14*? S55 •!:^>|i::'-; ^W. ,; 'J' !w,.-;;i;;ni- %: s A X" ^ >^ ^^. "\= -u -Pa V* X* -\ ^^ ^ ^^. ^'^^^^^ ■^ ^^ ^v > V" ; .1^ Vl ^ .N^ ^^^^ ^ ,^W^ - aN V' X cy ■^■^ -r;; ';- ,.>*' ^^% •-v >*• :^^^\ .0 o. * *^B_^^ "^ .<^ ^ ■■*\.^ci^'^, "^-e ^ ^ *• " , .0 o^ .A^ V ',r> ,-i^ ^g0m:: W^ V ^ - ^ ;^^ V OQ^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/historyofpennsylOOshim A HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA BY L. S. SHIMMELL, PH.D. Teacher of United States History and Civil Government, High School^ Harrisburg, Pa. Author of "The Pennsylvania Citizen" R. L. MYERS & COMPANY 1900 48104 SEP 17 1900 s^C4^«D coir SEP 20 I90U 80128 Copyright, 1900 By R. L. MYERS & CO, Set up and electrotyped Januai-Yi 1900 Shimmell's Pa. Hist. Press of the Star-Independent. Harrisburg, Pa. PREFACE When historical societies for study and research in Pennsylvania history — local and general — are inulti- plying all over the State, no apology is needed for writing a book on the subject. Pennsylvania has a history of more than two centuries. It consists, like that of the other States which separated from Great Britiain to form the American Union, of a Colonial, a Revolutionary, and a Constitutional period. It has always been a part of another history: first of Eng- land, and then of the United States. This is true, not alone in a nominal, but in a real sense. United States history, whether its political, social, or indus- trial side, is of a composite nature. Every State helps to make it. The contribution of the thirteen original States is the greatest, because they have a Colonial and a Revolutionary history. In Pennsyl- vania these periods are especially interesting and im- portant, though they have been sadly neglected. But independent of the relation to United States history, State history has a claim on us for study and investigation. Pennsylvania ranks second among the States in wealth and population, and has the proud distinction of being the Keystone of the Union. If we would maintain this preeminence we must not be indifferent to our historj^ else neither we nor our de- scendants will attain to greater heights. Anything that is worthy of a future has a past that ought to be (iii) iv Preface studied. Then, too, a patriotic duty and a pardonable pride should move us to study the history of the State in which we live. It is the history of our fore- fathers, and we might as well neglect their graves as their deeds. There is also a pedagogical reason for the study of State history. American history, in all its phases, is receiving increased attention in colleges and univer- sities. The Association of Colleges and Preparatory Schools has advocated the adoption of better methods for teaching the subject. The Committee of Ten of the National Educational Association recommended its introduction in two places in the public school course — in the grammar and the high school. But to ac- complish all this with the greatest possible degree of success, there must be a deep and abiding interest aroused in American history. Such an interest can be created by the teaching of State history. Its per- sons, places and events are near in point of place, and have a great fascination for the mind. To stand by an historic grave, to set foot upon historic ground, and to receive history from the lips or the pen of one who helped to make it, are powerful adjuncts to teachers and books. As to its plan and contents, the book may speak for itself. However, the author desires to call atten- tion to the chapter of biographical sketches. With few exceptions the biography of every person named in the book can be found in that chapter. The chro- nological arrangement of the Governors' biographies and the alphabetical arrangement of all others make it easy to find them. Whenever the name of a person is met for the first time, his biography should be read. Preface v In writing "A Pennsylvania History," the author performed the part of a pioneer. In the plan and scope of this work, there was no book to imitate and none to modify; consequently much original research in official reports and documents was necessary, and constant visits to the best libraries in the State had to be made. This explanation is made to soften criti- cism and make it charitable. However, the author will be greatly obliged for the communication of any error, and for suggestions by which he can improve the book. L. S. S. HARRiSBURa, Pa., January 2, 1900. CONTENTS CHAPTER PA0K I. The Indians of Pennsylvania 1 1. Their Geographical Distribution 1 2. Their Native Character 8 3. Their Mode of Life 11 II. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 14 1. The Dutch 14 2. The Swedes 17 3. The English 21 4. The Germans 39 5. The Welsh 52 6. The Scotch-Irish 53 7. The French Huguenots 57 III. The Growth of Population and the Adjustment OF Boundaries 59 IV. The Form of Government 96 V. The Administration of the Government 112 1. The Colonial Period 112 2. The Revolutionary Period 139 3. The Constitutional Period 184 VI. The Industrial History 250 VII. Education in Pennsylvania 277 VIII. Biographical Sketches 289 1. The Governors of Pennsylvania 289 2. Other Historical Persons 303 Appendix 339 Principal Officers of the United States Government from Pennsylvania, 1783 to 1900 339 Index 341 (vii) A History of Pennsylvania CHAPTER I THE INDIANS OF PENNSYLVANIA THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION The Indians who occupied the territory of Pennsyl- vania at the time of its settlement belonged Two Great to two great families — the Algonquins and Famines the Iroquois. These occupied a part of North America which was triangular in form, the base extending from Cape Fear to the coast of Labrador, and the sides terminating in Lake Superior. The Iroquois, or Five Nations, were in the center of this triangle, in the lake region of New York, from Albany to Niagara Falls. Surrounding these dwelt the numer- ous nations and tribes of the Algonquins. It was in the language of the Algonquins that Raleigh's colo- nists were greeted at Roanoke, the Pilgrims at Ply- mouth, and the Quakers at Shackamaxon. Both these groups had traditions of a western ori- gin. Of the Algonquins, the Lenni-Leuape, ^^^.^ ^^. .^ or the Delawares, as they were called by the English, were the most important. Their Indian name signifies "the original people;" and nearly forty tribes acknowledged them as "great grandfathers." A legend was current among the Lenni-Lenape that in 2 A History of Pennsylvania the dim past they and the Iroquois were one people, living beyond the Mississippi. After a time they mi- grated eastward and came to the Mississippi, where their passage across was disputed by a nation of fierce warriors on the eastern bank. The Lenni-Lenape tried to pass over in the face of the enemy on the other side. The Iroquois crossed higher up the stream, out- flanked the enemy, and so enabled their friends to get over. The fierce nation on the east bank were the Allegewi, who were driven back until they reached the mountains. Thence they made their way south- ward, never to return, leaving no trace except the names Allegheny and Yougliioglieny . The Lenni- Lenape crossed the mountains and reached the ocean ; while the Iroquois went up the Allegheny and thence into central New York. But this is only a legend. It bears some resemblance to the crossing of the Jor- dan by the Israelites, the story of which the Delawares had heard from the missionaries. Still, it accounts for the geographical distribution of the Algonquins and the Iroquois over the triangular part of North America known to have been occupied by them at the time of its exploration and settlement. When Penn arrived on the banks of the Delaware, The Delawares hc met thcrc thc Lcuni - Lenape tribe and subtribes ^^^ ^^g subtribcs. They had made the Delaware river the center of their possessions. They consisted of three tribes; viz., the Turtle, the Turkey, and the Wolf. The first two lived along the coast from the Hudson to the Potomac, between the sea and the Blue mountains. The third, whom the English" called Monseys, occupied the moun- tainous country between the Blue mountains and The Indians of Pennsylvania 3 the sources of the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers ; and they kindled their great council fires at the Mini- sink Flats. These three tribes were divided into nu- merous sub tribes, named, according to Indian custom, after the rivers, creeks, or other noted places at which they lived. According to the tradition of Penn's treaty, he met another tribe — the Susquehannocks, or The Audastes— under the elm tree at Shacka> susquehannocks maxon. While the Delawares inhabited New Jersey Penn's Treaty at Shackamaxon. (See page 26.) and eastern Pennsylvania, the Susquehannocks occu- pied the country on the Susquehanna and Allegheny rivers. The Iroquois, having been supplied with fire- arms by the Dutch in New York, made war upon the upper Susquehannocks, and almost exterminated them. Driven down the Susquehanna valley, the few 4 A History of Pennsylvania that survived were allowed to establish themselves along the Conestoga creek, and were afterwards known as Conestogas. It was this remnant of Susquehan- nocks with whom Penn treated, jointly with the Dela- wares, under the Shackamaxon Elm. The hunting grounds made vacant by the extermi- nation of the Susquehannocks were given The Nanticokes , ' . to various tribes by the Iroquois. The upper parts of the Susquehanna valley were allotted to the Nanticokes, a tribe from the eastern shore of Mary- land, claiming relationship to the Lenni-Lenape. Some of this tribe settled on the lower Susquehanna, not far from where John Harris afterwards established a ferry, at the present site of Harrisburg. The Nanticokes had the singular custom of disinterring the bones of their ancestors and carrying them to their new abode. They used to go from Wj'oming and Shenango to the eastern shore of Maryland to get the bones of their dead. After disposing of the Susquehannocks, the The Deiawares Ii'oquois made war on the Delawares. as Women Accordiug to the account of the latter, the Iroquois would have been exterminated had it not been for the peaceful disposition of the Dela- wares. Among the Indians, the women are the peace- makers ; the men, though never so weary of the contest, hold it cowardly to offer the olive branch. The Iroquois, fearing total extinction, proposed that the Delawares should assume the character of the woman among the Indians. "One nation," said they, "shall be the woman,^^ who was not to go to war, but keep the peace with all, and the men were to hear and obev the woman. The Delawares were thence- The Indians of Pennsylvania 5 forth to dress in woman's long costume, to carry a calabash filled with oil and medicines, and to engage in the cultivation of Indian corn. The Iroquois, though agreeing in the details of this account, denied that the Delawares chose to play the woman. They claimed to have conquered the Dela- wares and forced them to adopt the defenseless state and name of woman. Whichever account is true, the fact remains that the Delaware nation was ever after- wards looked to for the preservation of the peace. It was entrusted with the great belt of peace and the chain of friendship, the middle of which was said to rest on the shoulders of the Delawares, the other Indian nations holding one end and the Europeans the other. The Iroquois, whether by strategy or by force it matters not, were now in a position to iroquois Rule assume the rights of protection and com- *^® Delawares mand over the Delawares, who, though permitted to stay in their old homes, were but little better than serfs. Their con- querors wandered over their lands at pleasure. The Senecas and Cayu- gas frequently came into the valleys of the Susquehanna, roaming about at will and using the waters and for- ests for fishing and hunting. Resi- dent deputy- governors were appointed by the grand council of the Iroquois. Shikellimy, the noted chief residing at Shamokin in the first half of the last century, was one of the vice- kings. Shikellimy. A History of Pennsylvania The Iroquois were always considered by the Dela- The wares as only one nation. The name of Five Five Nations ]i[aUons (and later Six Nations) was given them by their English ally, to magnify their impor- tance. Their own name — Aquonoscliioni — signifies one house, one family, which consisted originally of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. The alliance of the five tribes was proposed by the Mohawks ; hence they rank as the eldest brother in the family. The Tuscaroras, the sixth and last tribe in the The league, joined it about one hundred years Tuscaroras ^f^^^. ^^-g formation. In 1713, they were driven out of the upper country of the Neuse and Tar rivers, in North Carolina, by the whites. They so- journed in the Juniata valley for some ten years, and gave their name to a chain of mountains in that sec- tion of the State. In fact, some of them had a village The Indians of Pennsylvania 7 in the vailey, which bore their name until after the purchase of 1758. On the supposition that they were originally of the same stock with the Five Nations, the Tuscaroras were adopted into the Iroquois Con- federacy, which was afterwards known as the Six Nations. There was still another nation of Iroquois in Penn- sylvania ; but they were not connected with the Five Nations of New York. They were the Fries, known also as the Cat Nation, by reason of their cats, a sort of small wolf, from whose skin robes ornamented with tails were made. These Indians occupied the western shore of Lake Erie, from Buffalo to Toledo. Captain John Smith fell in with a party of them at the head of the Chesapeake bay, whither they had come to make war on the Susquehannocks. They had come down by way of the Potomac, and filled seven canoes, whose construction gave evidence of experience on some large body of water. The Fries were overthrown by the Iroquois about the year 1655. After that time there is no mention of their existence. A tribe of Indians prominent in the history of Pennsylvania was the Shawanese. They ^^ „^ •^ 1 A . o The Shawanese were the Bedouins of North America, tor as wanderers they were without rivals among their race. They were Algon quins ; but their original home is not known to a certainty. They have been traced to the valley of the Cumberland river. Thence, their principal band moved to the Atlantic slope, in South Carolina. About the year 1698, some three or four score families, by leave of the Susquehannocks, planted themselves on the Conestoga. A few, at the request of the Monseys, were allowed to settle about the forks 8 A History of Pennsylvania of the Delaware. Other straggling parties joined their brethren, until, finally, they were a numerous and powerful tribe in the province. Some historians assign an earlier date for th^ migration of the Shawanese, and claim that they, too, were present when the celebrated treaty was made at Shackamaxon. It is said that at a conference held with one of Penn's successors, this nation produced the treaty on parchment. THEIB NATIVE CHABACTEB In delineating the character of the Indians of Penn- The sylvan ia, happily for them, we can go back Good Side ^Q ^ ^jjjjg when it had not yet become greatly changed hj association with the Europeans. Hecke- welder, the great Moravian apostle to the Indians, gives us an example of how we should judge the red man: "Often I have listened to these descriptions of their hard sufferings, until I felt ashamed of being a white man." The Indian known to the missionaries of Pennsyl- vania was a religious being. An old Delaware once said that it had ever been the custom of his fathers to climb upon a high mountain to thank the Great Manitou (spirit) for all his benefits, and to ask for a continuance of the same, feeling sure that their prayers were heard by him. They were very hospi- table, and expected hospitality in return. Some trav- eling Delawares once put their horses in a meadow of fine grass without permission, and, when taken to account replied, "Can you make the grass grow? The Great Manitou makes it grow, both for your horses and for ours." Civility was a marked trait in their The Indians of Pennsylvania 9 character. A "good morning, father," "grandfather," "uncle," and so on, down to a small grandchild, was the common form of address. Even the children saluted one another affectionately and respectfully. Quarrels were avoided. Fighting, they said, is only for dogs and other beasts. It was a rare thing to hear of murders among them in the days before the settlement of Pennsylvania. This we know from the testimony of reliable and well-informed Indians who helped to build the first houses in Philadelphia. The sense of wit was rare among them, yet there were occasional instances of it. The Delawares compared the European nations in America to a pair of scissors, which cut what comes between them. "The Europeans do not want to destroy themselves in their wars, but us poor Indians that are between them." In their aboriginal state, they were not vain ; but they pos- sessed a high-minded pride that was truly heroic at times. A white prisoner taken at Fort Mcintosh, now Beaver, and carried into Ohio, was condemned to die at the stake. Two English traders, acquainted with the Indian's personal pride, said to the chief : "Among all the chiefs there is none to equal you in greatness." "Do you really believe what you say?" asked the chief, in childish simplicity. "Indeed we do." Then the chief rushed through the crowd, cut the cords around the prisoner, and set him free. Before the astonishment was over, the prisoner was out of sight. The Indian, like every other savage race, had a dark side to his character. His name be- The came a synonj^m for revenge and cruelty. ^^""^ ^^^^ But are we in a position to "cast the first stone?" Our estimate of his character was prepared by the 10 A History of Pennsylvania white man. "If lions had painters," illustrates the Indian's position in history. Few men outside of the missionaries told his side of a long, cruel story. Columbus, the first white man to know the red men, pays them the high compliment that "they love their neighbors as themselves." The original Indians were not beasts of prey; they became such by exasperation. Another instance of the deterioration of Indian character is his drunkenness. When Henry Hudson and his sailors first offered the cup to the Mohicans on Manhattan, it was passed around the circle as if they had been taught the lesson — "touch not, taste not, handle not." But one was tempted, and he be- came the Adam of a long line of Indian drunkards. The thoughtful Indians of a century or two ago well knew whom to blame for their drunkenness. A mis- sionary once asked an Indian at Pittsburg who he was. He answered: "My name is Black Fish; when at home with my people, I am a clever fellow, but when here I am a hog." William Penn, in his letter to the Free Society of Traders, in London, saj^s: "Since the Europeans came into these parts, the Indians are grown great lovers of strong liquors, rum especially, and for it exchange the richest of their skins and furs." Surprise was often expressed by these simple children of the forest that a people who believe in a religion of the Great Spirit, who claim to have his own word in their houses, could think of making a liquor to bewitch and to destroy one another. When the English traders, soon after Penn's death, had gone among them in the valleys of the Juniata and the Sus- quehanna, they had constant complaints to make about the sale of rum to their people. The Indimis of Pennsylvania 11 THEIR MODE OF LIFE The Indians had no code of laws, except a few unwritten rules of justice and courtesy, Few La>vs which were enforced by the chiefs and their counsellors. The wampum, or Indian money, neces- sary to carry an order of the chief into effect, was freely given. Important transactions were ratified by strings and belts of wampum. Black wampum signified war ; white, peace, friendship, good- will. The pipe of peace, which was made of black or red stone, had to be whitened before it was used for such a purpose. To keep treaties fresh in the memory, the chiefs met occasionally at some chosen spot in the forest and rehearsed them. Thus, between the years 1770 and 1780, the Delawares could relate very minutely what had passed between William Penn and their forefathers. On such occasions, the Indians sat around a chest, took out one string or belt after another, handed it to every person present, and re- peated the words spoken at its delivery. The Indians had no schools. The parents taught the children. The first lessons were about No Schools the Great Spirit and about the duties to parents and elders. Reading and writing were un- known arts to them. The Iroquois and Delawares understood a little counting. The position of the sun served to show the time of day; and the stages of the corn, the season of the year. The marriage tie was weak, and polygamy was permitted. The children followed the mother in case of separation. The name, as a rule, was given by the father, who generally selected that of some animal. Other names were fre- 12 A History of Pennsylvania quently added. Thus, one who wore torn or patched shoes was called Bad Shoes; one who had large eyes, Great Eye. To the white men the Indians gave sug- gestive names of their own. When the Delawares had learned the meaning of Penn's name, they at once called him Miquon, feather or quill. The Iroquois called him Onas, for the same reason. Ingenious com- pounds were invented. Thus, the name for Philadel- phia was Queqiienaliti , "the grove of the long pine trees." Hunting was considered the most honorable occu- pation. The Delawares early trained their boys to run so fast as to overtake a deer, and to shoot small fishes with their bows and arrows. Occupations Neshaminy Creek, Bucks county. The oyster, the land -tortoise and the locust were also in demand for food. Vegetables of various kinds were raised; but maize, aside from meat and fish, was the The Indians of Pennsylvania 13 chief food. They planted it after the hazelnut was in bloom, as a precaution against frost. The shoulder- blade of a deer or a tortoise shell was used to hoe — a work that fell to the women. Dancing and singing were the Indian's amusement, though he indulged in them for other pur- Amusements . poses. This grotesque performance ended in a disagreeable yell, which resembled the mewing of the cat -bird at the close of its pretty song. The war dance was to terrify, not to please. It was per- formed around a painted post, and the dancers went through all the motions and actions of the battle. After a victory, a dance of thanksgiving was in order. It was religious in its nature. BOOKS FOR READING AND CONSULTATION Stone's Life and Times of Bed-Jacket, Ch. i ; Heckewelder's Indian Nations; Parkman's Conspiracy of Poniiac, Ch.i; School- craft's Notes on the Iroquois, Chs. iii and iv ; Doddridge's Notes, passim; Loskiel's Indian Mission, Part I. CHAPTER 11 THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA THE DUTCH .