Connecticut as a colony and as a state; or, One of the original thirteen, Volume I, Part 21

Author: Morgan, Forrest, 1852- ed; Hart, Samuel, 1845-1917. joint ed. cn; Trumbull, Jonathan, 1844-1919, joint ed; Holmes, Frank R., joint ed; Bartlett, Ellen Strong, joint ed
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Hartford, The Publishing Society of Connecticut
Number of Pages: 600


USA > Connecticut > Connecticut as a colony and as a state; or, One of the original thirteen, Volume I > Part 21


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(1) The added expenses were provided for by an impost on foreign wines and liquors, and an excise on the domestic trade in wines, beer, and cider, etc.


(2) A second act increased these for more revenue. This


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probably resulted, not in larger prices for the same quantities of drink, but in the same prices for smaller quantities, as now ; but it vexed people, and is said to have slackened trade.


(3) No land could be purchased from the Indians except under license from the Governor, and of course fees, we do not know how large. By itself, the law could be well justi- fied: there had been conflict enough over these grants, of which, to use William Eaton's phrase about the Cherokees, one could buy any number for the same land from the same Indian for "a bottle of whisky and a rifle"; but Connecticut preferred to fight this out herself.


(4) All wills must be probated at Boston; this meant fees, but not a journey as usually stated, as they could be pro- bated at the county courts and then sent on to Boston. Still, as the Boston probate was the conclusive one, administrators (usually widows) were always liable to be called thither to defend the will.


It may be added that by orders of the Council, though not among these laws, all the colonial records were removed to Boston, which involved a visit there-and fees-to consult them; and that all deeds, mortgages, and wills must be regis- tered there-for a fee. This was a product of Randolph's alert genius for enriching himself, he being registrar; but as he liked the profit of it much more than the work, he farmed out the office to John West for £150 a year. It is pleasant to know that he enjoyed only two years. West made his profit, according to Massachusetts magnates, by charging exorbitant fees; which might be inferred a priori. In fact, there is a charge in Massachusetts after Andros' fall, that his New York favorites, who came on to be with him, levied ex- tortionate fees at will on all occasions and without rule : this is probably exaggerated, but probably not invented-they


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had their living to make, and fees were the only way. In our day we should pay them salaries, and include the amount in the general taxes: the result would be one grumble once a year, but not a fresh gall at every fee. These fees were probably felt more than any one other business grievance : Connecticut was not rich, it was very economical, and it had not been used to even a small and moderate body of leeches.


(5) A more rankling because more humiliating law was the order that town meetings should be held only once a year, "on any pretence or color," and then to elect officers to assess taxes, etc., strictly under orders of the justices ap- pointed by Andros. This denial of local self-government af- ter being wonted to it was worse than any exaction of money, and would have been bought back for much more than An- dros actually got from the colony, had it been possible.


The militia was of course made part of the new system. The act prohibiting peddlers was probably urged on him by the town tradesmen, and was part of the chronic warfare waged even to our own times by stationary against itiner- ant dealers ; it is doubtful whether it extended to Connecticut. The law forbidding any one to leave the colony by sea without a license from the Governor may not have been so either : it was not passed in New England, owing to Massa- chusetts' opposition, but in New York, toward the last of Andros' period, and its effect is doubtful. The laws were no longer printed, which was an offense: probably it was thought a waste of money needed for the embarrassed ad- ministration. The rule forcing witnesses and jurors to kiss the Bible instead of taking oath, outraging Puritan feeling and getting no better justice, was an instance of martinet rea- soning : to achieve the maximum of exasperation with the minimum of utility seems the aim of some administrators.


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Many refused to serve on such grounds. Andros aimed a blow at the Congregational system by relieving all from legal obligation to pay rates for it, which angered not only the clergy but the freemen, who had established the system they liked and wished to keep it. It was reported that he had threatened to punish any one who "gave twopence to a dis- senting minister"; which only shows what an angry people will believe, like the stories of his inciting Indian outrages.


