The War in the Northwest 43 



eagerly purchased the liquor, the merchants nat 

 urally charging all that the traffic would bear. This 

 struck the committee as a grievance, and they forth 

 with passed a decree that any person bringing in 

 liquor "from foreign ports," before selling the 

 same, must give bond that he would charge no 

 more than one silver dollar, or its value in merchan 

 dise, per quart. 



Some of the settlers would not enter the associa 

 tion, preferring a condition of absolute freedom 

 from law. The committee, however, after waiting 

 a proper time, forced these men in by simply serv 

 ing notice that thereafter they would be treated as 

 beyond the pale of the law, not entitled to its pro 

 tection, but amenable to its penalties. A petition 

 was sent to the North Carolina Legislature, asking 

 that the protection of government should be ex 

 tended to the Cumberland people, and showing that 

 the latter were loyal and orderly, prompt to suppress 

 sedition and lawlessness, faithful to the United 

 States, and hostile to its enemies. 5 To show their 

 good feeling the committee made every member of 

 the community, who had not already done so, take 

 the oath of abjuration and fidelity. 



Until full governmental protection could be se 

 cured the commonwealth was forced to act as a lit 

 tle sovereign state, bent on keeping the peace, and 

 yet on protecting itself against aggression from the 

 surrounding powers, both red and white. It was 



5 This whole account is taken from Putnam, who has ren 

 dered such inestimable service by preserving these records. 