^ Penn^s settlers were not the first Europeans to dwell on the banks of the Delaware. Henry Hudson, the English explorer, after^ two failures under his native flag to discover a short' pas- sage to Asia, got the consent of Holland to try the same experiment under the Dutch flag. In 1609, this daring adventurer, with some Netherlanders -and Englishmen, set sail in the Half Moon for China by way of the northeast. Fogs and ice, and the recollec- tion of what Frobisher, Drake, Raleigh and other Eng- lishmen had done in America, made him change^ his course. After stopping at various points along'^the Atlantic coast, he touched the mouth of "a great bay," which was afterwards named Delaware bay, in honor of Lord Delaware, who entered it the next year. Hudson spent one day on its waters, and then sailed north, discovering the river which bears his name. On this brief visit to Delaware bay the Dutch based their claim to the country of the Zuydt (south) bay and river. After Hudson had reported his discoveries to Holland, five vessels were sent from Amsterdam to America in 1614. Four of them made explorations around Manhattan and to the eastward. The other, under command of Cornelis Jacobson Mey, went south (14) The Settlement of Pennsylvania 15 and reached Delaware bay, where the Captain left his name on the southern cape of New Jersey. The vessels all returned to Holland except the Un- rest, Captain Cornelis Hendrickson, which captain had been built on the Hudson to take the Hendrickson place of one that had been burned. The Unrest was accordingly the first vessel constructed in this country by Europeans. With it Captain Hendrickson, in 1616, explored the Delaware more minutely, ascending it as far north as the mouth of the Schuylkill, which river he discovered. By a singular coincidence, he met three Netherlanders near the site of Philadelphia ; they had come there from Fort Nassau (Albany) by way of the Mohawk and the Delaware. On his arrival home he gave a glowing account of the land of the Delaware, describing it as a vast forest, abounding in bucks and does, turkeys and partridges ; the climate temperate, and the trees mantled by the vine. The application of the Puritans to settle in America under the protection of Holland, and the First settlement intimation that the English were disposed °" *^® Delaware to colonize the lands claimed by the Dutch, led, finally, to the chartering of the Dutch West India Company, 1621. This corporation at once turned its attention to its two objects — traffic and colonization. Its posses- sions extended from the Delaware to the Hudson, and were named "The New Netherlands." In the spring of 1623, Captain Mey sailed for the Delaware bay with a number of colonists. Passing the cape bearing his name, he ascended the river for a distance of fifty miles, and on the eastern shore erected Fort Nassau, near the present site of Gloucester. This was the first European settlement on the banks of the Delaware. 16 A History of Pennsylvania On the west side of the river, an association of patroons resident in Amsterdam, in 1630 Swaanendael bought an estate from the Indians. A settle- ment of some thirty people, the first in Delaware, and older than any in Pennsylvania, was made the next year on Lewes creek. It was named Swaanendael, but its settlers, on account of a petty quarrel between the commander of the fort and the Indians about a piece of tin, were all murdered by the savages. Not even the faithful watchdog escaped. However, the ruins of Swaanendael and the bones of its Dutch inhabitants gave Delaware a separate existence. The English rec- ognized occupancy as a title to the wilderness. Lord Baltimore's grant, which he received the year follow- ing the destruction of Swaanendael, extended over Delaware. Had it not been occupied before by the Dutch, the State would likely have been included in Maryland. There is some evidence, too, of a very early Dutch A Dutch settlement on the soil of Pennsylvania. Settlement in Tradition has it that a company of miners Pennsylvania ^^^^ Hollaud made their way from Esopus (now Kingston), on the Hudson, to the Delaware below Milford, and settled within the present limits of Mon- roe and Pike counties, principally on the site of Shawnee. There are accounts of "mine -holes" near the Blue mountains, and of a "mine-road" a hundred miles long. On this road, it is said, the Hollanders of the Minisink Flats took their wheat and cider to Esopus on the Hudson as late as 1730, without knowing anything about Philadelphia. Large orchards of "apple trees far beyond the size of any near Phila- delphia" were reported to have been seen by some The Settlement of Pennsylvania 17 public surveyors about fifty years after the settlement of the state. THE SWEDES Before the Dutch could recover the soil of Delaware from the Indians, a European competitor Gustavus appeared. As early as 1624, application Adoiphus and was made to Gustavus Adoiphus, King of o^«"«ti«-" Sweden, by a dissatisfied member of the Dutch West India Company, for a Swedish West India Company. The charter was granted in 1626. It was a paper that breathed much love for hu- manity. All oppressed Christendom was to have an asylum in the New World. The colony was to be "the j«wel of the kingdom." But alas ! the battle of Lutzen put an end to all of this good King's dreams. Fortu- nately, Oxenstiern, his Premier, be- came the executor of the plans of the dead master. Through this wise and good statesman the first per- manent settlement was made on the Delaware. Peter Minuit, a German of Wesel, the first gov- ernor of New Netherlands, was obliged to The Dutch resign in 1633, on account of factional Purchase strife. He then offered his services to the Swedes, and took out the first colony. He arrived in 1638, and landed his little company of Swedes and Finns near Lewes, Delaware. A fort was erected near the mouth of the creek, and both fort and creek were named Christina, in honor of the little girl who had succeeded Gustavus Adoiphus. 18 A History of Pennsylvania her father to the throne. All the lauds from Cape Henlopen to the Falls of Trenton were purchased from the Indians, and stakes and marks put up. The Dutch protested, but without effect. The en- thusiastic Scandinavians extended their plantations and their trade with the Indians, and exported thou- sands of skins the first year. Seeing their protests defied, the Dutch stationed The Dutch some twenty men at Fort Nassau, which Settlers rn had bccu abaudoucd with the destruction Pennsylvania ^^ Swaaueudael. So whcu Printz, the third governor of New Sweden, arrived, in 1643, he selected the island of Tinicum, now Tinicum town- ship, Delaware county, a few miles below Phila- delphia, for a place of residence and defense, and called it New Gottenberg. A strong fort was built as a protection against attacks from Fort Nassau. The governor also erected a handsome mansion with bricks from Sweden. This, it is said, stood for more than one hundred and fifty years, when its history was ended by a fire. New Gottenberg was the first European settlement in Pennsylvania of which there is positive knowledge. The few English families, Londoners, who had found the soil of Con- necticut too stubborn for their easy habits, and had settled on the Schuylkill, either left or submitted to Swedish jurisdiction. It now became evident to the Dutch on the The Swedes Hudsou that the Swedes on the Delaware Surrender wcrs bccomlng daugcrous rivals. Fort Nassau, "being too far up and out of the way," was broken up. and Fort Casimir erected in 1651, near the present town of New Castle, and about five The Settlement of Pennsylvania 19 Swedish houses in Philadelphia. miles from Fort Christina. It was agreed to be neigh- borly, but that was impossible. The Swedes soon took the offensive, gained entrance to Fort Casimir under pretense of friendship, and overpowered the garrison. This was a fatal step. Stuyvesant, the governor of New Netherlands, was ordered to "avenge the wrong and to drive the Swedes from the Delaware or compel their submis - sion." In 1665, he com- pelled both Fort Casimir and Fort Christina to surrender to him. Then ended the Swedish power on the Delaware. The whole territory, from Cape Henlopen to the Falls of Trenton, passed under the rule of the Dutch, which remained undisputed, except by Lord Baltimore, until 1664, when all of New Netherlands was taken by the Duke of York, to whom the King of England had granted it. The Dutch were grouped around New Castle and Leweston ; while the Swedes and Finns Location dwelt at Christina creek, at Upland, and of Dutch and about the present site of Philadelphia. swedes With the exception of the brief reversion to the Dutch — 1673 to 1674 — these settlements remained in possession of the Duke of York until he granted them to William Penn, when those now in Delaware be- came known as "the three lower counties," or "the territories of Pennsylvania." 20 A History of Pennsylvania The Swedes left some interesting footprints in the Swedish history of the State. Though they were Footprints blended with other nationalities, yet the modicum of their blood now in the veins of Pennsyl- vanians is worth examining. It is true that among the first arrivals there were many bandits. Criminals were sent over in such numbers that during Printz's administration the abuse was forbidden, "lest Almighty God should let his vengeance fall on the ships and goods and the virtuous people that were on board." However, the Swedes who settled in Pennsylvania, are not remembered by the unworthy ones ; these left no impress on its history. The virtuous and industrious Swedes are proudly remembered in Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Philadelphia counties, as the first white The Church at Wicaco. men to woo the virgin soil. They were a religious people. Their first church was built on Tinicum island, and was dedicated in 1646. There, too, the first marriage between Europeans in Pennsylvania is sup- posed to have been solemnized — that of Governor The Settlement of Pennsylvania 21 Printz's daughter, in 1644. In Philadelphia, the Gloria Dei, or Swedes^ Church, stands as a monument to the historic church at Wicaco, which was built for the use of the inhabitants of Passyunk and beyond, about the year 1669, not far from the site of the navy yard. It had loopholes, that it might be used as a place of safety against the Indians or other enemies. "As once, for fear of Indian beating. Our grandsires bore their guns to meeting, Each man equipped, on Sunday morn, With psalm-book, shot and powder horn." Through the Swedes' court at Upland, Delaware county has the dictinction of furnishing the first case of conjugal disagreement in Pennsylvania (1661), of having first whipped and branded a criminal (1669), of having laid out the first highway (1677), of having made the first appointment of a guardian, and the first commitment of a lunatic (1678), and of having empaneled the first jury (1678) . THE ENGLISH. After the lands on the Delaware had finally passed into the hands of the English, 1674, Governor Andros, the Duke of York's deputy in America, made numerous grants of lands in the territory soon to become "Penn's Woods." The first permanent English settlement in Pennsylvania was made at this period. Some Quakers having come from England with fourteen of their brethren who colonized West Jersey, settled near the Lower Falls, on land afterwards in Bucks county. They had become so well established by the time Penn 22 A History of Pennsylvania founded his colony that he thought of locating his capital at Pennsbury or Bristol. Some time before obtaining his charter and sailing for America, he be- came assignee of one of the Quaker proprietors of West Jersey and part owner of East Jersey. Through the correspondence which he had on this account, he William Peuu learned that "the Indian countrj^ on the west side of the Delaware is most beautiful to look upon, that it only wanteth a wise people to render it, like the ancient Canaan, 'the glory of the earth.' " Three things moved Penn to plant a colony in the New World : First, he would get payment for Penn's Motives the debt of 16,000 pounds due his father as an officer of the British navy ; secondly, he would find a place for his brethren, the Quakers, or Friends, where they would not be openly insulted in the streets, The Settlement of Pennsylvania 23 dragged from their meeting-houses to loathsome jails, and robbed of the last bed or cow to pay the fines for not attending the established church ; and thirdly, he would satisfy the desire which the glowing accounts of the brethren in West Jersey had created in him. The second of these motives was by far the strongest. Penn himself had been tried for preaching to " an un- lawful, seditious and riotous assembly."^ The first verdict was, "Guilty of speaking in Grace-church street." This verdict was brought in repeatedly, in spite of threats from the judge that he would starve the jury if they did not say "Guilty," or "Not Guilty." Finally the verdict of "Not Guilty" was rendered, whereupon the judge fined each of the jurors forty marks and imprisonment till paid, because they had followed their "own judgment" rather than the "good advice" given them by him. Penn also was fined for having his hat on in the presence of the court. In this trial the following words were exchanged : Lord- May or — ^to^ his mouth; gaoler, bring fetters and stake him to the ground. William Penn — 'Do your pleasure; I matter not your fetters. The Judge — Till now I never understood the reason of the policy and prudence of the Spaniards in suffering the Inquisition among them ; and certainly it will never be well with us till something like the Spanish Inquisition be in England. From this trial it is seen that William Penn and his people enjoyed neither religious nor Reugious civil liberty in England. In Europe, church conditions in . , X Europe and state, as a rule, are not separate, in most countries, a certain church— called the estab- lished church, or state church— is a part of the government. In the seventeenth century, when all 24 A History of Pennsylvania but one of the thirteen colonies were planted, there was a great democratic uprising in England, Holland, Germany and France ; the common people, espe- cially the owners of small freeholds, began to claim a share in the government under which they lived. This desire for greater liberty showed itself most strongly in religious matters ; for the established churches in those days interfered very much with freedom of conscience. As a result, numerous sects — religious bodies outside of the state church — sprang up among the common people. As these sects had everything to gain and nothing to lose, they grew rapidly, and became very much hated by the govern- ment. When it was found that they could not be suppressed, to get rid of them they were allowed to settle in America. Of these, the one founded by George Fox — the Quakers, or Friends — was a very active one, and, on coming here, they opened wide the gates of Pennsylvania for the sects of Europe. As a universal father, Penn opened his arms to all mankind, without distinction of sect or party. Here are his own words concerning his purposes: "And, because I have been somewhat exercised, at times, about the nature and end of government, it is reasonable to expect, that I should endeavor to establish a just and righteous one, that others may take example by it ; — truly, this my heart desires. * * * j ^q^ therefore, desire the Lord's wisdom to guide me, and those that may be concerned with me, that we do the thing that is truly wise and just." With this exalted object in view, Penn, in 1680, Application petitioned King Charles H for a grant of for a Charter jj^j-^^^j j^j Auicrica. The klug himself was willing at once, because he could thus pay the debt The Settlement of Pennsylvania 25 lUM CLAVUM TENEA Penn's Book-plate. he owed Penn. Some of his counsellors objected, saying, that it would be ridiculous to suppose that the interests of the British nation were to be pro- moted by sending a colony of peo- ple that would not fight, that would have nothing to do with gin and gunpowder in dealing with the Indians. Had it not been for one member of the Privy Council, Penn- sylvania might not exist today. The nature of his speech, which won the day for Penn, is seen in the closing words : " Surely, then, my lords, you will agree with me that it is high time for William Penn and his Quakers to he ofiE. Yes, my lords, I repeat it; they must he off, or this excellent government of kings, priests and nobles is gone forever ; and chaos and wild uproar is come again." On the fourth day of March, 1681, William Penn was made, by charter, proprietor and gov- ^^^^ ^j ernor of the province of Pennsylvania. His Province and choice of a name was Few Wales ; but the king insisted on Pennsylvania. Penn next proposed Sylvania, on the ground that the prefix Penn would appear like vanity on his part, and not as a mark of respect for his father; but no amendment was ac- cepted. The extent of the province was three degrees of latitude by five degrees of longitude ; the eastern boundary being the Delaware river, the northern, " the beginning of the three and fortieth degree of northern latitude, and on the south a circle drawn at 26 A History of Pennsylvania twelve miles distance from New Cattle, northward and westward into the beginning of the fortieth degree of northern latitude, and then by a straight line west- ward to the limits of longitude above mentioned." The " three lower counties on the Delaware" — Kent, Sussex and the New Castle district — were not included in the charter. Penn, seeing the importance of con- trolling this vestibule to his province, secured a grant for it from the Duke of York the following year. Penn's charter hangs in a frame in the State Library at Harrisburg. It consists of three pieces of parchment. The writing is all underscored in red ink, and a well- executed likeness of his majesty, the king, is at the top of the first page. After publishing an address to the Quakers and to others, concerning his new state, Penn drew First Settlers ' *= up a form of government and a code of laws, and sent his cousin, William Markham, to take possession of the country and act as deputy governor. Markham arrived in the Delaware about July 1, 1681. Later in the year, three ships sailed for Pennsylvania, two from London and one from Bristol. Several ses- sions of court were held at Upland under Markham 's rule. The first entry was dated September 13, 1681. It ^V'as a case of assault and battery, notwithstanding that it occurred in the peaceful land of Penn. The deputy governor was joined by three commissioners soon after his arrival, to confer with the Indians about the sale of land and to make a league of peace with them. The first purchase was made July 15, 1682. The tract extended along the Delaware from the mouth of the Neshaminy to the Blue mountains. Markham paid for it as follows : The Settlement of Pennsylvania 27 " 350 ffathoms of Wampum, 20 white Blankits, 20 ffathoms of Strawed waters, 60 ffathoms of Duffields, 20 Kettles, 4 whereof large, 20 gunns, 20 Coates, 40 Shirts, 40 payre of Stockings, 40 Howes, 40 Axes, 2 Barrels of Powder, 2 00 Barres of Lead, 200 Knives, 200 small Glasses, 12 Payre of Shoes, 40 Copper Boxes, 40 Tobacco Tonngs, 2 small Barrels of Pipes, 40 payre of Scissors, 40 Combs, 24 pounds Eed Lead, 100 Aules, 2 handfulls of ffish- hooks, 2 handfulls of Needles, 40 pounds of Shott, 10 Bundles of Beads, 10 small Saws, 12 Drawing Knives, 4 anchers of Tobacco, 2 anchers of Rumme, 2 anchers of Syder, 2 anchers of Beere and 300 Gilders." Markham also held some conferences with the Indians, simply to cultivate peace and friendship. On these occasions he would read to them a letter from Penn, in which he said : "I have great love and regard for you, and desire to win and gain youi^ love and friendship by a kind, just and peaceable life ; and the people I send are of the same mind, and shall in all things behave themselves accordingly." Having made every arrangement for his own de- parture, Penn took an affectionate leave . T T . 