When all discounts are made,-and a great many must be made from the "mailed tyrant" of common tradition,- Andros' government was a costlier and not more efficient one than the old, full of vexations, and one which took the heart out of the freemen. They rebelled against it in feeling, so plainly that, according to Roger Wolcott, Andros told Rev. Mr. Hooker they must have kept many days of prayer and fasting on his account; to which the minister replied, "Very probable, this kind goeth not out otherwise." There were stories of active plots to overthrow the government; there were letters from England denouncing them as "a com- pany of hens" if they did not. But they were not madmen; and not many months after Andros' accession, the roar of the coming storm in England had reached ears much less acutely anti-papal than theirs. They could wait.


Late in 1688 James fled to France; early in 1689 Wil- liam and Mary were proclaimed in England. At news of the Revolution the Bostonians threw Andros into jail; but their charter was gone irrevocably. Connecticut's was not; and without waiting for leave (which was wise, as William much preferred to leave New England as it was, and Andros over it), the old officials produced the document, probably as their warrant, and called town delegates together. These were asked to vote as to whether they would consent to let


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the officers Andros found in power resume their functions, would continue as they were, or would have a committee of safety. A partisan of Andros asserts that the leaders at first were against an election, fearing they might not get back their old places, and only consented when they had made a plan to keep them ; very likely there is some truth in this, but if so their plan was a most skillful one. The second propo- sition was what they were met to be rid of, the third was a novelty no one knew how to handle; the first was accepted at once, and the old government resumed its functions with- out noise. There were dissidents; but they cannot have been very numerous. The colony joyfully proclaimed Wil- liam and Mary, and sent over a petition to William not to molest the charter further. William would have been glad to carry out James' plan; but the best lawyers pronounced the charter valid, having never been legally revoked, and William had no mind to enter into a legal squabble with one of his colonies at this juncture. The unreasoning obstinacy of the Connecticut deputies, aided by the perhaps equally unreasoning hot blood of others, had saved the charter, and with it the possibility of the unique career of the later Con- necticut. Historical events do not happen in order to en- able historical writers to draw morals. F. M.


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CHAPTER XX FIRST AND SECOND INTERCOLONIAL WARS


T HE occupancy of the English throne by Wil- liam was immediately followed by a declara- tion of war between England and France. Louis XIV. offered to maintain neutrality be- tween their respective colonies; but this the King of England rejected, relying on the strength of his northern colonies to successfully combat their French neigh- bors. War was no sooner declared than the French gover- nor urged the Eastern Indians to hostilities. The New York governor, Jacob Leisler, a senior captain of the citizen militia who had served the government, appealed to Connecticut for assistance to protect his northern borders from invasion. The assembly appointed a committee to confer with him; and in accordance with their decision, the governor and coun- cil despatched to Albany the redoubtable hero of the Say- brook affair, Captain Bull, with a company of soldiers. Bull was instructed not only to defend the country, but to nego- tiate a friendly treaty with the Iroquois. The colony also sent another force to protect the fort and city of New York, but they were recalled by the Assembly in the following Oc- tober.


In the early part of 1690 occurred the massacre at Sche- nectady, in which Captain Bull's company suffered the loss of five men killed, and the same number were taken prison- ers. Depredations by the French and Indians in the northern part of New England, were the occasion of Massachusetts asking for men to protect the upper Connecticut River towns ; reinforcements were solicited from New York and Albany ; and Connecticut, ever willing to respond to call for help, despatched two hundred men to the relief of Albany, and another detachment to aid the Massachusetts settlers upon the Connecticut River. The Commonwealth, to protect her


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borders and towns, organized her available inhabitants into a military force, none being exempt except assistants, minis- ters, the aged and infirm; and these were obliged to furnish substitutes if financially able.


A conference of the colonies was held in May 1690, and plans for aggressive warfare were determined upon; nine hundred soldiers were to be raised in New York, and Con- necticut to undertake the subjugation of Montreal, while a fleet and army were to sail from Boston to attempt the cap- ture of Quebec. The Montreal expedition was to proceed by land, and Fitz John Winthrop was placed in command of the invading army. The Five Nations were to be allies of the English; but on arriving at the rendezvous the Indians failed to put in their appearance. Winthrop, deserted by the Indians, with no means of transportation and a lack of com- missary supplies for his army, was obliged to retreat to Al- bany. The failure of the campaign was in no way due to any fault of Connecticut, who had liberally supplied men and munitions.


