Chap. 5. 



ADMISSION INTO THE UNION. 



77 



REMONSTRANCK OF THK ASSEMBLY. 



ETHAN ALLEN S PROCLAMATION. 



it is impossible to know on what grounds 

 to find them. At one time they guarantee 

 a part of lier lands to New Hampshire 

 and New York, still leaving a place for 

 the existence of Vermont though much 

 diminislied in extent. At anotlier'time 

 they are controlling the internal govern- 

 ment of Vermont. And again, atanotiier 

 time prescribing terms of confederation, 

 with the United States, and when these 

 are complied witli on the part of Vermont, 

 Congress will not ratify tlie union. After 

 giving a full reply to all the topics con- 

 tained in the resolutions of Congress, the 

 remonstrance concludes with a request to 

 be immediately admitted into the union, 

 and witii an a.ssurance tl^at .she will not 

 recede from her compliance with the res- 

 olution of the :20lh of August, 1780. 



The assembly met at Windsor, on the 

 13th of February, 17d3, and on the 26lh, a 

 remonstrance, like the preceding, spirited 

 and decisive, was forwarded by tliatbody 

 to Congress. It announced in the plain- 

 est terms that Congress had no business 

 to intermeddle in the internal affairs of 

 Vermont, and that Vermont was fully 

 determined to maintain her independence 

 and jurisdiction within her own limits. 

 She, therefore continued, unawcd by the 

 threatenings of Congress, to enforce the 

 decisions of her courts of justice, and in 

 the administration of the affairs of gov- 

 ernment, and Congress, as it appears, 

 did not judge it prudent to attempt, by 

 force, to carry into effect her resolutions 

 of the 5th of December, 1763. 



Section III. 



Disf.urhances in J^crnumt groirinrr out of 

 the controversy with A'eiD York, and the 

 general C7ntmrrassments occasioned by 

 the Revolution. 



The disturbances in the county of Wind- 

 ham, to which we alluded in the preceding 

 section, perhaps deserve a more particular 

 notice than was tliere given. At the first 

 organization of the government of Ver- 

 mont in 1778, there were many people in 

 the southeastern part of the state, who 

 were in favor of New York, and of course 

 opposed to the independejice of Vermont. 

 These persons embraced every opportu- 

 nity to embarrass the newly organized 

 government, and at several times resisted 

 the authority of Vermont by force. The 

 centre of this opposition seems to have 

 been at Guilford, at tiiat time tlie most 

 populous town in the state, numbering 

 nearly 3000 souls. During most of the 

 .revolutionary war a majority of the inhab- 



itants of this town were friendly to New 

 York and were therefore denominated 

 "Yorkers;" and at their town meetings 

 it was usually a part of their business to 

 appoint "a committee to defend the town 

 against the pretended state of Vermont." 



In several of the neighboring towns, 

 ])articularly in Brattleborough, the disaf- 

 i'ectcd towards the srovernnient of Ver- 

 mont were considerably numerous, and 

 there was in these towns an organized 

 opposition to the government of tlie state, 

 and conventions of delegates from tliem 

 occasionally assembled for the purpose of 

 adopting an uniform plan of resistance 

 tJiroughout the whole. The measures of 

 tlie government, most vigorously opposed, 

 were the collection of taxes and the draft- 

 ing of men for the defence of the state ; 

 and it was a customary part of tlieir busi- 

 ness at their town meetings in Guilford, 

 while the Yorkers were a majority, to ap- 

 point a special "committee to forbid the 

 constable acting." And to secure a ma- 

 jority at their town meetings, the neio state 

 people were frequently excluded from the 

 ])olls by an armed force, collected from 

 the neighboring towns. 



It appears tliat in Guilford and some of 

 the other towns, the two parties had each 

 a town organization of their own, and that, 

 in some cases, there were two sets of 

 town officers, one professing alletriance 

 to Vermont, and the other to New York. 

 Between these, and tiieir partizans on 

 each side, there were frequent skirmishes, 

 some of which were not terminated with- 

 out the shedding of blood. During the 

 years 17S3 and 1784, the enmity of the 

 parties was carried to an alarming extent. 

 Social order was at an end ; physicians 

 were not allowed to visit the sick without 

 a pass from the several committees. Hand- 

 bills from various quarters inflamed the 

 minds of the people. Relatives and neigh- 

 bors were arrayed against each other. The 

 laws of Vermont were disregarded by the 

 partisans of New York, and her executive 

 officers were openly resisted. 



In this state of things, in tlie summer 

 of 1783, General Ethan Allen was direct- 

 ed to call out the militia for enforcing the 

 laws of Vermont, and for suppressing in- 

 surrection and disturbances in the county 

 of Windham. Allen proceeded from Ben- 

 nington at the head of ]()() Green Moun- 

 tain Boys, and on iiis arrival at Guilford, 

 he issued tlie following proclamation, con- 

 cluding it with an oath : "7, Ethan Jllen, 

 declare that unless the people of Guilford 

 peaceably submit to the authority of Ver- 

 mont, the toicn shall he made as desolate 

 as viere the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.'' 

 The Yorkers having fired upon Allen and 