1 Penn's Arrival of his Wife and children and went on board the good ship Welcome, September 1, 1682. The number of passengers was about one hundred, mostly Quakers who had been his neighbors in Sussex, England. Some thirty died of small-pox, and were buried in the sea. Otherwise the voyage was un- eventful. Penn greatly endeared himself to the com- pany by his kind and untiring ministrations to the sick and dying. After six weeks, land was sighted on the coast of New Jersey, about Egg Harbor. In passing up the Delaware, the Dutch and Swedes, now his subjects, received him with great joy. He landed at New Castle, October 27. Here, the next day, he 28 A History of Pennsylvania called the people together in the Dutch court house and took legal possession of the country, assuring the inhabitants of liberty of conscience and of civil freedom. Two days later Penn went to Upland to call the First General first general assembly. He changed the Assembly name of Upland to Chester, in honor of his friend Pearson, a companion on the Welcome, who had lived in Chester, England. Upland was the home of most of the immigrants from England who had preceded the Welcome, and their hospitality knew no bounds except their scanty means. From Chester, Penn, with a few others, traveled up the Delaware in an open boat, in the early days of November, when the banks of the river had been freshly painted with colors mixed by Autumn's hands. His mission was to meet the Indians and publicly ratify the Treaty of Eternal Friendship, which Markham and his associates had previously made. When he arrived at Shackamaxon, the Indians had already filled the woods as far as the eye could see. After the chiefs had arranged themselves in the form of a half -moon, Penn, with no mark of power save a blue sash around his waist, addressed them in the name of the Great Spirit, who made and rules all mankind: "We meet on the broad pathway of good faith and good will; no advantage shall be taken on either side, but all shall be open- ness and love. I will not call you children, for parents ehide their children too severely ; nor brothers only, for brothers differ. The friendship between me and you I will not compare to a chain ; for that the rains might rust or the falling tree might break. We are the same as if one man's body were to be divided into two parts; we are all one flesh and blood." The Settlement of Pennsylvania 29 After receiving some presents from Penn, the Indians gave the belt of wampum and solemnly pledged them- selves to live in love with him and his children as long as the sun and moon should endure. "This," says Voltaire, "was the only treaty between these people and the Christians that was made without an oath, and that was never broken." Penn had many other conferences of this kind with the Indians, and he was kindly remembered by them for years. At a meeting between Governor Keith and the Five Nations, held at Conestoga in 1721, the spokesman of the Indians said: "We shall never forget the counsel that William Penn gave us; though we cannot write, as the English, yet we can keep in the memory what was said in- our councils." So faithful were they to him that not a drop of Quaker blood was shed by them while he lived. The Elm Tree under which the treaty was made afterwards became celebrated. The British ^ , p. . , , , The Treaty Elm General ISimcoe, who was once quartered near it in the Revolutionary War, so respected it that when his soldiers were cutting down trees for fire- wood, he placed a guard under it. A storm blew it down in 1810, and it was found to have been two hundred and eighty -three years old. Its site, marked by a monument erected in 1827, is now surrounded by a beautiful park. The statue of William Penn on the tower of City Hall, Philadelphia, faces in the direction of the Elm in Kensington, and silently admonishes the people of Pennsylvania to be true to the principles of its founder. After the treaty was made, Penn proceeded up the Delaware to see the mansion which Markham was 30 A History of Pennsylvania building for him at Pennsbury, Bucks county. It was erected at great expense, and remained the marvel of the neighborhood for many years, but Penn and his family lived in it only a short time, from 1700 to 1701. It was afterwards neglected, and just before the Revolution its crumbling walls were removed and the ground on which it stood passed out of the Penn family. When the time for the first meeting of the General The Province Asscmbly had arrived, Penn returned to Formed Chcstcr. During a three days' session, the machinery of government was set up and put into operation ; the Dutch, Swedes, and foreigners of all description, were naturalized ; and the Province of Pennsylvania was a complete fact. The "holy experi- ment," as Penn called his new state, had been begun. Having fairly purchased some land from the natives, he made a survey of it, and divided it into three counties — Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester. The first was named after the city then building ; the second, after Buckinghamshire, the land of Penn's ances- tors ; and the third after his friend Pearson's native city. Bucks and Chester had definite boundaries ; but The Three Philadelphia embraced the whole province Original Counties ^etwecu them,— uorth, northwest, and northeast, — to an indefinite extent. The northern boundary of Bucks extended to the Kittatinny (Blue) mountains, "or as far as the land might be purchased from the Indians." Chester included the territory southwest of the Schuylkill to the extreme limits of the province. By the formation of Berks, in 1752, the northern boundary of Philadelphia was limited ; The Settlement of Pennsylvania 31 and when, in 1784, Montgomery was erected, the largest county became the smallest. "The great town" in Pennsylvania was to be near the junction of the Delaware and the Location of Schuylkill. The navigability of both rivers, Philadelphia especially of the Delaware, the abundance of brick- earth and building -stone, the beauty of the location, — these and other circumstances put Philadelphia near the Indian village of Quequenaku, "the grove of the long pine trees." The ground was in the possession of a few Swedes, who were readily induced to exchange it for land elsewhere. The plan of Philadelphia was so well conceived that there is no other city in the United States its pian in which a stranger can so easily find his and Name way. With few exceptions, the streets cross each other at right angles. Those originally running east and west — nine in number — were all named after the various kinds of trees in the forest around, as, Vine, Spruce, Pine, Sassafras, Willow, Chestnut, Walnut, etc.; those running north and south — twenty -three altogether — were numbered from the Delaware, Front street to Broad street, and from the Schuylkill, Front street to Broad street. In the center of the city was to be a square of ten acres, each corner of which was to be reserved for public offices. In each quarter of the city, there was to be another square of eight acres, to be used by the people like the Moorfields in London. These public squares, though not located as planned, are all in Philadelphia today, and con- stitute pleasant oases in the center of a vast extent of brick and stone. The city was named after a town in Lydia, Asia Minor, the seat of one of the 32 A History of Pennsylvania seven early Christian churches. Philadelphia signifies "brotherly love." Few of the settlers of Philadelphia had the time or the means to build houses before the win- its Houses ter of 1682-83 set in ; hence many of them lived like conies, in caves dug under the high bluff on the river -front between Vine and Walnut streets. The next year nearly one hundred houses were built, sheltering more than five hun- dred inhabitants ; and two years afterwards six hundred houses had displaced the trees and thickets of the forest. The Swedes and Indians were very kind to the infant colony, ^ -- - l\^Q former sharing theii' shel- An Old House, 1685. ^ ter and the latter their game. Some well-to-do settlers had brought with them houses in frame, tools, implements, and furniture, as well as food and raiment to last them for some time after their arrival. The poorer classes had to put up mere huts, made from timber freshly cut in the forest. Penn furnished a general plan for their construction,— 30 X 18 feet, partitioned in the middle, covered and lined with clapboards and the intervening space filled with earth, the ground floor of clay and the upper of wood, and the roof of clapboard also. Philadelphia in a few years gained more in population than New York did in half a century. Penn was so happy over his success that he congratulated himself in these words : "I must without vanity, say, that I have led the greatest col- ony into America that ever any man did upon private credit, and the most prosperous beginnings that ever were made any- where are to be found among us." The Settlement of Pennsylvania 33 Not all of Penn's brethren settled in Philadelphia. Many, as they landed, distributed themselves through the country. They were thinly scattered from the Falls of Trenton to Chester. The leading settlements were at Byberry, a noted suburb of Philadelphia in colonial times ; at Bristol, the second chartered borough in Pennsylvania ; at Pennsbury, the site of Penn's country residence ; at Chester, the first seat of gov- ernment ; at Birmingham, the township in which the battle of Brandy wine was fought ; at Kennett, which, as Letitia's Manor, had originally been survej^ed for Penn's daughter Letitia ; and at Marcus Hook, where the first Friends' meeting was established. Fortu- nately for those who arrived in the first ships, the winter was mild and open, and they all cleared enough land to plant a crop of Indian corn in the spring. The following extract from a letter of Richard Town- send, who went out with William Penn, shows how the rural settlers fared: "After our arrival we found the country a wilderness. The in- habitants were Indians and Swedes, who received us in a friendly manner and brought us provisions at very reasonable rates. After some time, I set up a mill on Chester creek, which I brought ready framed from London, which served for grinding of corn and sawing of boards. Besides, I made a net and caught great quan- tities of fish, which supplied ourselves and many others ; so that, notwithstanding, it was thought that nearly three thousand persons came in the first year, we were so providentially pro- vided for that we could buy a deer for two shillings, and a large turkey for one shilling, and Indian corn for two shillings and six- pence a bushel." The government having been organized, peace with the natives confirmed, the fundamental law Penn's established, and courts of justice instituted. Departure Penn, in August, 1684, sailed for England, with this 34 A History of Pennsylvania William Penn House. In Fairmount Park, PhiladelpMa. parting prayer upon his lips: "And thou, Philadelphia, the virgin settlement of this province, my soul prays to God for thee, that thou may est stand in the day of trial, and that thy children may be blessed." His family, his estate, and certain matters pertaining to his colony, especially the boundary be- tween it and Mary- land, made his return necessary. These affairs kept him in England till 1699. When he returned, Philadelphia had more than two thousand houses ; and he walked the streets almost a stranger. He found that his influence was not what it had been when he left, fifteen years before. HoAvever, he was warmly welcomed by the Indians. He made two journeys at this time to the interior of the province. He sailed for England in October, 1701, where a riot- ous son and an unfaithful steward had plunged him so deeply into debt that he had to mortgage his province for 6,600 pounds and suffer imprisonment besides. Penn negotiated to sell his right in the government to the Crown, but Penns ciock. , . , .^, , . . ^„-,ct In the Philadelphia was stricken with paralysis, m 171J. Librarj-. He died six years later ; bnt his name will live as long as Father Time remembers the history of Pennsylvania. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 35 The Friends originally differed little in dress from the other non- conformists to the Church characteristics of England. They all opposed the display °^ *^« P"«"*i« then so much made by the upper classes. When the Friends started as a sect, broad-brimmed hats were com- mon, and so were coats with straight collars. The dral) they chose as their color because it differed least from the uncolored state of cloth. They respected all honorable occupations alike. William Penn wanted his children to become husbandmen and housewives, and one of, his sons learned the trade of a linen draper. Laborers ! were not looked upon as drudges, though it must be admitted that some of them were slaves. However, the Friends, as early as 1693, advised that none should "buy except to free." Not far from Frankford was an old tombstone, the inscription on which says that the occupant of the grave. Friend Sandiford, "bore testimony against the Negro trade." The Friends have always been noted for intelligence. Within three years of Penn's landing, a Marks of printing press was running in Philadelphia, intelligence One of its earliest publications was an almanac, printed in the year 1685. William Bradford brought with him from England type, a press, printing paper, and ink, to set up the trade of printing Friends' books. The first newspaper, "The American Weekly Murcury," was started in Philadelphia December 22, 1719, at which time there were only two others in the colonies, namely, in Boston. Penn established a post office in 1683; and in 1717, there was a settled route from Vir- ginia and Maryland to Philadelphia and to all the northern colonies. Pennsylvania was even then the Keystone Province. The botanic garden of John 36 A History of Pennsylvania Bartram, whom Lmnasus called "the greatest natural botanist in the world," became a Mecca for scientists, and many a visitor to Philadelphia inquired his way to Bartram' s garden, on the Schuylkill, As to schools, the Friends favored an elementary education for all alike — the rich and the poor ; but they were opposed to great scholarship ; yet now they have a Bryn Mawr, a Haverford and a Swarthmore Col- lege. Art and poetry were also under the ban of then- doctrine ; yet there arose among them a West and a Taylor. The chief immigration of the Friends took place other before the year 1700. Up to that time Eneiish Settlers they wcrc the most numerous class of people in the province. Other English settlers, how- ever, had found their way to Pennsj^lvania, but in much smaller numbers. Chief among these were the Episcopalians, or people of the Church of England, some of whom arrived soon after Penn. By the charter of the province they had the right to establish a parish whenever twenty or more petitioned for one. This was done in 1695, and Christ church, with its first bell hung in the crotch of a tree, was built on Old Cypress in Bartram's Garden. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 37 Second street, north of Market. The present brick building, so full of historic interest, was begun in 1727 and completed in 1755. Benjamin Franklin was one of the managers of the lottery (a method quite Christ Churcli. common in those days for raising church funds) by which money was secured for the steeple and the chimes. On July 4, 1776, these chimes, the second in America, joined the old bell on Independence Hall in proclaiming "liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." 38 A History of Pennsylvania Washington worshipped in this church frequently, and the pew in which he sat was presented to Inde- pendence Hall. In the chancel were buried the remains of John Penn (afterwards removed to England), Bishop White, Robert Morris, General Forbes, and other dis- tinguished men. In the graveyard at Fifth and Arch, Franklin and his wife Deborah, General James Irvine, Peyton Randolph, president of the first Continental Congress, Francis Hopkinson, Commodore Bainbridge, and others noted in their country^ s historj', lie at rest. The first regular minister of Christ church was Rev. Thomas Clayton, under whose ministrations the membership increased to seven hundred in two years. Rev. Jacob Duche, who opened the first Continental Congress with that remarkable prayer (see p. 146), officiated at the time of the Revolution. His successor, Rev. William White, served as rector till 1836. At first the Episcopalians spread rapidly over the Their province, but most of them lived in Phila- settiements (jgipjiia, wherc they became very prominent in political and social life. Some of the Quaker families joined them, among whom were the sons of Penn. They also absorbed most of the Swedish popula - tion, and the Gloria Dei at Wicaco, as well as other Swedish churches, became their property. Around early organized several congregations. At Radnor, St. David's church is to St I).i%i(ls, ut Radnor. Philadelphia, they quite The Settlement of Penrtsylvania 39 this day a most interesting relic of colonial his- tory, for it is well-nigh two hundred years old. Other places where the Episcopalians were in suffi- cient numbers to have church organizations were Chester, Bristol, Perkiomen, Pequea and Lancaster. THE GERMANS As William Penn offered impartial liberty of con- science to all who were under religious p^^^^ Travels oppression, Pennsylvania was "an asylum in HoUand to the good and oppressed of every na- *"^ Germany tion." The Germans, after the Friends, were the first to become interested in his " holy experiment." Penn, whose mother was a Dutch woman, had twice been traveling in Holland and Germany, preaching the doctrine of the " inner light," first in the year 1671, and again in 1677, when he was accompanied by George Fox and several others. Their preaching made them many devoted friends in various denominations ; but they were most kindly received by the Mennonites. These people, like the Friends, took not the sword, swore not at all, w^ere non-resistant, and in dress and speech were plain and in manners simple. The tran- sition between the two sects was easy. Quakers in some instances became Mennonites, and Mennonites became Quakers. Having thus become associates in religion while still in Europe, it was natural that the two sects should become neighbors in the wilds of America. The Mennonites had been driven up and down the Rhine by persecution for a century and a half, and they now gladly braved the dangers of the sea to find a haven of rest beyond it. 40 A History of Pennsylvania Before Penn had come to America, one Jacob Some Mennon- Tcliier, of Crefcld, a town on the Rhine ites here just outsidc of Holland, had made a before Penn j. a • j.* i j. voyage to America some time between 1678 and 1681. This was the first step in the settle- ment of Germantown by the Mennonites. Furthermore, twenty years before Penn's arrival, in 1662, a small company of about twenty -five Dutch Mennonites had settled on Delaware bay. They were scattered and destroyed by the English when that country was taken from the Dutch. The leader and his wife escaped ; and after wandering in the wilderness many years, they came to Germantown, where they were cared for by their brethren. Telner, early in 1682, organized a company among Germantown his ucighbors and bought a large tract of Settled land near Philadelphia. Another company in Germany, the Frankfort Company, had also made large purchases ; but none of these from Frankfort, except Francis Daniel Pastorius, Whittier's "Pennsylvania Pilgrim," settled here. This distinguished man came to Philadelphia August 20, 1683, and, like many of the settlers, dwelt for a time in a cave. He was a great scholar, having mastered seven or eight languages and being well read in science and philosophy. He was the American representative of both German com- panies, and with thirteen families of Cref elders, com- prising thirty- three persons, founded Germantown. The Cref elders arrived six weeks after Pastorius, October 6, on the ship Concord, with passports written on parchment in golden ink. A few days afterwards, fourteen divisions of land were measured off, and the German pioneers repaired to the cave of Pastorius The Settlement of Pennsylvania 41 to draw lots for the choice of location. Cellars were at once dug and huts built over them. William Penn was present when the first two-story house was erected, and helped to eat the raising dinner. Other immigrants began to arrive in the little town soon afterwards. Peter Schumacher was the first to come from Kris- heim, in the Palatinate, where the fruits of Penn's early preaching were more bountiful than anywhere else in Germany or Holland. The early dwellers of Germantown had a hard struggle with poverty. Pastorius tells us Early struggles that the settlement was so poor that it became the subject of a pun, and was called "Armen- town." He said that it would not be believed by com- ing generations in what want and need, and with what Christian contentment and persistent industry, German- town started. He himself had to use oiled paper to let the light into his house, and over the door he had written : " Parva domus, amica bonis, procul este profani." At the end of the first year, the settlers had improved their condition materially: they had har- vested a good crop of Indian corn and buckwheat, and had added a few comforts to their houses. However, Germantown was not a settlement of farm- ers, but of weavers. Pastorius selected for Germantown the town seal a clover, with a vine on one industries of its leaves, a stalk of flax on another, and a spool of thread on the third ; the motto on it was — " Vinum, Linum, et Textrinum." It was a place — ■ "Where lives High German and Low Dutch, Whose trade in weaving linen cloth is much. There grows the flax, as also you may know That from the same they do divide the tow." 42 A History of Pennsylvania First Slavery Protest So many of the Mennonites in Europe had been weavers, that certain woven and knit fabrics were known as Men- nonite goods. Other manufactures sprung up in and around Germantown, for the settlers were nearly all skilled workmeu . William Rittinghuysen, a minister from Holland, in 1690 built the first paper mill in America, on a branch of the Wissahickon. In it was made the paper used by the earliest printer in the middle colo- nies, William Bradford. Then there were lace makers, silversmiths, printers, and other artisans. The settlers of Germantown contributed not a little toward making Philadelphia the leading manufacturing city of the American continent. The Mennonites of Germantown enjoy one proud distinction. They were the first people in America to suggest the abolition of slavery. In 1688, under the auspices of Pastorius, they sent a petition to the yearly meeting of the Friends, saying, in effect, that it was not Chris- tian-like to buy and keep negroes ; but no positive judgment was then given by the meeting. The petition was a quaint and curious paper. Germantown was the hub of the German set- The Pietists . tlement m Penn- sylvania for many years. In 1694 the Pietists, for whom Pastorius had formed a warm attachment in Germany, settled on the Wissa- hickon. They were noted for their piety, learniug Ho\ise in which Slavery Protest was signed. TJie Settlement of Pennsylvania 43 and mysticism. They spent much time in prayer and pious meditation, for which purpose they had caves in the rugged ravine of the Wissahickon. They put up a building, designed for religious and educational purposes, on the highest point of their land. It was surmounted with an observatory, the first in the province. On top of this was raised the mystic symbol — a cross within a circle — in such a position that the rays of the rising sun would flood it with a roseate hue. Later, in 1734, a massive stone structure was built farther up the stream ; it is still known as the "monastery on the Wissahickon." One of their asso- ciates, Christoph Saur, published a newspaper which circulated among all the Germans in the colonies, from New York to Georgia. He printed the German bible as early as 1743, about forty years before the English bible was printed in America, and he was among the first to print a magazine on this side of the Atlantic. He made his type, paper and ink, and bound his own books. He also issued an almanac, which, together with his paper, made him a great power among the Germans in America, especially among those in Pennsylvania. Germantown also became the original home of the Tunkers, or German Baptists, in America; ' i- ? -. . The Tunkers but they did not arrive until 1719. Chris- toph Saur, son of Christoph, the publisher, became an elder in this denomination. As the successor to his father's business, he was a prominent man in the province. With others of his sect, he took an active part in the establishment of the Germantown Academy. Through his almanacs and other publications, he too, was widely known outside of Pennsylvania. 44 A History of Pennsylvania ^fter 1700, German immigration to Pennsylvania German ^^^ ^^ longcr confined to those who had immiErration been influenced by Penn's visit to the con- increases tinent. The English government now en- couraged the Germans to come to America to add strength to its population for competition with the French. The Golden Book of Queen Anne, which gave glowing accounts of the colonies, was circulated far and wide in the German states. In 1708 and 1709, large numbers crossed to Eng- land and were temporarily sheltered in tents on the commons of London while waiting for transportation to America. Pennsylvania was the favorite colony with the Germans, and by the year 1725 fifty thou- sand had made their way hither. "We shall soon have a German colony," wrote James Logan, the Provincial Secretary in 1726, "so many thousands of Germans are already in the country." Fears were entertained that the province might not remain loyal to the English government. Immigrants came from the German side of Switzerland and Holland, from Swabia, Alsace, and Saxony, but most from the Palati- nate. There the ruler was now of one church, then of another, and with every change the people had to conform or suffer. So many German immigrants were from the Palatinate that the name Palatine was given to all of them. Thus Whittier's poem about the ship that was wrecked on Block Island, in 1738, was named "The Palatine." As many of the so-called Palatines were too poor German to pay for thc passagc across the sea, they Redcmptioners ^^j.g hired out for a term of years to pay for their transportation. Such were called The Settlement of Pennsylvania 45 ^^redemptioners." In many cases parents pledged their children in this manner. These later German settlers pressed out into the wilderness, and left Philadelphia and the The Germans country around it to the English and on the Frontier to the Germans in and about Germantown. They filled the Lehigh and ..