step of laying before 

 the public the transactions of a 

 pending negociation, no one could 

 be surprised that he was willing 

 to avail himself of the advantage. 



Only two days previously to 

 this communication, an alarming 

 proceeding had taken place in the 

 legislature of Massachusets. A 

 report was presented from a com- 

 mittee, to which a message from 

 the governor respecting the war 

 had been referred. After an in- 

 troduction, charging in warm and 

 direct terms the government of 

 the United States with having 

 brought a ruinous and unnecessary 

 war upon the country, and having 

 neglected the proper means of de- 

 fence, the committee declare their 

 conviction that the constitution of 

 the United States has failed to 

 secure to the eastern section of the 

 Union those equal rights and be- 

 nefits which were the great ob- 

 jects of its formation. " The peo- 

 ple however (they say) possess the 

 means of certain redress. The 

 framers of the constitution made 

 provision to amend defects, which 

 {ire known to be incident to every 

 human institution ; and the provi- 

 sion itself was not less liable to 

 be found defective upon experi- 

 ment, than other parts of the in-- 

 Ftrunient. When this deficiency 

 becomes apparent, no reason can 

 preclude the right of the whole 

 people, who were parties to it, to 

 adopt another." After some far- 

 ther reasoning on this head, they 

 report three resolutions to the fol- 

 lowing effect: \, That the cala- 

 mities of war being brought home 

 to the territory of this common- 

 ♦^ealth, the neopl^- of Massachu-. 



Vol.. Ml 



sets are impelled, by the duty of 

 self-defence, to unite in the most 

 vigorous measures. 2. That per- 

 sons be appointed as delegates to 

 confer with delegates from the 

 states of New England on the 

 subjects of their grievances and 

 common concerns, and to take 

 measures, if they think proper, 

 for procuring a convention of de- 

 legates from all the United States, 

 in order to revise the constitution. 

 3. That a circular letter from this 

 legislature be addressed to the 

 executive government of each of 

 the said states, inviting to the 

 proposed conference." At a sub- 

 sequent sitting it was resolved that 

 delegates should be appointed to 

 assemble on December r2th. 



The expediency of rousing the 

 national spirit became particularly- 

 evident on the appearance of the 

 report of the committee of ways 

 and means, to which had been rci- 

 ferred the message of the President 

 as far as it related to finance. Af- 

 ter observing that loans in the pre- 

 sent situation of the country would 

 be uncertain, and not be obtained 

 but on undesirable terms, the re- 

 port recommends, as the best 

 resource, treasurj^ notes, combined 

 with a system of taxation. The 

 treasury notes were to answer for 

 a medium of circulation through 

 the states, and to bear interest 

 like our exchequer bills. The list 

 pf proposed taxes was truly formi- 

 dable. Besides increasing the di- 

 rect tax 50 per cent, donbling that 

 on auctions, and greatly augment- 

 ing others, a number of new arti- 

 cles of taxation were offered, some 

 of which might furnish hints to the 

 oldest European financier. The 

 estjraate of the amount of the 

 proposed augmentations, and of the 

 new duties, was between eleven 



[01 



