USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Middlefield > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 12
USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Huntington > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 12
USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Chester > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 12
USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Montgomery > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 12
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X .- There shall forever hereafter, on the first Wednesday in the month of May annually, be held, in each town in this State, a meeting of the inhabi- tants of such towns respectively, to give or put in their votes for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, & Senators, which meeting the Selectmen shall cause to. be notified in the manner before directed for the meeting for the choice of Representatives ; & the town Clerk shall return into the Secretary's office by ten o'clock in the morning of the last Wednesday of said May, & not after- wards, an attested copy of all the persons, who had votes for Governor & Lieutenant Governor respectively, certifying the number of votes each person so voted for had ; which list shall be, on said last Wednesday of May, or as soon after as may be, examined by the Senate & House of Representatives; & the persons, who, on such examination, shall appear to have the greatest
121
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
number of votes for those offices respectively, provided it be a majority of the whole number, shall be by the two Houses declared Governor & Lieutenant Governor, & entitled to act as such the ensuing year ; & if no person shall have such majority for Governor & for Lieutenant Governor, the Senate & House of Representatives shall, as soon as may be, after examining said lists, pro- ceed by joint ballot to elect a Governor or Lieutenant Governor, or both, as the case may require, confining themselves to one of those three, who had the greatest number of votes collected in the several towns for the office to be filled.
XI. - If any person chosen Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Senator, or Rep- resentative, whose qualification shall be questioned by any one member of the Senate or House of Representatives, within twenty-four days after his appear- ing to enter upon the execution of his office, shall not make oath before a Senator, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or some Justice of the Peace, that he is qualified as required by this constitution, and lodge a certifi- cate thereof in the Secretary's office, within ten days after notice given him of such questioning by the Secretary, whose duty it shall be to give such notice, his election shall be void; & any person elaiming privilege of voting for Goy- ernor, Lieutenant Governor, Senators, or Representatives, & whose qualification shall be questioned in town meeting, shall by the Selectmen be prevented from voting, unless he shall make oath that he is qualified as this Constitution re- quires ; said oath to be administered by a Justice of the Peace, or the town clerk, who is hereby empowered to administer the same, when no Justice is present.
XII .- Whenever any person, who may be chosen a member of the Senate, shall decline the office, to which he is elected, or shall resign his place, or die, or remove out of the State, or be any way disqualified, the House of Repre- sentatives may, if they see fit, by ballot, fill up any vacancy occasioned thereby, confining themselves in the choice to the nomination list for the district, to which such member belongs, whose place is to be supplied, if a sufficient num- ber is thereon for the purpose ; otherwise the choice may be made at large in said district.
XIII .- The General Court shall be the supreme legislative authority of this State, and shall accordingly have full power & authority to erect & constitute judicatories and courts of record, or other courts; and, from time to time, to make and establish all manner of wholesome and reasonable orders, laws and statutes; and also, for the necessary support and defence of this government, they shall have full power and authority to levy proportionable and reasonable assessments, rates and taxes; and to do all and every thing they shall judge to be for the good and welfare of the state, and for the government and order- ing thereof; provided nevertheless, they shall not have any power to add to, alter, abolish, or infringe any part of this constitution. And the enacting style in making laws shall be by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same.
XIV .- The Senate and House of Representatives shall be two separate and distinct bodies, each to appoint its own officers, and settle its own rules of pro-
122
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
ceedings, and each shall have an equal right to originate or reject any bill, resolve or order, or to propose amendments to the same, excepting bill and resolves levying and granting money or other property of the State, which shall originate in the House of Representatives only, and be concurred or nonconcurred in whole by the Senate.
XV .- Not less than sixty members shall constitute or make a quorum of the House of Representatives; and not less than nine shall make a quorum of the Senate.
XVI .- The Senate and House of Representatives shall have power to ad- journ themselves respectively; provided such adjournment shall not exceed two days at any one time.