^ Schuylkill valleys, _ li^SOi^S^^lTfe;. settling in Easton, Northampton town (Allentown), Read- ing, Lebanon, and Lancaster. Thence they pushed on to the Susquehanna, down into the Cum- berland valley and up into the Juniata and Susquehanna valleys. By 1750, the Germans consti- tuted one- third of the entire colony, which numbered about 270,000 people. Today they form the bulk of the population in many counties, and there is no section of the State in which scattered German families may not be found. The Germans who thus pushed into the wilderness were of various religious denominations. various The Schwenkf elders, who, like the Friends, Religious Mennonites and Tunkers, opposed war, enomina»o"s oaths and display, settled on contiguous lands in Mont- gomery, Lehigh and Berks, in 1734, where they live today, numbering all told less than a thousand. They still celebrate the anniversary of their arrival as a day of thanksgiving. They had been the victims of perse- A Colonial Homestead near Germantown. 46 A History of Fennsylvmiia The Moravians cution in Europe for more than three hundred years, and had to worship in secret to prevent detection. Hence they became accustomed to worship in private houses', and for fifty years after their arrival in Penn- sylvania they had few public meeting-houses. There was no ringing of bells and chanting of hymns. The Moravians settled in Northampton county, at Nazareth, in 1739, and at Bethlehem in 1741. Thej^ had first gone to Georgia, but that province wanted them to do military duty, which their conscience forbade. Their leader was Count Zinzendorf, a man well known in Europe and America. They were communists, and carried on about thirty trades for the benefit of the church. They even sailed several ships on the sea. Bethlehem la.y along the line of travel from New England to the South, and its Moravian inns were famous throughout the land for their hospitality. The "Sun" enter- tained under its roof most of the leading men of the country as long as they trav- eled by stage. The great work of the Moravians for the province was the conversion of Indi- ans, the fruits of which were largely destroyed by the French and Indian war. Much of what we know of Indian life in Pennsylvania was recorded by the Moravian Sim lun. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 47 Moravian missionaries, notably by Heckewelder. The schools of this pious sect were also widely known, and many young ladies and gentlemen from far and wide received their education in them. Another equally unique settlement was made at Ephrata, Lancaster county, by a branch of ^^^^^^^ the Tunkers of Germantown, known as the Seventh Day Baptists. Their leader was Conrad Beisel, a Pietist. His settlement became known as the Mon- astery of Ephrata, on the Cocalico creek, and some of its strange buildings are still standing. There was a house for the broth- ers and a house for the sisters . Among ^^^^^^^^, ^^^ g.^^^^^, ^^^^^^ ^^ Ephrata. the numerous manu- facturing industries was a printing house. Some forty books of a religious and educational character were printed in it, besides many tracts and hymns. Just before the battle of Germantown, three wagon loads of books in sheets were seized there for cartridges. While the Continental Congress sat at York, this print- ing house struck off paper money for the government. There was a school in the place that attracted pupils as far away as Philadelphia and Baltimore. Its rooms were used as a hospital for American soldiers after the battle of the Brandywine. Peter Miller, second prior of the monastery, was one of the most learned men in America. He translated the Declaration of In- dependence into seven languages by order of Con- gress. 48 A History of Pennsylvania The Mennonites that came to Pennsylvania after other 1700, settled in upper Bucks, Montgomery, German Sects Qhcster, and Lancaster counties. Numer- ous other German sects came to Pennsylvania which it is not essential to describe. It was said that every sect in the world had followers in Pennsylvania. The Germans remaining to be considered were The Reformers *^® church pcoplc — the Reformed and the and the Luthcraus. They did not arrive in large erans numbcrs until about 1725. Some four hun- dred Reformed settled along the Skippack, in Mont- gomery county, in 1727. Others followed, and in 1747 Rev. Michael Schlatter organized the Reformed Church of Pennsylvania as a part of the Synod of Holland. The Lutherans, who began to arrive soon after the Reformed, were much more numerous. Their leader was Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg. He was the father of Peter, the general of the Revolution; of Frederick, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives ; and of Gotthilf, the botanist. Muhlenberg came to America in 1742, and, with the two churches at New Hanover and New Providence, in Montgomery county, as a nu- cleus, he organized the Lutheran Church of America. The congregation at the former place is supposed to be the oldest of this denomination in the United States. Muhlenberg and his son Peter are buried in the graveyard of this church. As larger numbers of Reformed and Lutherans had come to America before their leaders, and scattered through half a dozen coun- ties in search of a place to work and live, their organi- zation into congregations was a tedious and difficult task. However, it was a good work, for the sound of church bells reminded the settlers of their higher duties. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 49 The followers of Schlatter and Muhlenberg were always quite friendly with each other ; in Their Relation rural districts, they commonly worshipped *° ^^^^ o*^" in the same church. The school house was generally To Church on Horseback. the companion of the church. Having been established churches in Germany, the Reformed and the Lutherans had an educated and paid ministry ; hence colleges to educate the ministry were founded as soon as the means were at hand. Frequently those who looked forward to the ministry were sent to Germany to be educated. The Reformed and Lutherans also made an effort to spread the English language among the Germans. Muhlenberg himself taught English, and was careful to have his sons educated in it before sending them to Germany. Schlatter raised a fund in England, Holland and Ger- many for teaching the Pennsylvania Germans Eng- lish. Under the direction of a board of trustees composed of members of the provincial government, he established schools in Reading, York, Easton, Lan- caster, New Hanover and Skippack. These began their existence in 1754, but died out in 1763 for want of support. 50 A History of Pennsylvania The Germans as Farmers In colonial days, agriculture was the chief occupa- tion. Then governors, lawmakers, and magistrates were farmers. Even in the early history of the Republic, presidents, congressmen, and framers of constitutions were followers of the plow. In this occupation, the Pennsylvania Germans excelled, and they therefore clung to the soil and to rural life with great tenacity. They were good judges of land ; they worked hard, and practiced severe econ- omy. They cleared the land that had the heaviest timber, for they knew it would produce the heaviest crops ; and they often grew rich where others had be- A Lebanon Valley Farm. come poor. They contributed much to the material wealth of the State. Their farms are not surpassed anywhere in the world. Coming here in numbers large enough to form a ^^ ^ colony of their own, sequestering them- The German ^^^ ^ J ' i Language in sclvcs iu thc couutry, aud settling entire Pennsylvania ^jQ^^^^ics exclusivcly, the Gemiaus naturally kept their own language, literature and customs. Be- The Settlement of Pennsylvania 51 fore the postal system, the newspaper, the railroad, the telegraph, and other means of swift communica- tion, had enabled the people of distant parts to know one another, a settlement so large as that of the Ger- mans yielded very slowly to changes from the outside. In our day such isolation is no longer possible, and they are fast acquiring the use of the English lan- guage for all purposes — the home, the school, and the church. Though the Pennsylvania Germans in some re- spects remained Germans outwardly for two centuries, they are Americans at heart. They help to administer the local government, and hundreds have sat in the General Assembly. Eight have occupied the guber- natorial chair, and many have written their names on the national roll of honor. They have been in both houses of Congress, in the Speaker's chair, and in the President's Cabinet. Through their industry and frugality, they have contributed a large share to the material resources of the State. In time of war they have likewise done their duty. In 1775, they shared the honor with their Scotch -Irish neighbors on the frontier of being among the first troops called by the Continental Congress — expert riflemen raised in Penn- sylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The rifle, which was then unknown in New England, had been brought to Pennsylvania by the Swiss and Palatines, about 1700. Nor should it be forgotten that the Moravian missionaries, both in the French and in the Revolu- tionary wars, warded off many a fatal blow from the tomahawk ; and that Conrad Weiser, interpreter and agent of Indian affairs in the province, was a host in himself in the management of the savages. 52 A History of Pennsylvania THE WELSH The Welsh began to come in 1682, soon after the The colony had been planted ; bnt their immi- weish Tract gration practically ceased with the close of the century. Dr. Thomas Wynne, Penn's friend and physician, and a few others, came in the Welcome. These people settled on a large tract of land along the ridge extending back from the Schuylkill as far as Paoli. Their settlement was called the Welsh Barony; it has since been known as the Welsh Tract. The three townships in the tract were Merion, Haver- ford and Radnor. As their number increased they spread out into other townships. Some went as far west as Lancaster county, and gave their name to the Welsh mountains there ; others located as far east as Gwynedd and Penllyn, north of Philadelphia. In passing along the Pennsylvania railroad, beginning with Berwyn, various stations commemorate Welsh names of two hundred years ago. Bryn Mawr — the great hill — was the home of Minister Rowland. Wynne- wood honors the name of Doctor Wynne, whose pro- fession reminds us of the fact that nearly all the early physicians of the colony were Welshmen. George Washington's physician was the great-grandson of Dr. Wynne. The father of our State and the "father of our country" entrusted their lives to the care of Welsh physicians. The name of Montgomery county was brought from Wales, and Blue Ball tells of the numerous inns along the Lancaster pike — a great historic highway that had its beginning in the trail made through the forest by the first wandering Welshman. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 53 The Welsh, like the settlers of Germantown, came to Pennsylvania to form a settlement in which they could regulate their own affairs. Being the descendants of the ancient Britons, dwelling in a separate corner of England, and speaking a distinct language, their purpose was very natural. Most of them were Friends, and had known William Penn in England. Though at first they could not understand the English language, they soon absorbed it, and lost their outward identity. Several things helped to bring this about. One was the schism made among them by Friend George Keith, who seems to have had a special hatred for the Welsh Brethren. Another trouble was the division of their barony. In the absence of Penn, it was divided between Philadelphia and Chester counties. Later on, when the Welsh objected to the quit-rents on their unoccupied lauds, the Welsh Tract was thrown open to everybody. 'Most names of the Welsh settlers have likewise become Anglicized. Thus, ap John (ap " . ', f . ^ Welsh Names meanmg son of) became John's (son) or Jones ; ap Edward, Edwards ; ap William, Williams ; ap Robert, Roberts ; others, as ap Hugh, became Pugh, ap Howell, Powell, etc. Thomas Lloyd, deputy- governor of the province, was a Welshman, and so were the Cadwaladers, Merediths and Owenses. THE SCOTCM-IBISS The Scotch -Irish were people from Scotland who had gone to Ireland to occupy the lands Their origin taken from Irish rebels by Queen Eliza- ^"'^ settlements beth and James I. In religion they were Presbyteri- 54 A History of Pennsylvania ans, and by occupation, farmers. They were drawn to Pennsylvania by its fame for religious liberty and fertility of soil. They began to arrive soon after 1700, the earliest ones settling in the lower part of Chester and Lancaster counties. About 1720, the set- tlement containing the famous Log College was made on the Neshaminy, in Bucks county. Another body located at the Forks of the Delaware, in Northampton county ; these had first gone to New Hampshire, but found the climate too cold. Donegal, Lancaster county, and Paxtang, Derry, and Hanover, Dauphin county, were Scotch -Irish localities at one time ; but the Cum- berland valley received the greatest number. Being an aggressive people, collisions with the Ger- As mans frequently occurred. The officials of Frontiersmen ^^q proviucc therefore encouraged the Ger- mans to locate in the eastern parts and the Scotch- Irish to go westward. This arrangement was agree- able ; for the Scotch -Irish were the very men to face the wilderness and resist the attacks of wild beasts and savage men. When, in 1768, the land bej'ond the Alleghenies was thrown open for settlement, they welcomed the opportunity thus presented of planting the standard of progress a few hundred miles further into the pathless forest. Acting thus as pioneers, their conduct towards the Relations with Indians was as warlike as that of the the Indians Quakers had been peaceful. The expe- rience of their forefathers in Ireland was a school for frontier life of a more aggressive kind than had existed while the Quakers and Germans faced the Red Man. The Indians had now been driven farther and farther west by the tidal wave of immigration, and The Settlement of Pennsylvania 55 peace was hard to maintain. When the French and Indian war broke out, the Scotch -Irish settlers on the frontier had to face many a fatal attack, for some of which they had themselves to blame. Their disturb- ance of the peace policy of the province caused the Quakers to form a dislike for them. Hence we find that these two classes of people at one time waged a bitter war of words. When, in 1763, Pontiac's war broke out along the frontier of Pennsylvania and Virginia, the The Rev. John Elder, of the Paxtang church," p«^*^"^^°^^" by. authority of the province, organized several com- panies of rangers— volunteer bands of frontiersmen— to protect the settlers against Indian atrocities. They did duty as far north as Wyoming; but their main service was performed along the Susquehanna south of the Blue mountains. Here some Indians committed deed after deed of bloody violence; but where they came from was a mystery. Suspicion was awakened that they were harbored by the Christian Indians— the refuse of various tribes — who lived on the Manor, a tract of land near Columbia, belonging to the Penns. Colonel Elder, John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg, and others, asked John Penn, the Governor, to remove these Indians, whose character, it was claimed, did not put them above suspicion. The Governor declined to do this, on the ground that they were "innocent, help- less, and dependent on the government for support." The "Paxtang Boys" then resolved to take the law into their own hands, but not without the protest of Colonel Elder. They went to the settlement at night, but their presence was prematurely announced by the doo-s. The dwellers of the Manor rushed out of their 56 A History of Fennsylvcmia wigwams and wildly brandished their tomahawks. The rangers leveled their guns and quickly killed the Indians. But not all of them were at home, and when those absent learned of the fate of their brethren, they hastened to Lancaster and sought safety in the jail. A few made their way to Philadelphia. Chagrined at the escape of some of the Indians, the rangers resolved to complete their work. They went to Lancaster, broke into the jail, and shot the fugitive Conestogas. . After that, the settlers south of the Blue mountains had little annoyance from the Indians. However, the end of the excitement had not yet A Panic in comc. The Govcmor and the Assembly con- Phiiadeiphia ^emucd the action of the "Paxtang Boys" so severely that the frontiersmen sent a delegation to explain their grievances. This was interpreted to mean a show of force. The authorities in Philadelphia put the Indian refugees under guard in the garri- son, and sent an armed force to Germantown to meet the delegation. The latter made known their griev- ances, and were then conducted to Philadelphia. Among other things, the "Paxtang Boys" objected to being tried in Philadelphia, Bucks or Chester, which the government proposed to do. Though the Assembly did not yield this point, yet no convic- tion for the killing of the Conestoga Indians was^ ever had. It is true, the Scotch -Irish allowed their rough, . . vigorous and independent qualities to lead Characteristics . ^ ^ them into excesses at times ; yet these qualities made them a power in the land. The hard- ships and dangers which they braved on the frontier gave them grit and strength ; and, now that time has The Settlement of Pennsylvania 57 polished the exterior, they are strong and shining pillars in the structure of the state and nation. In colonial times, they were in a formative period ; when the Revolution came, they w^ere ready and eager for the struggle that tried men's souls and sinews. The French war was an excellent school for drilling the Continental soldiers ; but none were better drilled than the Scotch -Irish of Pennsylvania ^ a fact well known to the Continental Congress, in 1775. THE FRENCH HUGUENOTS Pennsylvania also became a refuge for sundry French families of the persecuted Hugue- ^^ . „ , ^ . Their Settlement nots. They bore the names of Dubois, Boileau, Laroux, Lefevre, De Turk, De-ller, Dox, Ferree, and others. They came here, under the influ- ence of William Penn, to plant vineyards and cultivate grapes "up the Schuylkill." Not succeeding there, they removed to the Pequea valley, then in Chester county, now in Lancaster. The removal was brought about by the arrival in 1712 of Madame Ferree, a widow who had lost her husband in the massacres in France which followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. She had fled to England, and was there aided in her immigration to Pennsylvania by William Penn. He gave her a grant of two thousand acres of land in Pequea valley, and she bought two thousand more. To this place all the French people went for settle- ment. They were heartily welcomed by some. Delaware Indians there, and when the Indian chief died, the Huguenots attended the burial. His grave, on Lafayette Hill, near Paradise, was marked with a pile of stones, 58 A History of Pennsylvania which long remained to mark the spot. The descendants of these French families are found chiefly in Berks, Lancaster and Dauphin counties. Though the settlers of Pennsylvania were of various Nationalities sccts, churchcs, and nationalities, which at Disappear timcs had quarrcls more or less serious, we, their heirs and descendants, know no such differ- ences in the discharge of our duties to the govern- ment. We are all Pennsylvanians now ; and the question whether a citizen is English, German, Welsh, Scotch -Irish, or French, happily never enters our mind. Nor do we inquire into his religious prefer- ences. With us today it is — "The union of hearts, the union of hands, And the flag of our Union forever." BOOKS FOR READING AND CONSULTATION Egle's History of Penyisylvania, pp. 28-52, 438-453, 517-546, 612-682, 814-854, 863-879, 950-960, 965-996, 1015 1048, and 1169-1180; Bancroft's History of the United States, Vol. II, pp. 78-130; Walton and Brumbaugh's Stories of Pennsylvania, pp. 9-79 and 297-300; Sypher's History of Pennsylvania, pp. 9-46; Fisher's Making of Pennsylvania, pp. 7-236 ; Stoughton's William Penn, passim; Saehe's The Fatherland, passim; Diffenderfer's German Exodus; Bowden's History of The Friends, Part II, pp. 1-221; Glenn's Merion in the Welsh Tract, pp. 1-55; The Eighth Congress of the Scotch-Irish in America, pp. 71-82. CHAPTER III THE GROWTH OF POPULATION AND THE ADJUSTMENT OF BOUNDARIES A Double Movement In the settlement of Pennsylvania we noticed a double wave of population sweeping in from the southeast ; the Scotch -Irish, with their daring energy and restlessness, in advance, and the Germans, with their plodding industry and stead- fastness, following and permanently occupying the soil. This movement is most plainly recorded in the Kittatinny valley. Throughout its length — from Easton to Maryland — are found places and grave- stones bearing Scotch -Irish names. These people entered the Kittatinny valley at va- rious points, about the year 1730. Between 1745 and 1750, they passed through the gaps west of the Susque- hanna. Thence they rapidly followed the main streams toward the north and west. The Germans began to ar- rive in greatest numbers about the year 1740, the time when the Scotch-Irish immigration had reached its height. In many places the Germans succeeded to the lands formerly occu- pied by the Scotch -Irish*. It was the onward flew Derry Church (1729), Dauphii County. (59) 60 A History of Pennsylvania of these two classes of people that caused a demand for land, and made the Indian purchases from 1736 to 1758 necessary (see map, p. 6). Easton, Allentown (called Northamptontown till about 1800), Reading, Lebanon, Harrisburg, York (called Yorktown and Little York), Carlisle, and Shippensburg (except York, the oldest town west of the Susquehanna) , were all founded within these years. Under Penn and his sons, there were three divisions Divisions of their land in the province : first, the of the Land commou lauds, constituting the bulk of it, and selling at a uniform price, which up to 1713 was five pounds per hundred acres, and one shilling quit- rent, but later, double and triple this amount; second, the Proprietary tenths, or manors, reserved and held by the Proprietary ; third, the private estates of the individual members of the Proprietary, purchased from one another or from other persons. The quit- rents were paid by the tenant to be "quit and free " from all feudal service ; and they were used to pay the expenses of the government. They ranged in value from a pepper-corn, a red rose, an Indian arrow, a buck's foot, a bear skin, or a bushel of wheat, to several shillings per hundred acres. From the be- ginning there was difficulty with the payment of quit-rents ; some refused to pay them, while others neglected to pay them, or, paying them, did not get a proper credit. Thousands of persons settled without any titles to their lands. Many of these afterwards secured titles, but some did not. In 1797 a law was passed requiring the present owners of such unpatented lands to satisfy the State's claims ; but the law was allowed to go by default. