Chap. 5. 



ADMISSION INTO THE UNION. 



83 



COMMISSIONERS APPOlSTF.n. 



CONTROVERSY SETTLED. 



dence ; her n-overnment is as well organ- 

 ized and administered as that of the otlier 

 states ; and shall a controversy, wliich 

 originated in the proceedings of royal 

 governors and councils, whose authority 

 has long been extinct, be permitted to 

 mar the constellation of America, and de- 

 prive the north of its just weight in the 

 council of the nation .'" 



In accordance with these conciliatory 

 views, the legislature of New York, on 

 the 15th of July, 1789, passed an act ap- 

 pointing commissioners with full powers 

 to acknowledge the sovereignty of Ver- 

 mont, and adjust all matters of controver- 

 sy with the same. On the '^:}d of October 

 following, the legislature of Vermont ap- 

 pointed commissioners on their part to 

 treat with those of New York, and to re- 

 move all obstructions to the admission of 

 Vermont into the federal union.* The 

 commissioners on both sides were very 

 anxious that an adjustment should be ef- 

 fected, and the only point which occa- 

 sioned any debate, was the amount of 

 compensation which claimants under New 

 York grants should receive from Vermont, 

 on account of her having re-granted the 

 same lands, and excluded the New York 

 grantees from their possessions. But the 

 settlement of this point, after two or three 

 meetin<f^, was amicably agreed upon by 

 the commissioners. 



On the 7th of October, 1790, " the com- 

 missioners for New York, by virtue of 

 the powers to them granted for that pur- 

 pose, declared the consent of the legisla- 

 ture of New York, that the state of Ver- 

 mont be admitted into the union of the 

 United States of America ; and that im- 

 mediately upon such admission, all claims 

 of jurisdiction of the state of New York, 

 within the state of Vermont, shall cease ; 

 and thenceforth, the perpetual boundary 

 line of the state of Vermont shall be as 

 was then holden and possessed by Ver- 

 mont," that is, the west lines of the most 

 western towns which had been granted 

 by New Hampshire, and the middle chan- 

 nel of lake Champlain. 



With regard to the lands which had 

 been granted by New York, " the said 

 commissioners, by virtue of the powers to 

 them granted, declare the will of the 

 legislature of New York, that if the legis- 

 lature of tlie state of Vermont should, on 

 or before the first day of Januar}', 1792, 

 declare that on or before the first day of 

 June, 1794, the state of Vermont would 



* The commissioners on the pnrt of Vermont were 

 Isaac Tichenor.Slephen R. Bradley, Nathaniel Chip- 

 man, Elijah Paine, Ira Allen, Stephen Jacobs and 

 Israel Sniith ; and on the part of New York, Robert 

 Yates, John Lansing, Gulian Verplank, t^imeon JJe 

 Witt) Egbert Beosou and Melaacthou Smith. 



pay to the state of New York the sum of 

 thirty thousand dollars, that immediately 

 from sucli declaration by the legislature 

 of tlie state of Vermont, all rights and ti- 

 tles to lands within the state of Vermont, 

 under grants from the government of the 

 colony of ^ew Yoi-k, or from the state of 

 New York, should cease," those excepted 

 which had been made in confirmation of 

 the New Hampshire grants. 



This proposal and declaration being laid 

 before the legislature of Vermont, were 

 readily agreed to on their part ; and on 

 the 28th of October, 1790, they passed an 

 act directing the treasurer of the state to 

 pa}^ the sum of tJiirty thousand dollars to 

 the state of New York, at tlie time pro- 

 posed ; adopting the west line above men- 

 tioned as the perpetual boundarj' between 

 the two states ; and declaring all the 

 grants, charters and patents of land, lying 

 within the state of Vermont, made by or 

 under the late colony or present state of 

 New York, to be null and void, those only 

 excepted which had been made in confir- 

 mation of the grants by tlie governor of 

 New Hampshire.* 



Thus was terminated a controversy 

 which had been carried on with great 

 spirit and animosity for twenty-six years; 

 and which had, on the part of Vermont, 

 called into exercise native courage and 

 talents, which have few parallels in an- 

 cient or modern times. The difficulties 

 with New York being adjusted, the legis- 

 lature of Vermont proceeded to call a 

 convention fur the purpose of ascertaining 

 the views of the people with regard to an 

 union with the United States. This con- 

 vention assembled at Bennington, on the 

 6tli day of January, 1791, and, after delib- 

 erating and debating tlie subject for four 

 days, it was finally voted, yeas 105, and 

 nays 2, that application be made for ad- 

 mission into the federal union; and the 

 convention was then dissolved. 



On the 10th of January, 1791, tlie legis- 

 lature of Vermont met at Bennington, 

 and on the 18th, they chose the Hon. Na- 

 thaniel Chipman and Lewis K. Morris, 



* On the 8th of June, 1812, Smith Thompson, 

 Simeon De Witt and George Tibbits were appointed 

 on the part of New York, and on the 6th of No- 

 vember following, Joseph Beman, Henry Olin and 

 Joel Pratt on the part of Vermont, commissioners 

 to run the line between the two states, which was 

 done during the two succeeding years, 1813 and 1814, 

 and the necessary monuments erected. The south- 

 west corner of iho state is at a stone on a high 

 hill, distant 50 chains N. 82= W. from the north- 

 west corner of Massachusetts ; from thence along 

 ihe west side of Pownal the line is very irregular, 

 as may be seen upon my Alap, till it reaches near 

 the corner of Bennington, from which point it pur- 

 sues a straight course till it reaches Poultney river. 

 A bill and plan of this survey are preserved in thd 

 office of the Secretary of State at Montpelier. 