XVII .- The Governor shall be president of the Senate. He shall be Gen- eral and Commander in Chief of the Militia, and Admiral of the Navy of this State; and empowered to embody the militia and cause them to be marched to any part of the State for the public safety, when he shall think necessary; and in the recess of the General Court, to march the militia, by advice of the Senate, out of the State, for the defence of this or any other of the United States; provided always, that the Governor shall exercise the power given by this constitution, over the militia and navy of the State, ac- cording to the laws thereof, or the resolves of the General Court. He shall, with the advice of the Senate, in the recess of the General Court, have power to prorogue the same from time to time, not exceeding forty days in any one recess of said Court; and, in the sitting of said Court, to adjourn or pro- rogue the said Court to any time they shall desire, or to dissolve the same at their request, or to call said Court together sooner than the time to which it may be adjourned or prorogued, if the welfare of the State should require the same. He shall have power, at his discretion, to grant reprieves to condemned criminals for a term or terms of time, not exceeding six months. It shall be the duty of the Governor to inform the legislature, at every session of the General Court, of the condition of the State; and, from time to time, to recommend such matters to their consideration, as shall appear to him to con- cern its good government, welfare and prosperity.
XVIII .- Whenever the person, who may be chosen Governor, shall decline the trust to which he is thereby elected, or shall resign or die, or remove out of the State, or be otherwise disqualified, the Lieutenant Governor shall have the like power during the vacancy in the office of Governor, as the Governor is by this Constitution vested with; and, in case of a vacancy in the office of Gov- ernor and Lieutenant Governor, the major part of the Senate shall have authority to exercise all the powers of a Governor during such vacancy; and, in case both the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor be absent from the Senate, the senior or first Senator then present shall preside.
XIX .- All civil officers annually chosen, with salaries annually granted for their services, shall be appointed by the General Court by ballot; each branch to have a right to originate or negative the choice. All other civil officers, and also all general, field and staff officers, both of the militia and of the
123
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
troops which may be raised by, and be in the pay of this State, shall be ap- pointed by the Governor and Senate; captains and subalterns of troops raised by, and in the pay of the State, to be also appointed by the Governor and Senate.
XX .- The Governor and Senate shall be a Court for the trial of all im- peachments of any officers of this State, provided, that if any impeachment shall be prosecuted against the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or any one of the Senate; in such case the person impeached shall not continue one of the Court for that trial. Previous to the trial of any impeachment, the members of the court shall be respectively sworn, truly and impartially to try and de- termine the charge in question, according to evidence; which oath shall be administered to the members by the President, and to him by any one of the Senate. And no judgment of said Court shall be valid, unless it be assented to by two-third of the members of said Court present at such trial; nor shall judgment extend further than to removal of the person tried from office, and disqualifieation to hold or enjoy any place of honor, trust or profit under the State: the party so convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to in- dietment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to the laws of the State; and the power of impeaching all officers of the State for mal-conduct in their respective offices shall be vested in the House of Representatives.
XXI .- The Governor may with the advice of the Senate, in the recess of the General Court, lay an Embargo, or prohibit the exportation of any commodity for any term of time, not exceeding forty days in any one recess of said Court.
XXII .- The Governor shall have no negative, as Governor, in any matter pointed out by this Constitution to be done by the Governor and Senate, but shall have an equal voice with any Senator on any question before them; pro- vided that the Governor, or, in his absence out of the State, the Lieutenant Governor, shall be present in Senate to enable them to proceed on the business assigned them by this constitution, as Governor and Senate.
XXIII. - The power of granting pardons shall be vested in the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the IIonse of Representatives, for the time being, or in either two of them.
XXIV .- The Justices of the Superior Court, the Justices of the Inferior Courts of Common Pleas, Judges of Probate of Wills, Judges of the Maritime Courts, and Justices of the Peace, shall hold their respective places during good behavior.
XXV .- The Secretary, Treasurer-General, Commissary-General, shall be appointed annually.
XXVI .- The Attorney-General, Sheriffs, Registers of the Courts of Probate, Coroners, Notaries Public, and Naval Officers, shall be appointed and hold their offices during pleasure.