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 61 After the Declaration of Independence the State, in 1779, annulled the Royal Charter, and state gets the paid the Penns 130,000 pounds sterling for common Lands their rights in the common lands. They retained, how- ever, their manors and their private property, and so were still the largest landowners in the State. The larger part of what remains of the old Penn manors is in and around Wilkes-Barre — in the Sunhury manor, in Plymouth, Salem and Jackson townships. The Penn estate also owns about three dozen ground -rents in northern Philadelphia, in what was the Manor of Springettsbury, and one irredeemable ground -rent on property in Race street near Twenty -first. This, with some reversionary rights in ground granted by Penn for public buildings, is the sum total of posses- sions in Pennsylvania now belonging to the heirs of Penn. They had also, until within a few years, received from the British government an annuity of 4,000 pounds for their losses in the Revolution. Penn's policy in purchasing lands from the Indians was always an honest one. His sons, though penn's in the main carrying out their father's LandPoiicy policy, had to deal with a greater and more difficult problem. They had to satisfy the Red Man when it became evident that the white man would eventually have the last foot of soil in Pennsylvania. Hence, some of the later land dealings were not free from injustice. This was the case with the historic "walking purchase." It was the custom of the Indians to measure land by walking or riding on horseback. In The "walking 1686, William Penn bought a tract of land Purchase" along the Delaware, extending "back into the woods 62 A History of Pennsylvania as far as man can go in one day and a half." When the white settlers reached the Lehigh hills, below Easton, the Indians became uneasy, and wanted the walk performed. The time fixed for it was September 19, 1737; and the starting point, a tree near Wrights- town, Bucks county. The Proprietary had employed three men — Marshall, Yeates and Jennings — all fleet on foot ; and the Delaware Indians, three men. The walkers were under the supervision of the sheriff of Bucks county and the surveyor -general of Pennsyl- vania, and were accompanied by a number of spectators, some of whom carried refreshments. The walkers kept a northerl}^ course on the Durham road to Durham creek, thence, a northwesterly^ course ; they forded the Lehigh at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and reached the Hockendauqua at sunset. Jennings and two of the Indians had given out the first day ; hence the others resumed the walk alone the next morning. Having passed through the Lehigh Water Gap, Marshall, the only one who finished the walk, reached a spur of the Broad mountain at 12 o'clock. The distance gone over in the day and a-half was about sixty miles. Instead of running the shortest line from the end of the walk to the Delaware, the surveyor Its Extent went northeast and struck the mouth of the Lackawaxen, thus securing for the Proprietary the Forks of the Delaware, on the south side of the Blue mountains, and the Mini sink Flats, on the north side — both rich and desirable tracts of land (see map, p. 6). The entire "walking purchase" included the up- per portion of Bucks, nearly all of Northampton, and parts of Carbon, Monroe and Pike — an area of not less than 1,200 square miles. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 63 The Delawares complained that the walk was not fair — that instead of by the compass across the country, it should have been up the Delaware by the nearest path, as was done by William Penn and their fathers when they tramped leisurely together for a day and a half to determine the north- ern limit of Markham's purchase of 1682. The In- dians in the party also objected to the pace of the white walkers, frequently calling to the latter to ivalh not to run. One of them said afterwards: "No sit down to smoke, no shoot a squirrel, but lun, lun lun, all day long." It is stated that it took the surveyor- general afterwards four days to walk over the same ground. Jennings and Yeates both were supposed to have died from the effects of the walk. Marshall alone was none the worse, for he died at the ripe old age of ninety. At the time of the " walking purchase," the Dela- ware Indians held their council fires at the Minisink Flats. Here, on the Pocono, was born the celebrated chief, Tedyuscung, called " Honest John" by the English. When his lands had been wrested from him by the " walk," more especially by the line to the Lackawaxen, the Six Nations, urged by the Governor of Pennsylvania, in 1742 ordered the Delawares to remove to Wyoming and Shamokin, on the Susquehanna. The Six Nations characterized the Delawares as "women," and not empowered to sell lands. Tedyuscung protested ; but the Iroquois said, " Don't deliberate, but remove away." The wrong rankled in the hearts of the Delawares like a smoth- ered fire ; and when the French and Indian war broke out, they openly took sides with the French, and 64 A History of Pennsylvania helped to desolate the frontier. By the time of the Revolution, they, together with the Shawanese, who had dwelt opposite Wyoming, had all been driven to the Ohio river. Tedyuscung, at a council held at Easton in 1758, A Restoration by the help of the Quakers established ^^*^* the fact that the Indians had been wronged by the "walking purchase" and other land transactions. He showed that the Six Nations had given land to the Delawares, and then "sold it from under their feet" to the whites. As a result of this conference, a large tract of land on the Susquehanna, Juniata, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers, which had been purchased from the Six Nations under a misapprehension, at Albany in 1754 (see p. 66), was restored to the Indians, and many causes of misunderstanding were removed (see map, p. 6). Had these wrongs been righted sooner, or, better still, never been committed, "the blood of Braddock's soldiers would not have been added to the price of the land." While Pennsylvanians were thus pressing forward The Claim and occupyiug the virgin soil from the of Connecticut gouthcast through the Delaware and Le- high valleys. New Englanders advanced from the north- east. The charter of Connecticut, like that of Massa- chusetts, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia, defined its western boundary to be the Paci- fic ocean. Its southern boundary was to be a straight line beginning at the mouth of Narragansett bay. This, extended west, would have entered Pennsylvania near Stroudsburg and crossed the Susquehanna at Blooms- burg. Penn's charter fixed the northern boundary of liis province at the forty-second degree of latitude. 66 A History of Pennsylvania A large strip of territory was thus granted to both Connecticut and Pennsjdvania. In 1753, an association of New Englanders, mostly The Albany from Connccticut, called the Susquehanna Purchase Company, was formed to make a settlement ^ in the territory of Pennsylvania claimed by Connecti- cut. The beautiful valley upon the Susquehanna, where eleven j^ears before Tedyuscung and his tribe had built the town of Wyoming, was selected for the purpose. The next year, at the general congress at Albany, the Susquehanna Company purchased from the Six Nations the lands upon the Susquehanna north of the Blue mountains. Pennsylvania protested against the purchase, claiming that it had not been made in open council, but had been effected by making the Indian chiefs drunk. As the congress had been called to form a union of the colonies with the Six Nations as allies against the French, the purchase was not then seriously opposed. Besides, Pennsylvania bought a large tract of land from the Six Nations at the same time, and in a way not satisfactory to the Indians. About the close of the French and Indian war, a Connecticut compauy of Connecticut settlers arrived in Settles the Wyoming valley ; and, before winter set yoming ^^^ extcusive fields of wheat had been sown upon lands covered with forest trees in August. But owing to the scantiness of provisions, the settlers returned to Connecticut for the winter. Early the next year, in 1763, they returned, accompanied by many others. Notwithstanding the remonstrances of North- ampton county, to which the Wyoming valley then belonged, settlements were made at Wilkes -Barre, Kingston, Plymouth and Hanover. The summer passed Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 67 with nothing to mar the peace and contentment of the New En glanders ; but in October, the Indians fell upon them like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, and killed about twenty of their number. The others fled — some back to Connecticut, some to New York. This is known in history as the first massacre of Wyoming. It , was the work of the Delawares, whom the wily Iroquois had made believe that Tedyuscung had been assassinated by the whites. The flow of immigration, so violently and suddenly checked, did not begin again till 1768. That year, at Fort Stanwix, New York, a large tract of land, including Wyoming, was bought from the Six Nations by the Proprietary, to strengthen its claim to the disputed territory (see map, p. 6). Pennsylvania settlers now arrived and laid out two manors, one on each side of the Susquehanna, and extending over the farms abandoned by the New Englanders. Early the next year, a party of forty Connecticut men came to resume the settlement made before. They located at Kingston, and after battling with departing winter, enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous summer. The "forty" were under the direction of three men, one of whom was Zebulon Butler ; and their fort was known as the "Forty Fort." In October, the sheriff of Northampton county appeared, arrested them and marched them to Easton, where they were lodged in jail. And now the southern and northern waves of population had met in a fierce conflict, known as the "Pennamite and Yankee war." Forts and blockhouses were constructed, and many sieges and skirmishes fol- lowed. Both parties led men to prison, drove women and children away, and committed other outrages. 68 A History of Pennsylvania The Connecticut men on the whole were the more Westmoreland succcssful in this civil stHfc. They organ- Town J2ed a government, made laws, and appointed judges and other officers. Their intention was to form an independent state ; but they could not maintain themselves alone against the Pennamites. So in 1774, they attached themselves to Connecticut, as the town (township) of Westmoreland, in the county of Litch- field, Zebulon Butler was one of the judges. With the outbreak of the Revolution there came a lull in the strife iu Wyoming. It was A Lull resolved at a public meeting, "That we will unanimously join our brethren of America in the common cause of defending our liberty." Two com- panies of troops raised in Wyoming joined the Conti- nental army, as a part of the Connecticut Line. How- ever, as soon as independence had been achieved, the old feud broke out in all its former fury. All attacks from the Indians being at an end, swarms of new settlers arrived and added fuel to the fire. Pennsyl- vania having in 1779, by an act of assembly, succeeded the heirs of Penn in the possession of all vacant terri- tory, now appealed to Congress to settle the dispute. By virtue of the Articles of Confederation, that body appointed a commission for the purpose. It met at Trenton in 1782, and after five weeks of deliberation decided, without giving any reasons, that Connecticut had no right to the land, and that the jurisdiction and preemption of the same belonged to Pennsylvania. The settlers were all satisfied with the change of jurisdiction: but when Pennsylvania sought At War Again '' „ ' ..,..-,. T to enforce her preemption rights another civil struggle ensued, causing such serious trouble Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 69 that the militia had to be called out. Colonel Timothy Pickering was deputized to use his influence for the restoration of order. At length, in 1799, after nearly forty years of unparalleled suffering, to which a destructive ice -flood in 1794 had contributed not a little, affairs were amicably arranged by con- firming to the Connecticut settlers the titles to their lands on payment of a small price per acre. The Pennsylvania claimants were satisfied by paying them for the farms they had to give up, or by giving them land elsewhere in exchange. After the settlement of the land difficulties in Wyoming, the valley, which is twenty- one Wyoming miles long and three miles wide, enjoyed Prosptrs the tranquility of peace. Its rich acres blossomed as the rose. The county of Luzerne, named after the Chevalier de Luzerne, at that time minister from France, had been erected in 1786. Its territory then included parts of Bradford (Ontario originally), Sullivan, Carbon, and all of Susquehanna and Wyoming. Wilkes -Barre, so called in honor of John Wilkes and Colonel Barre, members of the British Parliament and warm friends of the American colonies in the Revolution, was laid out in 1773. "Delightful Wyoming ! beneath thy skies The happy shepherd swains had naught to do But feed their flocks on green declivities, Or skim, perchance, thy lake with light canoe." With the exception of the Dutch on . the Minisink Flats, the Moravian mission station at Gna- The upper denhiitten, near the Lehigh, and a few scat- schuyikiu tered farms near Orwigsburg, on the Schuylkill, there 70 A History of Pennsylvania were no settlements, before the Revolution, between the Wyoming valley and the Blue mountains (see Purchase of 1749, map, p. 6). This tract was not much inhabited until after the discovery of anthracite coal. The settlement of the Susquehanna valley was be- gun by John Harris, father of John Harris, Susquehanna thc fouudcr of Harrisburg, and the first Valley white child known to have been born in Pennsylvania west of the Conewago hills. The elder Harris came from England quite early, and in 1705 got permission as a li- censed trader "to seat himself on the Sus- quehanna " and to trade with the Indians of the Conois creek. The lands of the Sus- quehanna northward to the Blue mountains were finally deeded to the Proprietors by the Indians, in 1736. Penn had first leased this region from the governor of New York, who had secured it from the Five Nations. The lease was for a thousand years at an annual rental of a " pepper -corn." Soon after the transaction of 1736, a highway, extending from the Delaware to the Susquehanna, was laid out at the request of numerous settlers of Paxtang township, then in Lancaster, now in Dauphin county. In 1749, another purchase was made (see map, p. 6) ; it opened the Susquehanna valley for settlement some distance beyond the Blue mountains. Grave of Jolm Harris, Sr., Harrisburg. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 71 Before the white man came to this portion of the province, it had been occupied by the Dela- shamokin. wares and Shawanese, under the control of °' sunbury the Five Nations. They had a town of some fifty houses at the fork of the two branches of the Sus- quehanna, then Shamokin, now Sunbury. It was the residence of Shikellimy, the celebrated Oneida chief, who was the vice -king of the Six Nations in Pennsyl- vania (see p. 5). Conrad Weiser visited the place as early as 1737, and in 1742 Count Zinzendorf and one or two others made their way thither and received a hearty welcome from Shikellimy. The Indians there were rough, drunken, mischievous fellows, among whom, " Satan seems to have had his seat." The Six Nations asked the governor to send a blacksmith to Shamokin. One was sent by the Moravians at Beth- lehem, and he opened the way for a Moravian mission. Soon afterwards white settlers located in the valley below, on both sides of the river. At the outbreak of the French and Indian war these became exposed to Indian attacks, and Fort Augusta was erected at Sha- mokin to protect them. Fort Augusta was a very important place of defense in the French and Indian war and in the The Popuia- Revolution. During the former, few settlers *^°" °~^^ ventured beyond it, for it was then the most northern place of defense in the Susquehanna valley beyond the Blue mountains. Northumberland had its begin- nings in a public house put up to accommodate those who came to see the land in the new purchase, made at Fort Stanwix, 1768 (see map, p. 6). This was the last purchase under the Proprietaries, and it extended the limits of settlement beyond the forks 72 A History of Pennsylvania of the Susquehanna, both along the West and the North branches. But the North Branch beyond Blooms- burg lay in the disputed territory claimed by Con- necticut, and was settled from the north. Fort McClure, near Bloomsburg, was built by the famous Indian fighter, Van Campen, and named after the first settler, James McClure, who got a patent for his land in 1772. The settlers at the lower end of the North branch viewed with jealousy the occu- pation of the neighboring lands of Wyoming by the Yankees. Dr. William Plunket, as magistrate and colonel, in 1775, by authority of the governor, led an expedition against them ; but at the Nanticoke Nar- rows he was met by the enemy and forced to return without accomplishing anything. Along the West Branch, the stream of population "The Fair-Play" flowiug uorth was much strougcr ; for Settlement thcrc wcrc few Ncw Englanders ahead to block its way. Quakers from the lower counties settled Pennsborough, now Muncy, named after the Monsey Indians, who inhabited that section of the valley. Fort Muncy was erected near by in 1778 ; in fact, from Sunbury to Lock Haven, there was a line of forts, and each of them became the scene of many a legend of border warfare. Many Germans and Scotch -Irish also found their way into the pine- clad mountains of this region. There was an un- certainty, for some years after the purchase of 1768, about its exact boundaries. The Proprietaries had forbidden settlement in this doubtful tract ; but their proclamation was not heeded. Adventurers took pos- session of the land and organized a local government. They annually elected in rotation three of their num- Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 73 ber, whom they called "fair-play" men, to act as Judges in all controversies. From their decisions there was no appeal. Every newcomer had to apply to the "fair- play" men for his land. Any person resisting the enforcement of the "fair -play" code was placed in a canoe, rowed to the mouth of Lycoming creek, and there set adrift. The acts of this unique court were afterwards allowed as evidence in the established courts, and the hona-fide settlers between Lycoming and Pine creeks each got three hundred acres of land. A most singular coincidence occurred in the history of these "fair-play" men on July 4, 1776. Early in the sum- mer they had heard that Congress contemplated inde- pendence from Great Britain. Accordingly, on the above date, far from the sound of the Liberty Bell, they assembled on Pine creek, and, after some patri- otic discussion, passed a set of resolutions declaring themselves free and independent. Northumberland county w^as erected, in 1772, out of Lancaster, Cumberland, Berks, North- Counties Erected ampton and Bedford. It was reduced to its present size by the successive erection of Luzerne, Miflin, Lycoming, Centre, Columbia and Union coun- ties. Fort Augusta (Sunbury) was made the seat of justice. Lycoming county was not formed until 1795, eleven years after the last purchase from the Indians (see map, p. 89). It comprised originally all of the northwestern part of the State. Williamsport, named probably after William, a son of Michael Ross, upon whose land the county seat was located, was laid out soon after the formation of the county. It is one of the most beautiful towns in Pennsylvania, and is lo- cated in a valley of surpassing grandeur and loveliness. 74 A History of Pennsylvania The Juniata valley was settled largely by Scotch - The Juniata Irish, who made their way from the Cumber- vaiiey jg^^^^j vallcy through the gaps in the Blue mountains. A good many Germans also located within its borders ; but they were not encouraged to do so. In 1755, the Proprietaries instructed their agents to induce the Scotch -Irish to settle in Cumberland county and the Germans in York, in order to prevent collisions between them. Cumberland county at that time ex- tended "westward of the Susquehanna, and northward and westward of the county of York." It included the Juniata valley, and was afterwards called "Mother Cumberland," because so many counties had been formed from it. The first settlements in the Juniata valley were made a decade or more before 1750. They were established in Sherman's valley, now Perry county, in Tuscarora valley, now Juniata county, and in Aughwick valley, now Fulton county, by pioneers from Carlisle and the Conococheague. But as the lands north of the Blue mountains had not yet been bought from the Indians, the latter complained ; and the provincial government ordered the intruders to be driven out and their cabins burned. To this event, "Burnt Cabins," a village in Fulton county, owes its name. Many of the squatters returned, and aroused animosities among the savages, that burned with un- quenchable fury during the war that soon broke out. The government, being unable to keep the intruders out, made the Albany purchase in 1754 (see map, p. 6). However, the Indians were still not satisfied. The purchase, contrary to their understanding, included the West Branch of the Susquehanna. Nevertheless, a land office was at once opened for the sale of lands Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 75 in the Juniata valley. Small and scattered settle- ments were made around Lewistown, Huntingdon and Bedford. The first settlers about Lewistown came from the Conococheague by way of the Aughwick. settlement of They built Fort Granville, which was Juniata vaiiey destroyed by western Indians in 1756, who forced its occupants — soldiers, and some settlers with their fami- lies — to make a forced march to Kittanning, whence they never returned. The white man, however, had a strong Indian friend on the Juniata in the person of Logan, the Mingo chief. Huntingdon, long known as Standing Stone, was likewise settled by way of the Aughwick, and is located on the site of the "Stand- ing Stone," whose name may be regarded as a trans- lation of Onojutta-Haga, or the Juniata people, a name found on maps as early as 1659. Conrad Weiser mentioned "Standing Stone" as a curiosity, and John Harris described it as being fourteen feet high and six inches square and containing Indian hieroglyphics. The Indians venerated the "Standing Stone," and probably carried it with them, after the sale of the valley, in 1754. Jack's Narrows, below Huntingdon, is also a place suggestive of interesting history. It is named after Captain Jack Armstrong, who was a friend in need to the people of the Juniata valley on many occasion's, and a terror to the Indians. Bedford had its origin in the "Fort at Raystown," to which the settlers could flee for protection against Indian incur- sions. In 1755, the provincial authorities sent 300 men out to cut a road from Fort Loudon to Bedford, to join Braddock's road west of the Alleghenies. It was completed by General Forbes in 1758, to enable 76 A History of Pennsylvania him to reach Fort Duquesne. Bedford was for many years a military station and a stopping place for adven- turers between Carlisle and Fort Pitt. An interesting spot in what is now Blair county is the Sinking Spring valley. It contained lead mines, which were probably known to the French as early as 1750. The Indians of this region were always supplied with an abundance of lead, but where they obtained it was long a secret. In the Revolution, some of the bullets fired at the Redcoats were made from the Sinking Spring lead. After Braddock's defeat, the Indians fell with Indian Rav- mercilcss f ury upon the infant settlements ages in the in the Juuiata valley, and although the a ey ^^Qg^^y. ^f -j^y^g (gg^ map, p. 6) had re- moved the objections to the purchase of 1754, yet savage vengeance reveled in blood till 1764. Carlisle, Shippensburg and Chambersburg were frequently crowded with settlers from the Juniata valley, who had fled with their families, flocks, and furniture to escape the tomahawk and the firebrand. Crops were harvested under the protection of the militia. On one occasion, an entire school in Franklin county — Master Brown and his ten pupils — were murdered while at their books. It was not until Colonel Bouquet had driven the western Indians beyond the Ohio, and made them sue for peace (see p. 137), that the settlers of the Juniata valley could plow their fields, gather their harvests, and eat their bread, without fear of the scalping -knife. From that time until the Revolution, the population grew uninterruptedly. Many Germans from Lancaster count\^ and from Maryland were now attracted by the richness of the limestone valleys. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 11 But duriug the Revolution there was a return move- ment. British marauders, with Indian allies, caused many families to remove to eastern counties for safety. Along the southern border counties east of the mountains, numerous settlers were from The Maryland Maryland. The reason for this was that Boundary the Baltimores laid claim to a part of Pennsylvania north of the present line, and encouraged their people to occupy it. According to his charter, Penn's prov- ince was to be bounded on the south by the circum- ference of a circle whose center was New Castle and whose radius was twelve miles in length, to be drawn from north to west till it reached "the beginning of the fortieth degree." From this point of contact, the boundary line was to extend directly westward five degrees of longitude. Lord Baltimore's charter made the northern boundary of Maryland extend west from that part of Delaware bay "which lieth under the fortieth degree of latitude." The Baltimores contended that the words, "lieth under," were to be taken liter- ally, as if a huge figure 40 lay over sixty geographical miles ; that their grant extended over the land between the 39th and 40th parallels. The Penns held that the words, "beginning of the fortieth degree," in their charter, likewise had reference to the entire space between the 39th and 40th parallels ; that the 40th degree began at the 39th, just as the first degree may be said to begin at the equator. The width of a degree, therefore, was in dispute, on account of the unfortunate expressions in the two charters. Lord Baltimore, by virtue of his charter, also laid claim to the whole peninsula between the Chesapeake bay and the Atlantic ocean north of a line drawn across from 78 A History of Pennsylvania Watkins' Point. But the phrase, ^^hactenus incultas" — meaning "hitherto uncultivated" — excluded Delaware, because it had been cultivated by the Swedes and Dutch. However, as there were no exact boundaries, the Marylanders were continually encroaching upon "the three lower counties" (Delaware), as well as on the southern border of Pennsylvania. The dispute dragged its weary length through more , . than eighty years. Three English sove- Years of Dispute & ./ .; t, reigns had to do with the vexatious question. The Proprietors had a few interviews in America, but parted as secret enemies, especially after they had discovered that the 40th parallel did not pass through New Castle, as had been supposed, but much farther north. With Lord Baltimore it was territory; with William Penn it was water frontage on Chesa- peake bay. The latter once offered to buy sufficient territory of Baltimore to get a port on the bay, but met with a refusal. The claims were asserted with violence and occasional bloodshed. Settlers refused to pay taxes, because they did not know to whom to pay them. These conflicts occurred chiefly in "the three lower Scene of couutics " and in York county, then Lan- the Conflict caster. In 1730, Lord Baltimore sent a bold but pliant adventurer, named Thomas Cresap, to settle in the Conejohela valley, where a number of others had previously located under Maryland grants. Com- missioned as a justice of the peace, Cresap came to Wright's ferry and began to build boats and erect a house. He came in conflict with Pennsylvanians across the river, and even sent one to the Annapolis jail. He also attacked John Wright, the foremost Quaker in Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 79 Lancaster county, while the latter was reaping grain on the west side of the Susquehanna. Not being able to cope with Wright, Cresap had the governor of Maryland send the militia to his assistance ; but the Quaker farmer and his Scotch -Irish neighbors were more than a match for the Marylanders. Nevertheless, Cresap was a disturbing element for some time. Finally, in 1736, the sheriff of Lancaster county captured the disturber of the peace by firing his house. He was taken to Philadelphia in triumph and lodged in jail. Maryland then sent an armed force of three hundred men into the Susquehanna valley. After more bloodshed, these were driven back, and all efforts to colonize that part of Pennsylvania with Marylanders were abandoned in 1738. Soon after these quarrels in York county had begun, mutual agreements were made, in 1732, to settlement settle the boundaries as follows (see any Proposed map of the Middle States) : That a semicircle should be drawn at twelve miles from New Castle, obedient to the charter of Pennsylvania ; that a line should be run from Cape Henlopen directly west to the exact center of the peninsula, and a perpendicular be drawn northward from the western end of said line till it touched the extreme point of the circumference, thus making a tangent; that from this poiut again a line be traced due north till it reached a point fifteen statute miles south of the most southerly point of Philadelphia ; that, starting at the northern end of this line, another be drawn directly west five degrees, the western limit of Pennsylvania. As the western lands were then unsettled, it was agreed to run the last-named line only twenty -five miles beyond the 80 A History of Pennsylvania Susquehanna at that time. When everything was in readiness, a dispute arose as to the length of the cir- cumference, and the matter hung fire till 1739, when what is known as the "temporary line" was run westward of the Susquehanna as far as the Kitta- tinny hills. The dispute then got into the Court of Chancery, and was not decided until 1750, when the Lord Chancellor ordered the agreement of 1732 to be carried out. The commissioners met and agreed to make the court house at New Castle the center of the circle. But Maryland insisted on a surface measure- ment of the radius, instead of an astronomical and geometrical measurement. The Penns would not agree to this, and the work was once more put off. Finally, in 1761, after Chancery had decided in Mason and favor of Sb horizoutal measurement, two Dixon's Line expcrt English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, were appointed to run the lines. It took them several years to draw the circle, fix the tangent, and locate the beginning of the southern boundary of Pennsylvania. This boundary, known as Mason and Dixon's line, was extended westward in latitude 39° 44', for a distance of 230 miles, in the year 1767. At intervals of five miles, the survey- ors placed stones marked on the north with the arms of Thomas and Richard Penn, and on the south with the arms of Lord Baltimore. Smaller stones were placed at the end of every mile. Where transporta- tion was no longer possible — beyond the foot of Side- ling hill to the summit of the AUeghenies — heaps of stones marked the line ; and thence to the end, posts surrounded with stones and earth. The stones used as far as Sideling hill were imported from England. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 81 The Indians being feared, the remainder of the southern boundary of the State was run by other surveyors, in 1782. Mason and Dixon returned to England, but their names became household words in America. Mason and Dixon's line became famous as the division be- tween the free States and the slave States. The little triangular piece of land between the tangent and the semicircle, extending down from the eastern terminus of Mason and Dixon's line, known as the "flat iron," was recently transferred by Pennsylvania to Delaware ; but the transaction has not yet been completed by Delaware and Congress. Virginia, by virtue of her "sea to sea" charter, made an indefinite claim to all lands west and western northwest of her coast line. She therefore Pennsylvania held that the region about the forks of the Ohio belonged to her. Accordingly, in 1749, the Ohio Land Company, most of whose members were Virginians, two of them being brothers of General Washington, secured from George II a grant of half a million acres on the branches of the Ohio. Its object was to form a barrier against the French, and to establish trade with the Indians. Under its auspices, Christopher Gist, afterwards the companion of Washington on his journey to Fort Le Bceuf , explored the country. With eleven other families, he settled within the present limits of Fayette county. To check the encroachments of the French, a fort was begun in 1754, on the site of Pittsburg ; but the enemy captured the Virginians while engaged in its erection, finished it, and named it Fort Duquesne. In the year following its capture by General Forbes (seep.l33)it was rebuilt, and named Fort Pitt, in honor of Pitt, the distinguished English statesman. 82 A History of Pennsylvania Before 1758, the western part of Pennsylvania could Forbes' Road be approaclied from the east, only by the and Pittsburg pQute of the Junlata and the Kiskiminitas. In that year, Forbes finished as far as the Loyalhanna the road previously begun from Fort Loudon by way of Bedford. This opened the way for numerous set- tlers from the eastern counties, notably the Scotch- Irish. They located in the Ligonier valley, at Hannas- town, and about the forks of the Ohio. With settlers from Maryland and Virginia, they possessed the land in comparative quiet till Pontiac's war. Pittsburg was begun in 1760, and the next year had 104 houses, sheltering 332 persons. But when Pontiac's conspi- racy had been hatched, the infant town was cut off from all communication ; and had it not been for Colonel Bouquet's victory over the savages at Bushy run, in 1764 (see p. 136), it might have been wiped out of existence. He forced the Indians to withdi-aw from western Pennsylvania and retire beyond the Ohio. Colonel John Campbell, in 1765, laid out forty squares ; but the town was a poor affair then. Nor did it make much progress until after the Kevolution. The "proclamation line," by which England, after the French and Indian war, forbade the colonists to settle west of the headwaters of the rivers in the Atlantic basin, interfered with the 'growth of Pittsburg and the country around it. The settlers of Redstone creek and Cheat river were at one time driven away in pur- suance of the proclamation. A law was passed by the Assembly imposing the death penalty, without benefit of clergy, for trespassing upon lands not purchased from the Indians. But nothing daunted the trespassers; they returned again and again. To avoid these recur- Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 83 ring difficulties, the purchase at Fort Stanwix was made (see map, p. 6). It opened the country around the Ohio for legitimate settlement. A land office was opened, and a rapid increase of population followed. In 1769, the Penns surveyed a manor of 5,000 acres at Pittsburg and in the country east of it and south of the Monongahela. But the Manor of Pittsburg — as it was called — was not laid out into lots as long as Virginia claimed the land. A new difficulty arose just before the Revolution. In 1773 the county of Westmoreland, in- 1 T 11 « ii 1 i . n Collisions eluding all of the southwestern portion of the province west of Laurel Hill, was formed. Hannas- town, on the old Forbes road, near the present site of Greensburg, was made the county seat. It was the first place in the Mississippi valley where justice was administered by virtue of judicial authority. It was the only collection of houses — about thirty in number — worthy the name of town between Bedford and Pitts- burg. When Virginia saw that Pennsylvania was ex- tending jurisdiction over the forks of the Ohio, she renewed her claims to that country. Before the land had been purchased from the Indians, the settlers were so few that no collisions occurred. Now it was otherwise. Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, asserted that Pittsburg was outside of the limits of Pennsylvania. He placed in command Dr. John Con- nelly, a Pennsylvanian, but a willing tool, who took possession of Fort Pitt and changed its name to Fort Dunmore. Connelly defied the Pennsylvania magis- trates and other officers of the State, and commanded the people of Westmoreland county to recognize the authority of Lord Dunmore. Arthur St. Clair, a Penn- 84 A History of Pennsylvania House of Arthur St. Clair. sylvania magistrate, had Connelly arrested and bound over to keep the peace. This the Doctor did not do. He got a commission from Virginia to act as justice of the peace in Augusta county, which extended over the disputed ter- ritory in Pennsylvania. He then appeared at Hannastown with 150 men, all armed and with colors flying, placed sentinels at the door of the court house, and kept the magistrates from entering. Lord Dun- more now established a court at Fort Pitt, and de- manded obedience to its decrees. The matter next got into Congress, where such men as Jefferson and Henry, of Virginia, and Franklin, of Pennsylvania, advised that the troops be withdrawn. Though this was not done at once, yet the Revolution brought about a more brotherly feeling ; and by 1779 the Virginians and Pennsylvanians agreed to a settlement. A com- mission, on which served the celebrated astronomer, Rittenhouse, was appointed to run the boundary by extending Mason and Dixon's line to its western limit of five degrees. There a meridian was dra^^Ti as far north as the Ohio. Wide vistas were cut through the forests over the high hills, and trees were deadened or felled in the valleys. Stones were set up at irregular intervals and marked on the east side with the letter P, and on the west side with the letter V. Ceding her western lands north of the Ohio to The Settlement Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 85 Congress in 1784, Virginia had no further interest in the boundary, and next year Pennsylvania alone extended the meridian to Lake Erie. After the Revolution, affairs in western Pennsylvania were generally peaceful. The old State road southwestern was opened along the trail of Forbes, and Pennsylvania numerous villages sprang up along its way. Greens- burg was founded on the site of a blockhouse of the Revolution. Hannastown had been wiped off the map of Westmoreland county, July 13, 1782, by one of the most cruel Indian attacks on record. The Indians, under the famous Seneca chief, Kyashuta, arrived from across the Allegheny river early in the morning, applied the torch to the historic village, and carried some of its defenceless inhabitants into captivity. Washington county, which at first included Greene, was cut off from Westmoreland soon after Virginia's claim had been abandoned. ^-^i^. Its original southern popu- lation had gained many ac- cessions from Pennsylvania — Scotch -Irish and Germans. Dunkard creek, in Greene county, bears evidence of a German sect that found its way out there from the east- ern counties. Fayette county was erected soon after Wash- ington, and it now has within its borders the historic spots of Great Meadows, Fort Necessity, and Braddock's grave. Allegheny, which at first included all the terri- tory north and west of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers, Braddock's Grave. 86 A History of Pennsylvania was also formed from the mother county of southwestern Pennsylvania — Westmoreland. The town lots in the Manor of Pittsburg now had a ready sale. Previous to this time, there were few buildings outside the fort, except those occupied by Indian traders and soldiers' families. In 1790 the town contained 200 houses, 2,000 people, one newspaper, and a few manufacturing estTablishments. But a movement of population then began in the United States that made it grow more rapidly. New Englanders and Virginians, as well as Pennsylvanians, flocked into the Ohio valley because the Northwest Territory had been organized and opened for settlement. Pittsburg became a place of trade with these new and ever -increasing settle- ments and its future greatness was assured. The northwestern part of the State, known as the The Indians "Indian country" after the French war, Disappear from coustitutcd the purchasc of 1784 (see Pennsylvania ^^^^ ^ gj ^ ^^^ which the Indian title to the last foot of soil in Pennsj^lvania was extin- guished. However, the Indians continued to infest this section until Wayne's treaty at Ft. Greenville, 1795. This put an end to their hostility, and only one chief exercised dominion thereafter within the State. His reservation remains intact today. Gyant- wochia, "the cornplanter," became the friend of the settlers after the Revolution, and the State gave him permission to select 1,500 acres of land for himself and his descendants. He chose 640 acres on the west branch of the Allegheny, about fifteen miles above Warren, together with two large islands adjoining. There he located permanently with his family, about 1791 ; and there his desendants live at the present Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 87 day — the last remnant of the Red Man in Pennsyl- vania. They farm their land and have a school, which is supported by the State. The "Indian country" was entered by the white settlers by way of the west branch of the Northwestern Allegheny and the border of New York. Pennsylvania Erie, the oldest and most historic place in it, can boast of the footprints of La Salle, and of the fort of Presque Isle, the first of a number of posts established by the French to make good their "leaden" claims to the Ohio valley (see p. 124) . At Ft. Le BcBuf , Washington, at the age of 21, performed his first public service. These points are in the triangle along the shore of Lake Erie. The northern boun- -, ji jj\ CO. 1. l.^ Blockhouse at Erie. dary of the State was the subject of mild dispute between the Penns and New York for nearly fifty years, on account of the vague knowledge of the 42d degree. The charter stated that Pennsylvania should be bounded on the north by the beginning of the 43d degree, which was accepted to mean the 42d degree. Occasionally grants of land within territory claimed by the Penns were made by the governor of New York. To avoid such mistakes, a stone, from which the northern boundary was to be determined, was erected in 1775 on an island in the Delaware river. From this point the northern boun- dary was run in 1787; but it terminated a few miles south of Lake Erie, greatly to the dissatisfaction of Pennsylvania. The line was finally fixed at 42°, and 88 A History of Pennsylvania was ratified by both States in 1789. It terminated in Lake Erie four miles east of where the western boun- dary terminated, thus giving Pennsylvania only four miles of water frontage. The triangle cut off was included in the cessions made by New York and Massa- chusetts to the United States. In 1792, Pennsyl- vania bought it from the Federal government for the sum of $151,640.50. Three years later, Erie was laid out on Presque Isle; and within a short time afterward the prince, Louis Philippe, heir to the throne which once had jurisdiction of the soil where Erie stands, was entertained in the town. Kittanning, another place familiar in the annals of northwestern Pennsylvania, was originally Kittanning . "^ i t t an Indian village. It marked the western terminus of the Indian path across the mountains from Standing Stone and other points in the Juniata valley. It was destroyed in 1756 by Colonel Arm- strong (seep. 131), after whom the county is named. The country around it afterwards became the scene of many of Captain Samuel Brady's encounters with the Indians. A noted point on the Kittanning path was Cherry Tree, at the present juncture of Cambria, Clearfield, and Indiana counties. It was the head of canoe navi- gation on the Susquehanna. The Indians would take their canoes out of the stream at Cherry Tree and strike the trail through northern Indiana to Kittan- ning. It also obtained celebrity as the northern boundary of the Stanwix purchase, and is frequently referred to in old land warrants. A monument has been erected at the place to commemorate its historic associations. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 89 In the Ohio valley, west of Pittsburg, the Moravian missionaries were the first white men to lay The the foundations of settlement. Zeisberger °^*° ^^"^^ and Senseman established a mission, called Friedenstadt, at the junction of the Shenango and Mahoning, in Lawrence county. These pious men had followed their Indian wards all the way from Wyalusing on the Susquehanna, sojourning for awhile among the Monseys in Forest county. Neshannock, Mahoning, and other names of streams in this locality were brought by the Indians from the Delaware valley, where they had known streams of the same name. After the victory of Wayne, the "Indian country" rapidly became the white man's country. Eight New In 1800, "the great new county act" was countie passed in the Legislature, by which Beaver, Butler, County Map in 1800. Mercer, Crawford, Erie, Warren, Venango and Arm- strong counties were created. Pennsylvania was now 90 A History of Pennsylvania practically settled and conveniently organized under thirty -five county governments. In 1790 the population of Pennsylvania was 434,373. Growth of The increase from that year to 1800 was 39 Population pgj, cent, and for each decade thereafter to 1890, respectively, as follows : 34 per cent, 29 per cent, 29 per cent, 28 per cent, 34 per cent, 25 per cent, 21 per cent, 22 per cent, 23 per cent. Owing to the French and Indian war, the Revolution, and the wars in Europe after the Revolution, foreign immi- gration did not add much to the population of any of the States from 1750 to 1820. Hence the pioneers west of the AUeghenies during those years were mainly of the native stock. However, the movement across the mountains did not amount to much until the decade of financial distress after the Revolution. Then the people on the seaboard flocked westward in such numbers as to threaten the depopulation of the Atlantic States. But the French Revolution checked this movement ; for the Americans enjoyed good times then, furnishing supplies of every sort to the nations at war, and carrying them in their own ships, manned by their own sailors. In Pennsylvania, the Dela- ware and Susquehanna valleys were favored by their easy access to the sea. The State was also the highway to the west for all New Englanders, and Pittsburg was the gateway. A part of the great per- centage of increase was due to the emigrant business that sprang up along the route. From 1800 to 1820, the percentage of increase fell From considerably. There was a loss of popula- 1800 to 1820 i^JQj^ then, due to the opening of the North- west Territory for settlement on a credit system, and Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 91 to the hard times caused by the incidents of the War of 1812. Both conditions sent endless processions of wagons and foot parties to Ohio and Indiana. Pennsyl- vania, lying next to this land of promise, would natu- rally lose heavily in population. Nevertheless, conditions had arisen during these years that made for an in- crease. The Embargo and Non-Intercourse acts made it necessary for the States to engage in manufacturing. Pennsylvania, with her iron and coal, began to build furnaces and operate mines. Philadelphia and Pitts- burg became centers for the manufacture of all kinds of articles needed by the people of the United States. As the native Americans were not skilled in manu- facturing, many Europeans came here to help launch the new industries. After the Napoleonic wars had ceased, armies were disbanded, enormous taxes were laid, and a general depression in trade and agriculture ensued in Europe. This caused a great influx of immigrants between 1815 and 1820, particularly from Great Britian and Ireland. It was at this time that the English, Welsh, Scotch, and Irish, from whom the coal miners were recruited for so many years, began to come to Pennsylvania. So many immigrants from Ireland landed in Philadelphia that the Society of United Irishmen was formed to secure employment for such as wanted to remain in eastern Pennsylvania, and to furnish transportation to those who wanted to go westward. From 1820 to 1840, internal improvements ' and the tariff for protection were inaugurated by Lumbering the United States. This was the era of and Mining canal building, steamboat construction, and Population grading of horse -power railroads. Pennsylvania now 92 A History of Pennsylvania became inhabited by the lumberman. Wood -choppers, sawyers, and raftsmen were added to the population. Lock Haven and Williamsport became known as lumbering towns in this period. Lock Haven received its name in 1833 from two locks in the canal passing through it, and a haven in the river. "Big Water Mill," the first saw mill at Williamsport, was erected in 1839. The protective tariff acts of 1824 and 1828 stimulated manufacturing and created an increased demand for coal and iron. Many more English, Welsh, Scotch, and Irish came to work in the mines and furnaces, especially in the anthracite regions, which had been made accessible by means of canals. The increase of population in Pottsville, in the year 1830, was spoken of in the Miners'' Journal as "almost unprecedented." Mauch Chunk and the county of Carbon became justly famous through the "black diamond" of the Lehigh valley. Wilkes -Barre became known as the center of the Wyoming coal fields. Scranton, now the fourth city in Pennsylvania, sprang, in 1840, from an abandoned village of five houses. It bore for some time the name of Lackawanna Iron Works, From 1840 to 1850, the population in Pennsyl- vania increased much more rapidly than it Railroads Built ^ '' had m any decade since 1800. Foreign immigration to the United States in 1820 amounted to 8,000 ; this number increased gradually till 1842, when it took a sudden leap, and reached the grand total of 105,000. In 1846, when the potato famine raged in Ireland, the number was 155,000. As this was the era of railroad building, Pennsylvania, with its great trunk line to build over the mountains Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 93 and into the coal regions, absorbed an unusually large number, especially of the Irish. The iron and lumber districts, too, added great numbers to their population, both foreigners and Americans, on account of the demand for iron and lumber. From 1850 to 1860, the percentage of increase fell from 34 to 25. Foreign immigrants now had quick and easy access to the West by means of railroads, and they no longer settled in the Atlantic States. For the same reason many people in the East sold out and went West; while the panic of 1857 forced still others to sell out and make a new start in life on the prairies of the Mississippi valley. Between 1860 and 1880, there was another great decline in the percentage of increase. This The war was due to the war for the Union in the *"** **»* p*"'<= sixties and the business stagnation in the seventies. The former kept the people from coming into the State, while the latter drove them out of it. However, during these years, the petroleum industry sprang up in the Allegheny valley. Commencing with Titus ville in 1859, an indescribable activity and speculation spread over northwestern Pennsylvania. Adventurers flocked thither from all parts of the country. What is now known as the "oil region" was transformed from an almost unbroken forest into camps and towns in a few short years. Pithole city, now the site of a farm, was, in 1865, next to Philadelphia, the largest post office in the State. Titusville, Oil City, Franklin, Tidioute, Bradford, Parker City, and Corry are all towns wholly or mostly made since the sixties by the petroleum industry. 94 A History of Pennsylvania Since 1880, Pennsylvania has received thousands of immi rants immigrants from southern Europe — Poles, from Southern Lithuanians, Hungarians and Italians. Europe Dowu to that time the growth of the mining population was mainly through additions from the English, Welsh, Scotch, Irish, and Germans, either by native increase or by immigration. During the war for the Union, miners' wages were high; but as soon as capital was set free from providing for the armies, large sums were invested in coal fields, and over-production was the consequence. Then wages were reduced. To resist the operators in the reduction of wages, the miners organized in 1868 and 1869, and during the next decade resorted to fre- quent strikes, either for higher wages or shorter hours. Un- able to work for lower wages on account of their improved condition of life, the nationalities that had worked in the coal mines for sixty years gave their places to a class of people whose mode of living is much inferior. Many of these were at first brought to America under contract to work for a specified amount ; but the alien contract -labor law of 1885 prohibited such a pro- cedure. Nevertheless the Poles, Lithuanians, Hungarians and Italians came into Pennsylvania, and they are found here in large numbers, not alone in the coal fields, but at all sorts of cheap labor in various sections of the State. The census of 1890 showed the number A Native Miner's Home. Population and Adjustment of Boundaries 95 of these nationalities in the five anthracite counties to have been 28,216, and in 1897 the number in the same region was estimated at 50,000. There was a large increase in urban population in the State outside of Philadelphia from 1880 to 1890 ; but the rural population was less in some sections, and in many others only slightly greater. While Philadelphia and the State increased only 23 per cent, Pittsburg increased 52 per cent, and the following places more than 100 per cent: Johnstown, McKeesport, After 1880 Pittsburg and Allegheny. Pottstown, South Bethlehem, Nanticoke, Steelton, But- ler, Braddock, Mount Carmel, Homestead, Du Bois, Milton, Wilkinsburg, and Tarentum. BOOKS FOR READING AND CONSULTATION Shepherd's Proprietary Government in Pennsylvania, Part I ; Fisher's Making of Pennsylvania, Chs. x and xi; Craig's Olden Time, Vol. I, pp. 529-552 (Mason and Dixon's Line) ; Miner's History of Wyoming, passim; McGinness' History of the West Branch Valley, Vol. I, passim; Jones' History of the Juniata Valley, passim; Albert's History of Westmoreland County, Chs. i-xxxix; Craig's History of Pittsburg, passim; Warner & Co.'s History of Allegheny County, Part 1, Chs. i-vii. CHAPTER IV THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT The English colonial governments were of three Forms of kinds : first, provincial, under which the Colonial Crown established the government, ap- Government p^i^ted the govcmors, and instructed them how to rule ; secondly, proprietary, according to which the Crown granted a tract of land to some individual, called the proprietary, and em- powered him to establish the government, appoint the governors, and instruct them how to rule ; thirdly, charter, through which the Crown gave the colonists the power to organize a government, elect the governor, and hold him responsible for his acts. All the colonies had a legislature elected by the people, but the laws passed could be vetoed by the governor ; or, if approved by him, could be vetoed by the Crown within a period of a few years. The laws were to conform as nearly as possible with the laws of Eng- land. The judges were appointed by the governors. Pennsylvania's government was of the proprietary Pennsylvania's form. Tliis form had its origin in the feudal Form system. Pennsylvania was a huge fief bestowed on William Penn by the Crown, granting him the land and giving him jurisdiction, both civil and military. Theoretically, the proprietary and his suc- cessors were in possession of many of the ancient (96) The Government of Pennsylvania 97 rights of a count palatine ; but .practically, they were the executors of a democracy. The preamble of Penn's charter stated his desire to enlarge the British empire, to promote provisions its trade and commerce, and to educate °* *^® charter the Indians in the principles of Christianity. Then followed his request for territory in which to form a colony, and for powers of government. To this end the Proprietary was given power to make and publish laws approved by a majority of the freemen, or of their representatives. In case anything should have to be remedied before the first Assembly could meet, the Proprietary alone had power to issue ordi- nances. To insure loyalty, the charter provided that neither the Proprietary nor the freemen should cor- respond with any power at war with England, nor should they offend any power at peace with England. Duplicates of all laws should be sent to the Privy Council in England within five years after their en- actment ; and if not annulled within six months after their reception, they were to remain in force. An agent of the province should reside in London to answer for offenses against England on the part of the Proprietary, and to render satisfaction therefor. Until such satisfaction was rendered the Crown might seize the government. The charter next provided for the establishment of courts and the appointment of judges by the Further Proprietary; but the Crown reserved the right Provisions to hear appeals. Privileges of commerce and trans- portation, and the assessment and collection of customs were granted to the Proprietary and the inhabitants of the province. Parliament could levy a tax on 98 A History of Pennsylvania the province without the consent of the "Proprietary or chief governor and assembly." The Proprietary could erect counties and townships and incorporate boroughs and cities ; and, as captain- general, he could form a militia and wage war, even beyond the limits of his province. In the event of any misunderstanding about the charter, any word or clause was to be interpreted most favorably to the Proprietary. Pursuant to the charter, what is known as the The Frame of " Frame of Govcmment " was drawn up Government j^y William Pcuu in England. It was the constitution under which the province of Penn- sylvania was organized. He drew it up before the first company of colonists under Markham, the Deputy- Governor, sailed for America. This small party, who were to take possession of Penn's grant of land and pre|)are for his own coming the next year, signed the Frame of Government before depart- ing, and before Penn himself signed it. The spirit of Penn's Frame of Government was thoroughly republican. "I will put the power with the people," he said. In the preface are these words : " I know some say, ^ Let us have good laws, and no matter about the men that execute them.' But let them consider that, though good laws do well, good men do better; for good laws want [be in need of] good men; but good men will never want good laws nor suffer [allow] ill ones." At another place are found those words— they have been inscribed on the walls of the corridor in Inde- pendence Hall, side by side with the Declaration of Independence : "Any government is free to the people under it, whatever be The Government of Pennsylvania 99 the form, where the laws rule, and the people are a party to those laws; and more than this is tyranny, oligarchy and confusion." In speaking of the end of all government, Penn once made use of these words : "To support power in reverence with the people, and to secure the people from the abuse of power ; that they may be free by their just obedience, and the magistrates honorable for their just administration ; for liberty without obedience is confusion, and obedience without liberty is slavery. To carry this evenness is partly owing to the constitution, and partly to the magistracy ; where either of these fail, government will be subject to convul- sion ; but where both are wanting, it must be totally subverted ; then where both meet, the government is like to endure. Which I humbly pray and hope God will please to make the lot of Pennsylvania." The highest purpose of government, according to Penn's "Frame," is to secure to every person the "free enjoyment of his religious opinions and worship, so long as it does not extend to licentiousness or the Pennsylvania's Coat of Arms. Originally engraved by Caleb Lownes, 1778. 100 A History of Pennsylvania destruction of others ; that is, to speak loosely or profanely of God, Christ, and the scriptures or religion, or to commit any moral evil or injury against others" Summing up the principles of government as expressed by Penn, we find that they are about all included in the words — "Virtue, Liberty and Independence" — written on Pennsylvania's coat of arms. In 1682, Penn had the Frame of Government pub- The Frame Hshcd ; but it was uot identical with the Published q^q signed by the colonists who had gone to Pennsylvania under Markham. It consisted of twenty -four articles and forty laws. The govern- ment was vested in the Governor and freemen of the province. The freemen were to elect a Provincial Council and a General Assembly. The former was to consist of seventy -two members, to serve for three years ; the latter, of all the freemen the first year, when the Frame was to be accepted, and of two hundred of them the next year — the num- ber to be increased as the population increased, but not to_ exceed five hundred. The Governor, or his deputy, was to be the perpetual president of the Provincial Council, and was to have a treble vote. The duty of the Provincial Council was (a) to The Provincial Originate bills, which were to be published Council thirty days before the Assembly met — a provision based on a principle of the referendum of modern times ; (6) to see that the laws were exe- cuted ; (c) to take care of the peace and safety of the province ; (d) to settle the location of ports, cities, market towns, roads, and other public places ; (e) to inspect the public treasury; (/) to erect courts of justice ; (g) to institute schools ; (h) to reward The Government of Pennsylvania 101 authors of useful discoveries ; and (i) to summon and dissolve the General Assembly. The General Assembly had no power to legislate and no privilege to debate. The bills The General originated and passed by the Council were Assembly presented to the Assembly for approval or rejection with a plain "Yes" or "No." It could name persons for sheriffs and justices of the peace for the Governor to select from, being obliged to name twice as many as were to be appointed. The Frame of Government could not be amended without the consent of the Proprietary, . , . Amendment or his heirs or assigns, and six -sevenths of the freemen in both the Council and Assembly. There was not much done in the way of estab- lishing a government by Deputy -Governor Markham. He administered the affairs of the infant colony at Upland according to instruc- tions. But when Penn himself had arrived, he called the first General Assembly to meet at Upland, Decem- ber 6th next. No Council having yet been chosen, the Assembly met alone, with Dr. Nicholas More as chairman. Penn presented the "Laws agreed upon in England," and ninety others. Sixty -one of the latter were embodied in the "great law or body of laws of the province of Pennsylvania." Though more than two hundred years have passed since the " Great Law " was enacted at Chester, it still remains, modi- fied to some extent, but not greatly, as a part of the government of our Commonwealth. It allowed free- dom of worship to all who acknowledged one God. All members of the government, as well as the voters, had to be qualified in the belief that Jesus Christ is 102 A History of Pennsylvania the son of God and the Saviour of the world. Swear- ing, cursing, drunkenness, health -drinking, card- play- ing, scolding, and lying were all prohibited in the Great Law. In February, 1683, Penn ordered an election for The Government thc mcmbers of the Proviucial Council, in Philadelphia ^iid dircctcd that when the Council should meet at Philadelphia, all the freemen should meet in General Assembly. The object of the session was to consider, amend, and accept the Frame of Govern- ment. Aside from a number of other changes, the following ones were made : The Council was made to consist of not less than eighteen members, three from each county, nor more than seventy -two ; the Assembly, of not less than thirty -six, six from each county, nor more than two hundred. The treble vote of the Governor was abolished and the veto power granted instead ; but he could perform no public act without the consent and advice of the Council, except that Penn had during his lifetime the sole power of appointing officers. Out of fifteen fundamental laws made at this session, nine had been suggested to Penn by his friend, Benjamin Furly, of Holland, the promoter of the first German immigration to Penn- sylvania. Furly had greatly preferred the draft signed by Markham's colonists. Said he to Penn: "I prefer thy first draft to the last, as being the most equal, most fair, and most agreeing with the just, wise, and prudent institutions of our ancestors. * * * Indeed, I wonder who should put thee upon alter- ing that for this, and as much how thou couldst ever yield to such a thing.'' Furley had also suggested an anti- slavery clause. The Government of Pennsylvania 103 The Assembly met only once under the new Frame of Government before Penn^s return to changes in England. Immediately after his departure, *^* Government signs of serious trouble between the Council and the Assembly appeared, owing to the greater power of the former in the enactment of laws. The contentions and misunderstandings that arose created prejudices against Penn himself, both here and in London. These were deepened by a religious quarrel, started in Pennsylvania by George Keith, and carried by him to England. The consequence was that Penn was suspected of disloyalty to the Crown. The gov- ernment of the province was taken from him, 1693, and given to Governor Fletcher, of New York. Penn was unable to ward off this blow, because he was not in favor with the Court of England after James II, his intimate friend, had been driven from the throne. Besides, all the colonies experienced a change in the policy of the British government about this time. A royal governor was sent to Maryland, and Massa- chusetts had to accept a governor appointed by the King. Pennsylvania was now under the direct con- trol of the Crown, the Frame of Government was disregarded, and the Assembly modeled after that of New York. Fortunately, this state of affairs lasted only about one year in Pennsylvania. The charges against Penn having been disproved, his government was restored to him and he again became Governor, administering affairs through Markham as Deputy. When Penn returned to Philadelphia, in 1699, he found his colonists rather indifferent a New Form to him. Ruling them at so great a dis- °* Government tance for a period of fifteen years, had caused mis- 104 A History of Pennsylvania understandings. He soon learned that he must give them a new form of government. So the old Frame was abandoned and the " Charter of Privileges " given in its place. He signed this in 1701. The new document, granted in response to a demand from the people, provided for a General Assembly with much greater powers ; namely, to propose matters for legis- lation, to meet annually, to adjourn itself, to be judge of the election and qualifications of its own members, to redress grievances, and to impeach for misdemeanor in office. It also gave the people the power to elect some of the county officers; and contained a strong plea for liberty of conscience. By it, too, the three lower counties were to have a separate Assembly. The Charter of Privileges was indeed the envy of neighboring colonies, so republican was it in its nature. Philadelphia, on the same day, October 25, 1701, became an incorporated city, with the right to elect its officers, which before had been appointed by the Governor. Through the liberality of Penn, there- fore, Philadelphia is the oldest incorporated city in the United States. Since the Revolution of 1688, it had been a favor- penn Offers to itc projcct of the Crowu to changc the Sell Pennsylvania proprietary govemmcnts to royal ones. During Penn's absence in America, a bill was intro- duced in Parliament to effect the change. Hence he hastened home. Before leaving he appointed Andrew Hamilton Governor, and James Logan Secretary of the province. On his return to England, Penn stopped in Parliament the bill which was to change the proprietorships to royal colonies. But the legal fees required to end this movement, the litigations The Government of Pennsylvania 105 with Lord Baltimore, the dishonesty of Philip Ford, his steward, and the expenses of his family and his province, involved him financially. So he agreed, in 1712, with Queen Anne, to sell Pennsylvania and Delaware for $60,000. Before the papers could be made out, he was stricken with apoplexy. After his death, there was much litigation over the will. An agreement was finally effected, 1731, by which the three ' surviving sons- of Penn by his sec- / ond wife, John, Thomas and Richard, ''^' became the Proprietors. John died James Logan. in 1746, Richard in 1771, when the latter' s son, John, together with Thomas, became sole Proprietors. Penn's heirs did not manage the estate so well as he had done. They occupied his place, but did not fill it. They were more interested in the revenues of the province than in its welfare. This, however, was natural ; for they were comparatively poor, and had heavy debts to pay; moreover, they were Englishmen, and not interested in Pennsylvania's government, as their father had been. They quarreled with the colonists about the taxes and rents ; and the Governors had numerous disputes with the General Assembly. On one occasion, 1765, Franklin was sent to England to induce the. King to take the province of Pennsyl- vania as his own, so dissatisfied had the colonists become with the proprietary governors. They pre- ferred to be an "appenage to the Crown rather than a fief of the Penns." But the wrath against the Stamp Act quieted the feeling against the Proprietors, and the movement failed. Besides, the Penns won 106 A History of Pennsylvania back much of the loyalty and affection of the peo- ple by an amicable adjustment of disputes. In 1775 Pennsylvania, in common with the other The Council colouics, made a change in the executive of Safety department of its government. By order of the Assembly, Governor Penn, in June, was super- seded by the Council of Safety. Such a body of men exercised the executive functions in all the colonies until constitutions were adopted the next year ; and it received its authority generally from popular con- ventions, called the provincial congress. In Pennsylvania, however, it acted by authority of the Assembly. Its chairman was Franklin, and it consisted of twenty - ^1-.