the fathers of the constitution-第12部分

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of　the　army；　and　he　appealed　to　the　patriotism　of　the　officers；　promising　his　best　efforts　in　their　behalf。　The　effect　was　so　strong　that；　when　Washington　withdrew；　resolutions　were　adopted　unanimously　expressing　their　loyalty　and　their　faith　in　the　justice　of　Congress　and　denouncing　the　anonymous　circular。　The　general　apprehension　was　not　diminished　by　another　incident　in　June。　Some　eighty　troops　of　the　Pennsylvania　line　in　camp　at　Lancaster　marched　to　Philadelphia　and　drew　up　before　the　State　House；　where　Congress　was　sitting。　Their　purpose　was　to　demand　better　treatment　and　the　payment　of　what　was　owed　to　them。　So　far　it　was　an　orderly　demonstration；　although　not　in　keeping　with　military　regulations；　in　fact　the　men　had　broken　away　from　camp　under　the　lead　of　noncommissioned　officers。　But　when　they　had　been　stimulated　by　drink　the　disorder　became　serious。　The　humiliating　feature　of　the　situation　was　that　Congress　could　do　nothing；　even　in　self…protection。　They　appealed；　to　the　Pennsylvania　authorities　and；　when　assistance　was　refused；　the　members　of　Congress　in　alarm　fled　in　the　night　and　three　days　later　gathered　in　the　college　building　in　Princeton。　Congress　became　the　butt　of　many　jokes；　but　men　could　not　hide　the　chagrin　they　felt　that　their　Government　was　so　weak。　The　feeling　deepened　into　shame　when　the　helplessness　of　Congress　was　displayed　before　the　world。　Weeks　and　even　months　passed　before　a　quorum　could　be　obtained　to　ratify　the　treaty　recognizing　the　independence　of　the　United　States　and　establishing　peace。　Even　after　the　treaty　was　supposed　to　be　in　force　the　States　disregarded　its　provisions　and　Congress　could　do　nothing　more　than　utter　ineffective　protests。　But；　most　humiliating　of　all；　the　British　maintained　their　military　posts　within　the　northwestern　territory　ceded　to　the　United　States；　and　Congress　could　only　request　them　to　retire。　The　Americans'　pride　was　hurt　and　their　pockets　were　touched　as　well；　for　an　important　issue　at　stake　was　the　control　of　the　lucrative　fur　trade。　So　resentment　grew　into　anger；　but　the　British　held　on；　and　the　United　States　was　powerless　to　make　them　withdraw。　To　make　matters　worse；　the　Confederation；　for　want　of　power　to　levy　taxes；　was　facing　bankruptcy；　and　Congress　was　unable　to　devise　ways　and　means　to　avert　a　crisis。　The　Second　Continental　Congress　had　come　into　existence　in　1775。　It　was　made　up　of　delegations　from　the　various　colonies；　appointed　in　more　or　less　irregular　ways；　and　had　no　more　authority　than　it　might　assume　and　the　various　colonies　were　willing　to　concede；　yet　it　was　the　central　body　under　which　the　Revolution　had　been　inaugurated　and　carried　through　to　a　successful　conclusion。　Had　this　Congress　grappled　firmly　with　the　financial　problem　and　forced　through　a　system　of　direct　taxation；　the　subsequent　woes　of　the　Confederation　might　have　been　mitigated　and　perhaps　averted。　In　their　enthusiasm　over　the　Declaration　of　Independence　the　peopleby　whom　is　meant　the　articulate　class　consisting　largely　of　the　governing　and　commercial　elementswould　probably　have　accepted　such　a　usurpation　of　authority。　But　with　their　lack　of　experience　it　is　not　surprising　that　the　delegates　to　Congress　did　not　appreciate　the　necessity　of　such　radical　action　and　so　were　unwilling　to　take　the　responsibility　for　it。　They　counted　upon　the　goodwill　and　support　of　their　constituents；　which　simmered　down　to　a　reliance　upon　voluntary　grants　from　the　States　in　response　to　appeals　from　Congress。　These　desultory　grants　proved　to　be　so　unsatisfactory　that；　in　1781；　even　before　the　Articles　of　Confederation　had　been　ratified；　Congress　asked　for　a　grant　of　additional　power　to　levy　a　duty　of　five　per　cent　ad　valorem　upon　all　goods　imported　into　the　United　States；　the　revenue　from　which　was　to　be　applied　to　the　discharge　of　the　principal　and　interest　on　debts　〃contracted　。　。　。　for　supporting　the　present　war。〃　Twelve　States　agreed；　but　Rhode　Island；　after　some　hesitation；　finally　rejected　the　measure　in　November；　1782。　The　Articles　of　Confederation　authorized　a　system　of　requisitions　apportioned　among　the　〃several　States　in　proportion　to　the　value　of　all　land　within　each　State。〃　But；　as　there　was　no　power　vested　in　Congress　to　force　the　States　to　comply；　the　situation　was　in　no　way　improved　when　the　Articles　were　ratified　and　put　into　operation。　In　fact；　matters　grew　worse　as　Congress　itself　steadily　lost　ground　in　popular　estimation；　until　it　had　become　little　better　than　a　laughing…stock；　and　with　the　ending　of　the　war　its　requests　were　more　honored　in　the　breach　than　in　the　observance。　