An indignity was perpetrated upon the colony by the quasi governor of New York, in arresting the commanding officer of the expedition and for several days holding him a prison- er. The attempted court-martial, and its probably fatal re- sults to Winthrop, however, were circumvented by the timely interference of a party of Mohawk Indians, who liberated the captive in triumph. It is needless to say that the Con- necticut Assembly fully exonerated Winthrop from any blame for the disastrous results of the expedition, and ex- pressed full confidence in his fidelity and ability to command any future undertakings.


Connecticut during the duration of the war had responded nobly to her neighbors' calls for troops: in February 1693


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From the original painting in State Capitol. FITZ JOHN WINTHROP


CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY


one hundred and fifty soldiers, under Captain John Miles, were placed at the disposal of the governor of New York. The following month, to relieve the necessities of Massachu- setts, sixty Englishmen and forty Indians under Captain Wil- liam Whiting were forwarded to her assistance. In response to a requisition from the King for the defense of Albany in 1694, a tax of one penny on a pound was levied, and £500 collected and forwarded to Governor Fletcher. Warrants were also issued for fifty bushels of wheat in each county, to be made into biscuits to supply the soldiers in cases of emer- gency. Peace was finally established in 1697 by the signing of a treaty at Ryswick in the Netherlands, between France and the allied powers, thus closing the first intercolonial war.


The war had been very burdensome for Connecticut : her disbursements had amounted to £12,000, which had been mainly spent in defending the borders of her sister colonies. Her expenditures amounted to about one-tenth of her grand list, and in many cases were caused by Governor Fletcher's unnecessary demands, which were acts of retaliation for the treatment he had received on his visit to Hartford.


The venerable Governor Treat was over seventy-five years of age when in 1698 he refused any further candidacy for the office; Fitz John Winthrop was elected his successor. The latter was son of the father of the Royal Charter, and was a native of Ipswich, Massachusetts, where he was born March 19, 1639. His collegiate course at Hartford was in- terrupted by his departure for England to accept a commis- sion in the Parliamentary army; he was engaged in the mili- tary campaigns in Scotland, and entered London with Gen- eral Monk when he made his famous march. After the Res- toration, Winthrop returned to Connecticut, with which col- ony he was identified until his death in 1707; this occurred


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while on a visit to his brother Wait Still Winthrop at Bos- ton. While an incumbent of the gubernatorial chair, Gov- ernor Winthrop was a resident of New London, and was noted for his unbounded hospitality; he lacked the qualities of statesmanship with which his grandfather was endowed, and also the scholarship of his father, but he was an able ad- ministrator of public affairs, and enjoyed the confidence and absolute trust of his constituency. During his entire occu- pancy of the governor's chair he had the advice and experi- ence of his predecessor in office, who filled the position of Deputy Governor.


In 1698 a radical change was made in the formation of the General Assembly, when two distinct legislative bodies were instituted. The Governor, the Deputy Governor, and the magistrates were to constitute the upper house, while the deputies, who were the immediate representatives of the peo- ple, were called the lower house. While the action of the two houses was to be independent, no new law could be en- acted and no former law could be repealed or altered without separate action and the consent of both houses. The new organization went into effect at the session held in May 1699, where John Chester of Wethersfield was chosen Speaker, and Captain William Whiting Clerk, of the lower house.


A second intercolonial war was precipitated by the War of the Spanish Succession. The primary grievance was the acceptance by Louis XIV. of the Crown of Spain for his grandson Philip, despite a solemn renunciation. The im- mediate occasion was his acknowledgment of the "Old Pre- tender" as King of England, which aroused the English to fury, and enabled William III. to form a great European coalition, to wrest Spain from Philip and prevent France


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from being mistress of Europe. Of course the colonies fol- lowed the lead of the home parties.


The Connecticut Assembly, at its October session in 1703, in response to a request of Governor Dudley of Massachu- setts, forwarded one hundred men to aid in a warfare against the eastern Indians. The frontier and border towns of the Commonwealth were ordered to prepare themselves to resist any invasions.