XXVII .- The Justices of the Superior Court, Justices of the Inferior Courts, Courts of the General Sessions of the Peace, and Judges of the Maritime Courts, shall appoint their respective clerks.
XXVIII .- The Delegates for this State to the Continental Congress shall be
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
chosen annually by joint ballot of the Senate and House of Representatives, and may be superseded, in the mean time, in the same manner. If any person holding the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Senator, Judge of the Superior Court, Secretary, Attorney-General, Treasurer-General, or Com- missary-General, shall be chosen a member of Congress, and accept the trust, the place, which he so held as aforesaid, shall be considered as vacated thereby, and some other person chosen to succeed him therein. And if any person, serving for this State at said Congress, shall be appointed to either of the aforesaid offices, and accept thereof, he shall be considered as resigning his seat in Congress, and some other person shall be chosen in his stead.
XXIX .- No persons unless of the Protestant Religion shall be Governor, Lieutenant Governor, a member of the Senate, or of the House of Represen- tatives, or hold any judiciary employment within this State.
XXX .- All commissions shall run in the name of the State of Massachu- setts Bay, bear test and be signed by the Governor or Commander-in-Chief of the State, for the time being, and have the seal of the state thereunto affixed, and be attested by the Secretary or his Deputy.
XXXI .- All writs issuing out of the clerk's office of any of the courts of law within this State shall be in the name of the State of Massachusetts Bay, under the seal of the Court from which they issue, bear test of the Chief Justice, or senior or first Justice of the Court, where such writ is returnable, and be signed by the Clerk of such Court. Indictments shall conclude ' against the peace and dignity of the State.'
XXXII .- All the statute laws of this State, the common law, and all such parts of the English and British statute laws, as have been adopted and usually practiced in the Courts of Law in this State, shall still remain and be in full force until altered or repealed by a future law or laws of the legislature; and shall be accordingly observed and obeyed by the people of this State; such parts only excepted as are repugnant to the rights and privileges contained in this Constitution; and all parts of such laws as refer to and mention the council shall be construed to extend to the Senate. And the inestimable right of trial by jury shall remain confirmed as part of this Constitution forever.
XXXIII .- All monies shall be issued out of the Treasury of this State, and disposed of by warrants under the hand of the Governor for the time being, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for the necessary defence and support of the government, and the protection and preservation of the in- habitants thereof, agreeably to the acts and resolves of the General Court.
XXXIV .- The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship shall forever be allowed to every denomination of Protestants within this State.
XXXV .- The following oath shall be taken by every person appointed to any office in this State, before his entering on the execution of his office; viz. I, A. B., do swear (or affirm as the case may be) that I will bear faith and true allegiance to the State of Massachusetts; and that I will faithfully exe- cute the business of the office of agreeably to the laws of this State,
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
according to my best skill and judgment without fear, facor, affection, or partiality.
XXXVI .- And whereas it may not be practicable to conform to this Con- stitution in the election of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Senators, and Representatives for the first year: therefore, The present Convention, if in being, or the next General Assembly, which shall be chosen upon the pres- ent Constitution, shall determine the time and manner, in which the people shall choose said officers for the first year, and upon said choice the General Assembly then in being shall be dissolved and give place to the free execution of this Constitution.
By order of the Convention, JEREMIAH POWELL, President.
Attest. SAMUEL FREEMAN, Clerk."
The foregoing draft of "Form of a Constitution of Government," was rejected by the people of the state. The town of Murrayfield held its town meeting April ?, at which forty-four voted against and ten for the proposed constitution.
Another meeting was held June 1st, 1278, at three o'clock in the afternoon, "to elect some person or persons to serve & represent the town in the Great & General Court of this state this present year:" also "to see if the town will give their particular reasons they have against the constitution sent to us from the Court;" and the town passed the following vote: "Voted that something be done further upon the article respecting the constitution." The meeting then ad- journed to June Sth, to further consider the matter; at which time the town voted " not to do anything upon the article respecting the constitution; also " that this article shall never in the world be brought into question without special order from the General Court."
