72 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part II. 



RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS. 



VIEWS OF VERMONT AND NEW YORK RESPECTING IT. 



union, that they explicitly relinquish all 

 demands of lands or jurisdiction on the 

 east side of the west bank of Connecticut 

 river, and on the west side of a line be- 

 ginning at the north west corner of Mas- 

 sachusetts, thence running twenty miles 

 east of Hudson river, so far as said river 

 continues north-easterly in its general 

 course, then by the west bounds of the 

 townships granted by the late government 

 of New Hampshire, to the river running 

 into East Bay, thence along said river 

 and bay to lake Champlain, thence along 

 the waters of said lake to latitude 45 de- 

 grees north." 



Vermont and New York were both dis- 

 satisfied with this resolution — Vermont, 

 because it required as a condition of her 

 admission into the union, that she should 

 dissolve the ag-reeable connexions which 

 she had just formed — New York, because 

 it recognized the claim, aijainst which she 

 had so long and so earnestly contended ; — 

 the one, because it bereft Vermont of one 

 half her present territory, resources and 

 importance — the other, because it would 

 allow Vermont still to have something left 

 which she could call her own. This ap- 

 pears from the proceedings of their re- 

 spective legislatures. 



The legislature of Vermont met at 

 Charlestown, on the east side of the Con- 

 necticut river, in October, and on the 

 16th of that month, tiie foregoing resolu- 

 tions were laid before them. The reso- 

 lution held out to Vermont a faint pros- 

 pect of an admission into the federal union 

 with her ori<rinal territory, but having lost 

 much of lier confidence in tiie assurances 

 of Congres:,, and having now consolidated 

 her unions at home, she felt herself in a 

 condition to demand better terms than the 

 relinquishment of one half her territory 

 and population, to secure the indepen- 

 ■dence of tlie other half. After delibera- 

 ting and debating upon the subject for 

 several days, the assembly, on the liJthof 

 October, voted that they could not com- 

 ply with the foregoing resolution of Con- 

 gress.* 



They declared that a comjjliance would 

 destroy the foundation of the harmony 

 which then subsisted in the state, and be 

 a violation of the solemn compact entered 

 into by the articles of union and confed- 

 eration — that they would remain firm in 

 the principles on whicli they had assumed 

 the powers of government — that they 

 would hold inviolate the articles of union 

 which connected the parts of the state to- 

 gether — and that they would submit the 

 question of their independence to the ar- 



* For llieB8 proceedings, see Slade's S. P., p. 160. 



bitration of no power under heaven. They 

 however declared their willingness to sub- 

 mit any questions, which might arise, 

 with regard to jurisdictional limits be- 

 tween them and the neighboring states, 

 to arbitrators mutually chosen ; and, when 

 admitted into the American union, they 

 would not object to submitting such dis- 

 putes to Congress. 



The Legislature of New York, on the 

 other hand, regarding the resolution of 

 Congress as a virtual determination of the 

 controversy between that state and Ver- 

 mont, passed a number of resolutions, and 

 a solemn protest against the proceedings 

 of Congress.* Having stated their claims, 

 and some former proceedings of Congress 

 on the subject, they went on to e.xpress 

 their disapprobation and alarm at tlie evi- 

 dent intention of Congress, from political 

 expedience, to establish an arbitrarijhoun- 

 dary, which excluded from that state a 

 great part of its territory. They declared 

 that, in the opinion of the legislature, 

 Congress had no authority, l)y the arti- 

 cles of confederation, to intermeddle with 

 the territorial extent, or jurisdiction, of 

 either of the United States, except in case 

 of dispute between two or more states in 

 the union, — that to carry into execution 

 said resolution of Congress, would be an 

 assumption of power, and an infraction 

 of the articles of confederation, and that 

 they therefore solemnly protested against 

 the same. 



With the resolution of Congress of 

 August 20tii, a verbal message had been 

 sent by General Washington to Governor 

 Chittenden, desiring to know what were 

 the real designs, wishes and intentions of 

 the people of Vermont ; — whether they 

 would be satisfied with the independence 

 proposed in said resolution, or seriously 

 thought of joining the enemy and becom- 

 ing a British province. On the 14th of 

 November, Governor Chittenden return- 

 ed an unequivocal and decisive answer to 

 the above communication, in which he 

 said that no people on the continent were 

 more attached to the cause of America 

 than the people of Vermont ; but, that 

 tliey would sooner join the British in 

 Canada, than submit to the government 

 of ^cw York — that, driven to despera- 

 tion by the injustice of those who should 

 have been her friends, Vermont was now 

 obliged to adopt policy in the room of 

 power. He ascribed the late resolution 

 of Congress,not to the influence of friends, 

 but the power of enemies, believing that 

 Lord Germain's letter had procured that, 

 which the public virtue of the people 

 could not obtain. 



* For theiie resolutiuiis see Slade's S. P., p. 1G3. 



