Chap. 6. 



ADMISSION INTO THE UNION. 



89 



APPLICATION OF SEVERAL INDIAN CHIEFS. 



VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY RESOLUTIONS. 



It was during this session, that pro- 

 scription, on account of political opinion, 

 was first practised in the distribution of 

 the civil offices in Vermont. Israel Smith, 

 who had held the office of chief justice of 

 the state, and who was a man of uncor- 

 rupted integrity and virtue, was dropped 

 on account of his attachment to the re- 

 publican party, and another person cho- 

 sen chief justice in his stead. For all 

 the important offices, the selections were 

 made from those who were of the most 

 decided federal principles, and with the 

 avowed desirrii of encouraging the sup- 

 porters of Mr. Adams, and of checking 

 the progress of democracy. 



After the appointment of the various 

 officers for the current year, the political 

 inflammation subsided, and the assembly 

 proceeded in the remaining business of 

 the session with their usual industry and 

 good sense. It was during this session 

 that application was made by some Indian 

 chiefs in Canada, for compensation for 

 lands which they claimed in Vermont.* 

 Their claim embraced nearly the whole of 

 the present counties of Addison, Chit- 

 tenden, Franklin and Grand Isle. The 

 subject was referred to a committee, who 

 reported that the lands claimed had, in 

 their opinion, formerly belonged to said 

 Indians, but whether their title had ever 

 been extinguished by purchase, conquest, 

 dereliction of occupancy, or in any other 

 way they could not ascertain. The legis- 

 lature supported the Indian agents during 

 their attendance, gave them a hundred 

 dollars in token of friendship, and they 

 returned to their tribes well pleased with 

 their present success, and hoping to suc- 

 ceed still better another season. 



A proposal came before the legislature 

 at this session from the state of Massa- 

 chusetts for an amendment of the con- 

 stitution of the United States, providing 

 that no person, who was not a natural 

 born citizen, or a citizen of the United 

 States at the time of the declaration of in- 

 dependence, should be eligible to the office 

 of president, or vice-president,' or of sen- 

 ator or representative in Congress. This 

 proposal was agreeable to the sentiments 

 of the assembly, and was adopted by a vote 

 of 152 yeas, and only five in the negative 

 In October, 17i)9, the legislature met 

 at Windsor. The spirit of opposition to 

 French principles and measures, contin- 

 ued to run high. The speech of gover- 

 nor Tichenor highly applauded the ener- 

 getic measures of Mr. Adams for putting 

 a stop to the aggressions of the French 



* This applicalion was addressed to the governor 

 and was signed by twenty individnais calling them- 

 selves chiefs. It may be fonnd in the Journal ot 

 the General Assembly, for 1793, page lOd. 



Ft. II. 12 



upon our commerce, and expressed the 

 fullest approbation of the measures of his 

 administration. The assembly in their 

 answer to this speech, reciprocated the 

 same sentiments, and congratulated His 

 Excellency on account of the prosperity 

 and felicity of the state under his adminis- 

 tration. In the appointment of civil offi- 

 cers, the assembly proceeded with more 

 moderation than they had done the pre- 

 ceding year ; they did not however see 

 fit to replace those, who had been drop- 

 ped on account of their attachment to 

 the republican party. 



At this session the governor communi- 

 cated to the assembly the result of his in- 

 quiries respecting the claims of the In- 

 dians to lands in Vermont; which was, 

 that the said claims, if they ever existed, 

 were fully extinguished by the treaty be- 

 tween France and Great Britain, in 1763, 

 and that subsequently made between 

 Great Britain and the United States in 

 1783. A resolution to that effect was ac- 

 cordingly adopted by the assembly and 

 communicated to the chiefs of the six na- 

 tions of Indians inhabiting Lower Can- 

 ada.* The questions wiiich occasioned 

 the most excitement and debate related 

 to sundry resolutions, whicli had been 

 passed by the assemblies of Virginia and 

 Kentucky, condemning the proceedings 

 of Congress in passing the alien and 

 sedition laws, and declaring individual 

 states to be the legal judges of the consti- 

 tutionality of the acts of Congress, and 

 of the obligation of the state to yield 

 obedience to them. 



Resolutions were passed by the assem- 

 bly of Vermont, expressing the most de- 

 cided disappprobation of the sentimerits 

 contained in the resolutions from Vir- 

 ginia and Kentucky. They declared that 

 '^' it belongs not to state hgishitiirrs to de- 

 cide on the constitutionality of the laws, 

 made by the general government, this 

 power being exclusively vested in the ju- 

 diciary courts of the union." On the 

 passage of these resolutions the yeas were 

 104, and nays, 52, which clearly shows 

 the strength of the two political parties in 

 Vermont, the federalists all lieing in fa- 

 vor of their adoption, and the republicans 

 all in the opposition. The minority on 

 this occasion entered a formal protest up- 

 on the journals of the assembly, assign- 

 ing twelve reasons for their dissent from 

 the majority. This protest was signed 

 by thirty-three of those who had voted in 

 the negative. 



This year a serious difficulty had arisen 

 between the government of Vermont and 



* Journal of the General Assembly, for J7e9, p. 