CLOTHING FOR SOLDIERS.
One article in the warrant for the April meeting was " To see what method the town will come into to provide their quota of clothing for the Continental Army, agreeable to a late handbill received from the Court in pressing terms requiring us to complete our quota of cloth- ing." Under this article the town voted " to raise five shillings on the poll & one farthing on the pound to pay for this clothing." Touching this subject another town meeting was held July 21st, and it was voted that the town give six dollars apiece for shirts, four dollars and fifty cents a pair for stockings, and forty shillings a pair for shoes. These were required to be provided by September 20th. At the same
126
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
meeting the town chose " Ensign Lyman, Sergeant John McIntire, & Edward Wright, Jr., a committee to take care of the soldiers' families."
At the November meeting the town voted to petition the General Court " to have the tory lands in this town sold at private sale," and David Shepard, Timothy Lyman, and John Blair were chosen to be a committee to draft the petition. One hundred pounds was then voted "for the support of soldiers' families till next March."
The General Court passed an act October 16th, 1778, forbidding the return of certain persons who had gone over to the enemy; and among the persons named in said act were three of the original proprietors of Murrayfield: John Chandler, Abijah Willard, and John Murray.
The following act was passed by the General Court June 28th, 1781: " Whereas, Thaddeus Newton of Murrayfield in the county of Hamp- shire, in the year 1773, was entitled to a good and lawful deed of one hundred acres of land in said Murrayfield, from Col. John Chandler of Worcester, on certain conditions, which conditions said Newton has fulfilled on his part, but said John Chandler hath taken refuge with the enemies of these United States, & hath not complied with his said agreement; by which means the said Newton will sustain great damage unless he is relieved by this Commonwealth.
"Therefore, Be it enacted by the Senate & House of Representa- tives in General Court assembled, & by the authority of the same, that lot No. 9, in the First Division in said Murrayfield, laid out to John Chandler, Esq., an absentee, be, & hereby is, granted & confirmed to him the said Thaddeus Newton, his heirs and assigns as an absolute estate of inheritance, in fee simple, forever."
STATE OF AFFAIRS 1779.
" At the opening of the new year" (1779) says Barry, " The situa- tion of affairs was discouraging and gloomy. The country was heavily burdened with debt; soldiers and their families were subjected to in- credible hardships and sufferings; with the depreciation in the cur- rency, the salaries of the clergy, which remained as before the war, were reduced to a mere pittance, utterly inadequate to their comforta- ble support, and their parishioners were unable, & in some cases un- willing, to afford them relief; lukewarm patriots were murmuring & complaining; symptoms of insubordination were manifested in various quarters; & the utmost vigilance & prudence were required to steer the ship of state successfully through the breakers which threatened its destruction, & bring it safe to the desired haven."
127
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
DEPRECIATION OF THE CURRENCY.
The depreciation of the continental bills were such that they would not pass for more than one-tenth or one-twentieth of their nominal value; " and, as the state had promised the soldiers a bona fide compen- sation, their families were provided for by the selectmen of the towns, & clothing was furnished the soldiers themselves." To remedy these evils conventions were held at Concord in July and in October, 1779, at which prices were fixed for all the products of the country, and measures taken for the purpose and in the hope of preventing further deprecia- tion of the currency. A general convention was held in Hartford to devise plans for checking extortions and speculations.
In these patriotic measures Murrayfield was true always to the public canse. A meeting was called for July 5th, 1779, "To see what method the town will take in order to procure clothing for the army, agreeable to a late resolve of the General Court." Also "To see if the town will send a man to Concord for to meet with a con- vention of committees of this state in order to adopt some measure for to prevent the further depreciation of our paper currency." It does not appear that the town sent a " man to Concord; " but at a meeting held August 18th, the town " voted unanimously to approve the do- ings of the Concord convention of July 14th, and that the town will carry the resolves of the convention into execution to the utmost of its power."
