called Red Stone Old Fort, on the 27th of July, 1791, where it was concerted that county committees fhould be convened in the four counties, at the respective feats of juftice therein. On the 23d of Auguft following, one of these committees affembled in the county of Washington.

"This meeting paffed fome intemperate refolutions, which were afterwards printed in the Pittsburg Gazette, containing a firong cenfure on the law, declaring that any person who had accepted or might accept an office under Congrefs, in order to carry it into effect, fhould be confidered as inimical to the interefts of the country; and recommending to the Citizens of Washington county to treat every person who had accepted or might hereafter accept any fuch office, with contempt, and abfolutely to refufe all kinds of communication or intercourfe with the officers, and to withhold from them all aid, fupport, or comfort.

"Not content with this vindictive profcription of those who might efteem it their duty, in the capacity of officers, to aid in the execution of the conftitutional laws of the land, the meeting proceeded to accumulate topics of crimination of the Government, though foreign to each other; authorizing, by this zeal for cenfure, a fufpicion that they were actuated, not merely by the diflike of a particular law, but by a difpofition to render the Government itself unpopular and odious.

"This meeting, in further profecution of their plan, deputed three of their members to meet delegates from the counties of Weftmoreland, Fayette, and Alleghany, on the 1ft Tuesday of September following, for the purpose of expreffing the fenfe of the people of those counties in an address to the Legiflature of the United States, upon the subject of the Excife Law and other grievances.

"Another meeting accordingly took place on the 7th of September, 1791, at Pittsburg, in the county

of

of Alleghany, at which there appeared persons in character of delegates from the four western counties.

"This meeting entered into refolutions more comprehenfive in their objects, and not less inflammatory in their tendency, than those which had before paffed the meeting in Washington. Their refolutions contained severe cenfures not only on the law which was the immediate fubject of objection, but upon what they termed the exorbitant falaries of officers; the unreasonable intereft of the public debt; the want of difcrimination between original holders and transferrees, and the inftitution of a national bank.

"The fame unfriendly temper towards the Government of the United States, which seemed to have led out of their way the meeting at Washington, appears to have produced a fimilar wandering in that at Pittsburg.

"A representation to Congress, and a remonftrance to the Legislature of Pennsylvania against the law more particularly complained of, were prepared by this meeting, published together with their other proceedings in the Pittsburg Gazette, and afterwards prefented to the refpective bodies to whom they were addreffed.

"These meetings, compofed of very influential individuals, and conducted without moderation or prudence, are justly chargeable with the exceffes which have been from time to time committed; ferving to give confiftency to an oppofition which has at length matured to a point that threatens the foundations of the Government and of the Union, unless speedily and effectually fubdued.

"On the 6th of the fame month of September, the oppofition broke out in an act of violence upon the perfon and property of Robert Johnson, collector of the revenue for the counties of Alleghany and Washington.

"A party of men, armed and disguised, waylaid him

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him at a place on Pigeon Creek, in Washington county, feized, tarred and feathered him, cut off his hair, and deprived him of his horfe, obliging him to travel on foot a confiderable diftance in that mortifying and painful fituation.

"The cafe was brought before the diftrict court of Pennsylvania, out of which proceffes iffued against John Robertson, John Hamilton, and Thomas M'Comb, three of the perfons concerned in the out

rage.

"The ferving of these proceffes was confided by the then Marshal, Clement Biddle, to his deputy Jofeph Fox, who in the month of October went into Alleghany county for the purpose of serving them.

"The appearance and circumftances, which Mr. Fox obferved himself in the course of his journey, and learnt afterwards upon his arrival at Pittsburg, had the effect of deterring him from the fervice of the proceffes, and unfortunately led to adopt the injudicious and fruitless expedient of fending them to the parties by a private meffenger, under cover.

"The Deputy's report to the Marfhal ftates a number of particulars, evincing a confiderable fermentation in the part of the county to which he was fent, and inducing a belief on his part, that he could not with fafety have executed the proceffes. The Marshal, tranfmitting this report to the district attorney, makes the following obfervations upon it.

"I am forry to add, that he (the Deputy) found the people in general in the western part of the State at, and particularly beyond, the Alleghany mountains, in fuch a ferment on account of the act of Congrefs for laying a duty on distilled spirits, and fo many opposed to the execution of the faid act, and from a variety of threats to himself perfonally, although he took the utmoft precaution to conceal hi errand, that he was not only convinced of the impoffibility of ferving the procefs, but that any attempt

to

to effect it would have occafioned the moft violent oppofition from the greater part of the inhabitants; and he declares that if he had attempted it, he believes he should not have returned alive.

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"I fpared no expense nor pains to have the procefs of the court executed, and have not the leaft doubt that my deputy would have accomplished it, if it could have been done.

"The reality of the danger to the Deputy was countenanced by the opinion of Gen. Neville, the inspector of the revenue; a man who before had given, and fince has given, numerous proofs of a fteady and firm temper; aud what followed is a further confirmation of it.

"The person who had been fent with the proceffes, was feized, whipped, tarred, and feathered; and after having his money and horfe taken from him, was blindfolded and tied in the woods; in which condition he remained for five hours.

"Very serious reflections naturally occurred upon this occafion. It seemed highly probable, from the iffue of the experiment which had been made, that the ordinary courfe of civil process would be ineffectual for enforcing the execution of the law in the fcene in question, and that a perfeverance in this course might lead to a serious concuffion. The law itself was still in the infancy of its operation, and far from established in other important portions of the Union. Prejudices against it had been induftriously diffeminated, mifreprefentations diffufed, mifconceptions foftered. The Legiflature of the United States had not yet organized the means by which the Executive could come in aid of the Judiciary, when found incompetent to the execution of the laws. If neither of these impediments to a decifive exertion had existed, it was defirable, especially in a republican Government, to avoid what is in fuch cases the ultimate

Q 3

ultimate resort, till all the milder means had been tried without fuccefs.

Under the united influence of these confiderations, it appeared advisable to forbear urging coercive measures, till the laws had gone into more extenfive operation; till further time for reflection and experience of its operation had served to correct false impreffions, and infpire greater moderation; and till the Legislature had had an opportunity, by a revifion of the law, to remove, as far as poffible, objections, and to reinforce the provifions for fecuring its execution.

"Other incidents occurred from time to time, which are further proofs of the very improper temper that prevailed among the inhabitants of the refractory

counties.

"Mr. Johnson was not the only officer, who about the fame period experienced outrage. Mr. Wells, collector of the revenue for Weftmoreland and Fayette, was alfo ill-treated at Greensburg and Union Town; nor were the outrages perpetrated confined to the officers; they extended to private citizens, who only dared to fhow their refpect for the laws of their country.

"Some time in October, 1791, an unhappy man, of the name of Wilfon, a ftranger in the country, and manifeftly disordered in his intellects, imagining himself to be a collector of the revenue, or invested with fome truft in relation to it, was fo unlucky as to make inquiries concerning the diftillers who had entered their stills; giving out that he was to travel through the United States, to afcertain and report to Congress the number of ftills, &c. This man was pursued by a party in difguife, taken out of his bed, carried about five miles back, to a fmith's fhop, ftripped of his clothes, which were afterwards burnt, and after having been himself inhumanly burnt in several places, with a heated iron, was tarred and feathered,

and