In　1782　Congress　asked　for　8；000；000　and　the　following　year　for　2；000；000　more；　but　by　the　end　of　1783　less　than　1；500；000　had　been　paid　in。　In　the　same　year；　1783；　Congress　made　another　attempt　to　remedy　the　financial　situation　by　proposing　the　so…called　Revenue　Amendment；　according　to　which　a　specific　duty　was　to　be　laid　upon　certain　articles　and　a　general　duty　of　five　per　cent　ad　valorem　upon　all　other　goods；　to　be　in　operation　for　twenty…five　years。　In　addition　to　this　it　was　proposed　that　for　the　same　period　of　time　1；500；000　annually　should　be　raised　by　requisitions；　and　the　definite　amount　for　each　State　was　specified　until　〃the　rule　of　the　Confederation〃　could　be　carried　into　practice：　It　was　then　proposed　that　the　article　providing　for　the　proportion　of　requisitions　should　be　changed　so　as　to　be　based　not　upon　land　values　but　upon　population；　in　estimating　which　slaves　should　be　counted　at　three…fifths　of　their　number。　In　the　course　of　three　years　thereafter　only　two　States　accepted　the　proposals　in　full；　seven　agreed　to　them　in　part；　and　four　failed　to　act　at　all。　Congress　in　despair　then　made　a　further　representation　to　the　States　upon　the　critical　condition　of　the　finances　and　accompanied　this　with　an　urgent　appeal；　which　resulted　in　all　the　States　except　New　York　agreeing　to　the　proposed　impost。　But　the　refusal　of　one　State　was　sufficient　to　block　the　whole　measure；　and　there　was　no　further　hope　for　a　treasury　that　was　practically　bankrupt。　In　five　years　Congress　had　received　less　than　two　and　one…half　million　dollars　from　requisitions；　and　for　the　fourteen　months　ending　January　1；　1786；　the　income　was　at　the　rate　of　less　than　375；000　a　year；　which　was　not　enough；　as　a　committee　of　Congress　reported；　〃for　the　bare　maintenance　of　the　Federal　Government　on　the　most　economical　establishment　and　in　time　of　profound　peace。〃　In　fact；　the　income　was　not　sufficient　even　to　meet　the　interest　on　the　foreign　debt。　In　the　absence　of　other　means　of　obtaining　funds　Congress　had　resorted　early　to　the　unfortunate　expedient　of　issuing　paper　money　based　solely　on　the　good　faith　of　the　States　to　redeem　it。　This　fiat　money　held　its　value　for　some　little　time；　then　it　began　to　shrink　and；　once　started　on　the　downward　path；　its　fall　was　rapid。　Congress　tried　to　meet　the　emergency　by　issuing　paper　in　increasing　quantities　until　the　inevitable　happened：　the　paper　money　ceased　to　have　any　value　and　practically　disappeared　from　circulation。　Jefferson　said　that　by　the　end　of　1781　one　thousand　dollars　of　Continental　scrip　was　worth　about　one　dollar　in　specie。　The　States　had　already　issued　paper　money　of　their　own；　and　their　experience　ought　to　have　taught　them　a　lesson；　but　with　the　coming　of　hard　times　after　the　war；　they　once　more　proposed　by　issuing　paper　to　relieve　the　〃scarcity　of　money〃　which　was　commonly　supposed　to　be　one　of　the　principal　evils　of　the　day。　In　1785　and　1786　paper　money　parties　appeared　in　almost　all　the　States。　In　some　of　these　the　conservative　element　was　strong　enough　to　prevent　action；　but　in　others　the　movement　had　to　run　its　fatal　course。　The　futility　of　what　they　were　doing　should　have　been　revealed　to　all　concerned　by　proposals　seriously　made　that　the　paper　money　which　was　issued　should　depreciate　at　a　regular　rate　each　year　until　it　should　finally　disappear。　The　experience　of　Rhode　Island　is　not　to　be　regarded　as　typical　of　what　was　happening　throughout　the　country　but　is；　indeed；　rather　to　be　considered　as　exceptional。　Yet　it　attracted　widespread　attention　and　revealed　to　anxious　observers　the　dangers　to　which　the　country　was　subject　if　the　existing　condition　of　affairs　were　allowed　to　continue。　The　machinery　of　the　State　Government　was　captured　by　the　paper…money　party　in　the　spring　election　of　1786。　The　results　were　disappointing　to　the　adherents　of　the　paper…money　cause；　for　when　the　money　was　issued　depreciation　began　at　once；　and　those　who　tried　to　pay　their　bills　discovered　that　a　heavy　discount　was　demanded。　In　response　to　indignant　demands　the　legislature　of　Rhode　Island　passed　an　act　to　force　the　acceptance　of　paper　money　under　penalty　and　thereupon　tradesmen　refused　to　make　any　sales　at　all　some　closed　their　shops；　and　others　tried　to　carry　on　business　by　exchange　of　wares。　The　farmers　then　retaliated　by　refusing　to　sell　their　produce　to　the　shopkeepers；　and　general　confusion　and　acute　distress　followed。　It　was　mainly　a　quarrel　between　the　farmers　and　the　merchants；　but　it　easily　grew　into　a　division　between　town　and　country；　and　there　followed　a　whole　series　of　town　meetings　and　county　conventions。　The　old　line　of　cleavage　was　fairly　well　represented　by　the　excommunication　of　a　member　of　S