The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 313 



the district generally felt that they did not "enjoy 

 a greater portion of liberty than an American col 

 ony might have done a few years ago had she been 

 allowed a representation in the British Parlia 

 ment." He complained bitterly that some of the 

 taxes were burdensome and unjust, and that the 

 money raised for the expenses of government all 

 went to the East, to Virginia proper, while no cor 

 responding benefits were received ; and insisted that 

 the seat of government was too remote for Ken 

 tucky ever to get justice from the rest of the State. 

 Therefore, he said, he thought it would be wiser 

 to part in peace rather than remain together in 

 discontented and jealous union. But he frankly 

 admitted that he was by no means sure that the 

 people of the district possessed sufficient wisdom 

 and virtue to fit them for successful self-govern 

 ment, and he anxiously asked Madison's advice as 

 to several provisions which it was thought might 

 be embodied in the constitution of the new State. 

 In the August convention Wilkinson sat as a 

 member, and he succeeded in committing his col 

 leagues to a more radical course of action than that 

 of the preceding convention. The resolutions they 

 forwarded to the Virginia Legislature, asked the 

 immediate erection of Kentucky into an indepen 

 dent State, and expressed the conviction that the 

 new commonwealth would undoubtedly be admit 

 ted into the Union. This, of course, meant that 

 Kentucky would first become a power outside and 

 independent of the Union; and no provision was 



VOL. VII. 14 