The inveterate enemy of Connecticut's charter, Joseph Dudley, had in 1702 been appointed Royal Governor of Massachusetts ; in the same year Edward Hyde, Lord Corn- bury, had been made chief executive officer of the province of New York. The demands for financial aid by these two royal governors almost emptied the colonial treasury; and this, together with the same desire on the part of Cornbury which had been held by Andros and others, to annex Connec- ticut to the province of New York, caused the people of the colony annoyance and trouble. Connecticut was increasing in wealth and population; but her readiness to use her re- sources to help her neighbors in their difficulties created an impression that she was more opulent than really was the case.


The ambition of the Governor of Massachusetts was to attach the exchequer of Connecticut to his treasury, and de- prive her of her charter, which she had maintained against every assault. Previous to the change of sovereignty in England, Dudley had presented a bill to Parliament for abol- ishing the charters of all the American colonies, claiming that they were injurious to trade and encouraged piracy ; all powers and rights derived from the charters were to be re- invested in his Majesty, his heirs, and successors to the Crown of England. This bill was mainly aimed at Connec-


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ticut; but her cause was so ably defended before the House of Lords by Sir Henry Ashurst, the agent of the colony, that Dudley's bill was ingloriously defeated. Failing in this scheme, Dudley became a purveyor to the ambition of Corn- bury, promising his aid to bring Connecticut and the south- ern colonies under the dominion of New York.


Cornbury, an ambitious though weak man, son of the famous Clarendon, was a cousin-german to Queen Anne, and allied by blood with a large number of her Majesty's cour- tiers. These detractors of Connecticut's fame, assisted by a number of resident malcontents, in connection with the publi- cation of an anonymous work entitled "Will and Doom," which professed to narrate grievances and irregularities in the province of Connecticut, made accusations against the col- ony. The avowed enemies of Connecticut filed a complaint, accompanied by false affidavits and witnesses, accusing her officials of maladministration, the carrying on of contraband trade, and other like offences. Further accusations were made that the colony was a place of refuge for fugitives from justice from other colonies, that protection was given to those


who evaded taxes, and that the colony had refused to fur- nish troops to aid New York and Massachusetts to repulse the French and Indians. These complaints, accompanied by a copy of the "Will and Doom," certified to by its supposed author, Rev. Gershom Bulkley, Edward Palmes (a son-in- law of the late Governor Winthrop), and William Rosewell, together with a petition purporting to be in behalf of the Mohegan Indians, alleging that the colony had abused that tribe and driven them from their planting grounds, were pre- sented to the Queen. The last of the evidence against the colony reached England on Feb. 12, 1705, and the trial of


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Connecticut for her charter was begun before the Queen in Council.


The complainants had prepared their case with great ad- dress, industry, and spite; but Connecticut's interests were again ably defended by Sir Henry Ashurst, assisted by the in- fluence of his brother-in-law Lord Paget, and supported by able counselors. The advocates placed before the Council the injustice that would be done to the colony in depriving her citizens of their political life, without giving them the op- portunity to file a rejoinder to the accusers' complaint. The avarice, ambition, and corrupt patronage of the accusing of- ficials were vividly portrayed, and a striking contrast made between Dudley and Cornbury on the one hand, and Treat and Winthrop on the other. So eloquently was the cause pleaded, that the counselors' prayer that a copy of the com- plaint be sent to the Governor and Council of Connecticut, so they might prepare an answer to defend the corporation at some future time, was complied with by the Queen's Coun- cil. This was a death-blow to the artificers of the scheme, whose success depended on a snap-judgment, and they never prosecuted their complaints.


The General Assembly in their answer were able to prove that instead of neglecting Massachusetts and New York, they had during the last two years kept 600 troops in service, two- thirds of that number having been engaged in protecting those provinces. The currency of the colony for the last three years had been limited to £2,000; but she had ex- pended a much greater sum than this in defending the neighboring provinces, for which services they had Dud- ley's written acknowledgment. These facts were sufficient to prove the loyalty and honor of Connecticut; and on their presentation to the Queen's Council the legal opinion was


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founded, that under her charter the colony was subject only to requisitions emanating from the Crown, and that her peo- ple alone had the right to dispose of her funds and militia.


When Dudley again requested troops for his assistance, in 1707, he met with a flat refusal. The colony in the early part of that year was alarmed by a threatened invasion of the French and Indians, and it was rumored that the Indian tribes residing within her boundaries were to become allies of the French; this would expose her western frontiers to great dangers. The border towns were fortified; the Indians were removed to where they could be watched by the English, and their chiefs were held as hostages. Though requested by Governor Dudley, the Assembly refused to furnish troops to take part in an expedition that Massachusetts was organizing against Acadia.