A committee, consisting of eleven: Samuel Matthews, William Moore, David Shepard, Stephen Lyman, William Campbell, John Blair, James Hamilton, Timothy Lyman, Jesse Johnson, Enoch Shepard, and James Clark, was chosen to state the prices of things in this town. It was also voted " that this committee make a return of this vote to the committee at Boston, concerning the regulation of prices; " and also, "that this committee take up & secure any person that breaks over the resolves of the convention at Concord;" and further "that this committee make a report to the town at some future day of the prices they set to labor and other things in the town."
FACTS EXHIBITED BY THE VALUATION LISTS.
The valuation lists of Murrayfield from the year 1743 to the year 1781, show facts not uninteresting to the political economist. Dur- ing this period there was no unusual growth in the number of tax- payers. The valuation taken in 1:13, showed the aggregate taxable
128
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
property in town to be twenty-one hundred and seventy-eight pounds and nineteen shillings. Abner Smith, who was and had been for a long time the wealthiest man in town, and continued such during the period of time above named, was rated at one hundred and twenty-seven pounds and five shillings. No other man in the town was that year rated as high as one hundred pounds. By this state- ment, I refer only to resident tax-payers.
The aggregate valuation in
1774 was
€ 2504
S.
66
66
6.
1775
66
1605
6
66
66
1776
66
1906
19
66
66
66
66
1778
66
18841
16
66
66
66
1779
19688
3
66
66
66
1780
4915
The rating of Abner Smith, in
1774
66
138
4
9
1776
66
119
15
66
66
66
702
2
66
66
66
66
66
1779
66
625
17
66
1780
139
4
66
66
66
1781
31
6
66
1777
38819
16
66
66
1781
3006
3
66
66
In 1781, he was by far the richest man in town.
DEPRECIATED PAPER CURRENCY.
During the larger part of this period Murrayfield was suffering, with the rest of the country, the evils of a depreciated and depreci- ating paper currency. To make this more clear, I take the liberty of quoting from the eighteenth edition of Prof. Perry's "Political Economy," page 382, the following: "In June, 1775, a week after Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress began its fiscal career by voting to emit $2,000,000 in new bills of credit issued on the faith of the ' Continent,' but referred as to payment to the separate colonies in the ratio of their supposed gross population. The best excuse for this action is the one urged by the Congress itself to the French minister:
"America, never having been much taxed, nor for a continued length of time, being without fixed government & contending against what was once the lawful authority, had no funds to support the war; and, the
66
1777
1273
1778
1775
83
3
129
A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
contest bring upon the very question of taxation, the lerying of imposts, unless from the last necessity, would have been madness. To borrow from individuals without any visible means of repaying them, while the loss was certain from ill success, was visionary. A measure, there- fore, which had been carly adopted, aud thence became familiar to the people, was pursued. This was the issuing of paper notes representing specie for the redemption of which the public faith was pledged.'
" One phrase only of this clear passage is cloudy-' paper notes representing specie.' John Law cast some haze over the Continental Congress; the wording of the notes is curiously obscure: 'This bill entitles the bearer to receive ten Spanish milled dollars:' the notes in no sense represented specie; they virtually promised to pay it to the bearer; unluckily, the party issuing the promise was not the party bound to pay; the continent promised while the colonies were expected to fulfill; uninckily, also, no good provision was made by either party for the fulfillment of these promises; and consequently the vice of the continental money was, that there was no economical limitation of their supply. The notes were not amenable to the law of supply and demand in the ordinary way, and hence they could not long maintain a steady value. In a certain remote sense they were indeed amenable to that law, which presided over the decline and final extinction of their valne. These issues, too, came into competi- tion with the revolutionary issues of eleven separate colonies, New Hampshire and Georgia issuing none, the total of which in 1775-83 was $209,524,716. So that this further increase of supply depreciated in comparison with silver both classes of notes. Eighteen months, however, had passed, and $20,000,000 continental had been authorized, besides large local issues, before a marked depreciation began.
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