The death of Governor Winthrop occurred during these troublesome times, and at a special session of the legislature held at New Haven, Rev. Gurdon Saltonstall was elected to fill the unexpired term. At the regular election held the following May, this choice was confirmed by the people. Governor Saltonstall before-named held the position till his death, aggregating seventeen consecutive terms. Gurdon Saltonstall was three generations removed from his ancestor Sir Richard Saltonstall, one of the original patentees of Con- necticut. He was born March 27, 1666, at Haverhill, Massa- chusetts, graduating from Harvard eighteen years later; studied theology, and was ordained in 1691 as minister at New London, where he afterwards resided. He was a per- sonal friend of his predecessor in office, and his chief adviser during his illness; and was therefore thoroughly informed in the routine business of the executive office. Though widely censured for resigning a spiritual charge for a temporal of-


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froided, thar undder ber charter the colony was subject only to regiontions emanating from the Crowm and that her peo- ple alone had the right to dispose of her funds and milida.


When Dudley again requested troops for his asustance, 18 2707, he met with a Rat refusal. The colony in the carly part of that year was alarmed by a threatened invasion of the French and Indians, and it was rumored that the Indian. tribes residing within her boundaries were to become allies of the French: this world expove ber western frontiers to great dungyty. The border town's were fortified; the Thdine were removed to where cbwe could be watched by the English, and their chista were held ow |ogms. Though mequedod by Goveran Dudley, Ilte Asseraldy refused to Furnish tronme to take part in an capedition that Mamothrones - negruizing againar Acadia.


The death of Enwereor Wircheop occurred during thexe troublesome timex, and at w special session of the legislature held at New Haven, Rev. Gurdon Saltonstall wag elected o fill the unexpired term. At the regular election held the Following May, this choice was confirmed by the people. Governor Saltonytall before-named held the position till his death, aggregating seventeen consecutive terms. Gurdog Butronstall was three generations removeI Gyon los ancestor Sir Richand Soltonstall. one of the prigidal patentces of Con- nechcit. He was born March 17. 1666, 9: Haverhill, Massa- chomans, graduating Inum Harvard eighteen years later ; stocked theology, and was ordained my 16gr ns minister it New London, where he afterwards resided. He was a pec- emil friend of his predecessor in office, and his chief adviser . during his illness; and was therefore thoroughly interned in the ro wire business of the executive office. Though widely. Pensored for ralpning a spiritual charge for u temporal of-


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From the painting by W'right in State Capitol. GORDON SALTONSTALL


CONNECTICUT AS A COLONY


fice, he did more for the establishment of an ecclesiastical discipline in the colony than any of his predecessors. He was a polished scholar, a thorough student of men and af- fairs, of majestic bearing, and noted for his loyalty to the American colonies. His sudden death of apoplexy, on Sept. 26, 1724, robbed Connecticut of one of the most striking personalities of the eighteenth century.


The American colonies were desirous of the subjugation of Canada, although the expedition of 1707 had been aban- doned by Governor Dudley on Connecticut's refusal to fur- nish her quota of troops. In the spring of 1709 a communica- tion was received from Queen Anne, in which the colony was requested to raise 350 men and provision them for three months, to co-operate with an armament to be sent from the old country to attack Quebec; requisitions were also made for 400 men, to constitute a part of a land force to make a simultaneous assault on Montreal. The colony's quota was obtained and placed in command of Colonel William Whit- ing. On receipt of the news that the provincial armament was ready to put to sea, the army intended for the reduction of Montreal was ordered to rendezvous at Wood's Creek, in the province of New York, and there await the coming of the fleet from England. The mother country failed to fulfill her promises, and the English fleet never materialized. The colonies had been so enthusiastic for war, that they had all raised volunteer companies in excess of their quotas, and fur- nished one hundred bateaux and a number of birch canoes, besides building forts and several blockhouses and store- houses on the frontiers. These expenses were useless; and disease so depleted the ranks of the army of invasion that in the fall a retreat was ordered to Albany. The loss of life in this expedition was as disastrous as though it had been en-




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