^ ^ ^ five, afterwards thirty, men, appointed r^ ^ from the various counties in the province. Penn's Chair. Among the men on this committee were Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, John Dickinson, Anthony Wayne, George Ross, George Clymer, David Rittenhouse and Joseph Reed. It held almost daily sessions, and its duties were many and arduous. It promptly raised the troops requested by Congress, and constructed the Pennsylvania State Navy three months before Congress proposed a Continental Navy. It was the moving power of the province until July 22, 1776. When there was no further hope that the King The Provincial would rcdrcss the grievances of the Convention coloulcs, Cougrcss, May 15, 1776, recom- mended the formation of state governments, that would, "in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and The Government of Pennsylvania 107 safety of their constituents in particular and America in general." The Assembly of Pennsylvania, being composed mainly of adherents to the King, paid no attention to this recommendation. The people then disregarded the Assembly, and called a provincial convention, composed of one hundred and eight mem- bers, to meet at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, June 18. This convention approved the recommendation of Congress, and resolved that a constitutional con- vention of eight representatives from each county should be called to form a new government. This body met July 15, and chose Benjamin Franklin president, and George Ross vice-president. After a session of two months, a constitution was completed, September 28. It was not submitted to the people for ratification, but went into effect at once. During its session, the constitutional convention assumed supreme authority in the State. The oid It appointed a Council of Safety, to per- Assembly Dies form the executive duties ; it approved the Declara- tion of Independence, levied heavy taxes on such as refused to bear arms, ordered the courts to proceed against criminals, and appointed justices of the peace. The old Assembly met for the last time September 23, to make one more feeble protest against these proceedings, but it soon died without a struggle- Then Penn's words in the preface to the Frame of Government,— "I will put the power with the people," — became a complete reality. Under the first constitution, the General Assembly consisted of only one house. Its members The First were elected yearly. Its acts were called constitution the "Acts of Assembly," a name still applied to our 108 A History of Pennsylvania laws. The executive power was vested in a President, chosen annually by the Assembly and the Supreme Executive Council. The latter body was composed of twelve members, elected for a term of three years, and it was advisory to the President. Another body OBVERSE REVERSE The Seal of the State of Pennsylvania. Engraved in Paris, 1780. was provided for, — the Council of Censors, consisting of two persons from each city and county, — whose duty it was, at the end of every seven years, to see whether the constitution had been violated. A Dec- laration of Rights, a constitutional provision first made in America by Virginia in 1776, and in substance the same as the English Bill of Rights of 1688, was a sacred thing in the first constitution of Pennsylvania, and remains in our organic law to this day. The forms of township and county government remained as Penn instituted them. The right to vote was given to every resident taxpayer. The average life of a constitution in the United Life of a states has been about a third of a century. Constitution rpj^^ forty-fivc Statcs now in the Union have enforced nearly one hundred and twenty con- The Government of Pennsylvania 109 stitutions in that many years. New constitutions become necessary to keep up with the progress of the times. Lord Macaulay once said that "the cause of all revolutions is that while nations move onward con- stitutions stand still." There are numerous interests now that did not exist in 1776 ; all these, as they came into prominence, needed the fostering care of a constitution. From 1776 to 1800, there were twenty- six constitutions in force among sixteen States ; hence ten of the original constitutions were changed in twenty -five years. Most of these changes were made to secure conformity with the Federal Constitution. Pennsylvania changed her first const^iution in 1790. An upper house was created, and The consti- the Assembly deprived of the sole right *"*^°" °* ^^^o to make laws. The Supreme Executive Council was abolished and a single executive established, who was to be elected by the people. The judges of the higher courts were to serve during good behavior, instead of for seven years. The Council of Censors was discon- tinued and the veto power given to the Governor. This body, with Frederick A. Muhlenberg as president, had met but once, in 1783. It then got itself into such a snarl with the Assembly that it became very unpopular. A Declaration of Rights was again incor- porated, in 1790. Office-holders still had to believe in God and in a future state of rewards and punish- ments, but the divine inspirations of the scriptures was not included in their qualifications. Beginning with the new century, there was a lull in the original States in the making of ^ ^^^^ new constitutions, which lasted until about 1825. During this period a number of new States 110 A History of Pennsylvania came into the Union ; and as rank, station and prefer- ment are unknown in pioneer life, their constitutions greatly extended the rights of the individual. The West thus taught the East a lesson in government which resulted in constitutional changes along the Atlantic coast. Certain economic conditions, too, pre- vailed about the year 1825 that led to the making of new constitutions on a large scale between that time and 1850. The rapid movements of population into the West, at intervals after 1800, gave rise to the great system of internal improvements, of which the turnpikes and canals are the silent evidences. To raise money for these purposes, numerous banks were organized, paper money was issued, and great financial distress was produced. Pennsylvania made an effort in 1825 to revise The consti- the coustitutiou of 1790, but failed ; and tution of 1838 thirteen years elapsed before the work was undertaken. The constitution of 1838 allowed the Gov- ernor but two terms of three years each in any nine years ; in general, the powers of the Legislature were enlarged ; nearly all the officers appointed by the Governor were made elective by the people or their representatives ; his nominations of judges were to be confirmed in the senate with open doors ; all life offices were abolished ; the terms of judges were limited to a certain number of years, and were conditioned by good behavior ; the power of the Legislature to grant banking privileges was abridged and regulated ; and the right of suffrage was extended to all white free- men having paid a state or county tax. In the con- stitution of 1790, the colored man could vote, but now he could not. The revision was ratified by the people. The Government of Pennsylvanid 111 The constitution of 1838 remained in force till .1873. The principal reform then necessary The consti- was the prohibition of special and local *"**°" °* ^^^^ legislation, which had become pernicious and alarm- ing. By referring to Article III, Section 7, of the constitution of 1873, it may be seen what the nature of this legislation was. Large corporations, such as railroad, trust, insurance, mining and manufacturing companies, had been formed under legislative grants of special and exclusive privileges. Hence we find a long article in our present constitution on private corporations. The XV th Amendment of the Federal Constitution made a change necessary in the suffrage clause, which now no longer reads "white freemen," but " every male citizen," having paid a state or county tax. Other vital reforms made were : an increase in the number of senators and representatives, the creation of a Lieutenant-Governor, biennial sessions of the Legislature, minority representation, ^nd the election by the people of all judges and certain other officers. Having traced the form of government in Pennsyl- vania from Penn's Frame to the constitution of 1873 — through a period of two centuries — we find that the changes which it underwent were demanded by the people and made in their interest. BOOKS FOR READING AND CONSULTATION Shepherd's Proprietary Government in Pennsylvania, Part II; Proud's History of Pennsylvania, Chs. i and ii; Fisher's Evolution of the Constitution of the United States, Chs. i-iii; Sharpless' Quaker Experiment in Government, passim; Franklin's Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania ; Thorpe's Con- stitutional History of the American People, Yo\. 1, Chs. ii and iii. CHAPTER V THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOV- ERNMENT THE COLONIAL PERIOD The Frame of Government having been accepted Political and the Great Law enacted, the adminis- History Begins tration of the govcmmcnt began, — and with it the political history of the Province and State of Pennsylvania. The Assembly had no power to originate bills ; and the first political struggle of any consequence arose from this defect in the Frame of Government. Bills originated by the Council were frequently rejected by the Assembly, for no good reason except to assert what power it had. The deadlocks thus produced caused great annoyance to the Pro- prietor. So, in 1688, he sent an entire stranger, Captain John Blackwell, once an officer in Cromwell's army, to act as Governor. But a soldier Governor was not acceptable to the Quakers, and his adminis- tration made matters no better. Blackwell had to be recalled ; and the whole Council — eighteen in number — with Thomas Lloyd as president, again became Deputy - Governors . In 1691, six of the councillors from the "three Difficulties lower counties," or Delaware, formed them- in Delaware sclvcs into a Separate Council and made laws. Their acts were declared illegal ; bat Penn (112) The Administration of the Government 113 temporarily satisfied them by appointing William Mark- ham, who sympathized with them, to administer the government of Delaware. Lloyd was made Deputy- Governor of Pennsylvania. Penn yielded to this division of the executive power with great reluctance ; for he knew it would help his enemies in their effort to deprive him of the government. When Fletcher assumed control of Pennsylvania (see p. 103), Lloyd refused to serve under him, *^ ' "^ . ^ Fletcher's Rule and Markham again became Deputy- Gov- ernor. Fletcher also displaced the Council with a new one and he got into a conflict with the Assembly about supplies to assist New York in King William's war, and about taxes for the support of the government. This was a new political problem in Pennsylvania ; but, as in all the other colonies, it became the problem to be solved by the Revolution. In dealing with it, Penn- sylvania employed the same tactics as the other colo- nies did ; namely, to grant the requests of the Gov- ernor on condition that he would agree to the laws they wanted. Fletcher's demands finally encroached so much on the Assembly's right to grant its money as it saw fit, that he met with a flat refusal, and had to send the law -makers home. As soon as Penn had flnally departed for England, Delaware began to insist on its right to separate a separate Assembly, Governor Hamilton's Assembly for administration (1701-1703) was almost Delaware wholly taken up with attempts to prevent a separa- tion, but Delaware was unyielding. Its first General Assembly met in 1703, and from that time until the Revolution, it had a separate Legislature, but was under the same Governor with Pennsylvania. 114 A History of Pennsylvania Hamilton's successor was John Evans (1704-1709). He tried to restore the union between Governor Evans . t -rx i ■% • n t Pennsylvania and Delaware, but sided too much with Delaware to please Pennsylvania. He made himself still more unpopular by denying the right of the Assembly to adjourn at its own pleasure. He was Governor while Queen Anne's war was in progress, and it was feared at one time that French men-of-war would enter the Delaware. Evans knew the doctrine of the Quakers about war, but thought they would fight if they were attacked. So he planned a sham attack. He had a messenger arrive in great haste, with the news that the French were coming up the river. He himself then rode through the streets, entreating the people to arm themselves. Some people became badly scared, — valuables were thrown into wells, vessels sent up the river, and boats secreted in creeks ; but most of the Quakers went about their duties as usual. To the feeling of disgust which this piece of folly Numerous provokcd, was added bitter resentment when Complaints ^]^q Govcmor rcfuscd to let the Assembly establish a judiciary. Logan, the Secretary of the Province, came in for a share of the blame, and articles of impeachment were drawn up against him. An appeal was made to Penn that if he did not put an end to the evil practices of his Governor and Sec- retary, the matter would be carried to the Crown. Complaints were also made by the Quakers because their magistrates had to administer oaths or resign their offices. An order to this effect had been issued by Queen Anne, because it was represented to her that a man might be tried in Pennsylvania for his The Administration of the Government 115 life by a judge, jury and witnesses, none of whom had been sworn. Evans, having lost the respect and confidence of the Quakers, could not cope with all these Governor difficulties. Penn therefore recalled him Gookin and appointed Charles Gookin Governor, who served from 1709 to 1717. Gookin' s first request was for men and money for the expedition against Canada, in Queen Anne's war. The Assembly objected on the ground of conscientious scruples, but voted to make the Queen a present of 500 pounds, and added 200 pounds for the Governor's own use, in case he should redress their grievances. The chief grievance they had was against Logan, whom they blamed for all the evils of Evans' administration. Logan demanded a trial, but it was refused. He then went to London and explained the controversy to Penn, who acquitted him of all blame. The new Assembly chosen soon afterwards was more friendly to the Proprietary and in penn's harmony with the Governor. Gookin ^"^® ^^^^ agreed to a system of courts, and to the right of the Assembly to adjourn at pleasure. In return a liberal sum of money was voted for the war against France. Gookin, in 1715, also signed a bill substituting affirmations for oaths, and it was in force for five years. Then, according to the Charter, it had to be presented to the Crown for approval, which it failed to get. The law was reenacted at once ; but to pre- vent the colonists from living under it for another five years. Parliament passed an act making an old law of England, which prohibited Quakers from giv- ing evidence in criminal cases, sitting on juries, or 116 A History of Pennsylvania holding any office, apply to all the colonies and so to Pennsylvania. Governor Gookin now sided with those in the province who were anxious to cripple Quaker rule. He held that the act of Parliament had repealed the recent act of the prov- ince. This was too much to be endured, and his re- call was demanded. Penn having become too feeble- minded to attend to such matters, Mrs. Penn requested the Governor's resignation. And now neither the voice nor the pen of the founder of Pennsylvania ever again took part in the counsels of his province. Mrs. Penn appointed Sir William Keith to succeed Governor GooMu. Keith' s administration (1717-1726) Keith ^g^g ygj-y popular with the people but not with the Proprietary. He addressed the Crown on the vexed question of allowing persons to affirm who re- fused to take an oath. He urged that their scruples should be respected. The King then ratified an act of Parliament to that effect. The Assembly in return agreed to a voluntary militia. Foreign immigration next demanded attention. The Germans and the Scotch -Irish came in such large numbers about this time that their naturalization was not looked upon with favor. A bill brought in provided that applicants must produce a certificate from a justice of the peace certifying to Penn's Desk, In the Philadelphia Library. The Administration of the Government 117 the amount of property they had and to the nature of their religious faith. The Governor objected to these scrutinies, and the Assembly granted citizenship with- out them, but laid a duty on all imported foreigners coming to reside in the province. There were many servants among the immigrants. Some of these were poor but respectable, and were willing to serve for a time in order that they might become free afterwards; others were vagrants and felons, sent here as well as to the other colonies, by England. A duty of five pounds was imposed upon the importer of convicted felons. Commerce and finance also engaged the attention of the government about this time. There commerce was not a sufficient demand for the pro- ^^^ Finance ducts of the province, consisting chiefly of flour, meats, butter and eggs. So laws were passed to create a home consumption. Brewers and distillers were required to use nothing but home products, and some of these were made a legal tender. Rigid inspection of exports was enforced to improve their demand abroad, especially in the West Indies, where Pennsylvania flour and salt meats sold well. But these remedies did not create a market for all that grew on the fertile farms so rapidly multiplying. Had England allowed her colonies to engage in manufac- ture, Pennsylvania might have created a home market. As it was, her imports of manufactured articles far exceeded her exports, and the specie was drawn off to pay balances abroad, money became scarce, and finan- cial embarrassment followed. Governor Keith now came forward with a proposition to issue paper money. The Assembly, having full knowledge of the disastrous effects of this kind of currency in other 118 A History of Pennsylvania colonies, acted with great caution, and issued just so much as would supply the place of the specie sent abroad. The issue under Keith amounted to 45,000 pounds, secured on silver plate or land. Governor Keith was now the idol of the people, Governor but uot of Logau aud Mrs. Penn, and so Gordon j^g ^^g rccallcd. His successor was Patrick Gordon, whose wise and successful administration ex- tended from 1726 to his death, in 1736. The five years for which the paper money law could be in operation, without submitting it to the King for ap- proval or rejection, had now expired. The King approved it, but warned the province against an ex- cess of such money. However, more paper was issued. The Assembly had convinced Gordon of its usefulness by reminding him of the fact that while in the other colonies the notes were secured only on the credit of the government, in Pennsylvania they had the additional security of the silver plate or land of the individual to whom they were issued. Other measures of advantage were adopted during Gordon's administration. One was the appointment of a per- manent agent to represent the Assembly in London. He was to explain the laws passed, that they might not be vetoed without due consideration. The rapid increase of Swiss and German immigration again de- manded attention, even England fearing that Pennsj'l- vania would become a colony of foreigners. A duty of forty shillings per head was laid on all foreign immigrants. But when the Scotch -Irish poured into the province, the Quakers felt the need of the Ger- mans, who generally sided with them in political matters, and the odious law was repealed. The Administration of the Government 119 In 1729, the Assembly resolved to build a State House. It had been meeting in a Quaker The state meeting-house, in a school -house, and in "°"^® ^"^" private houses. Work was not commenced until 1732. The building was completed in 1741, though the finishing touches were not put on it till 1745. A part Independence Hall. of it was occupied by the Assembly in October, 1735. In 1750 an addition was ordered "on the south side, to contain the staircase, with a place therein for hanging a bell." The bell used before was probably brought over by Penn. It had hung on a small belfry in front of the buildings in which the Assembly met. Members of the Assembly who were not present within half an hour after the bell had rung were to 120 A History of Fennsylvania pay "a tenpenny bit." The bell which has come to be known as the Liberty Bell was originally made in London. It was twice recast here, in 1753, on ac- count of a crack it received when " hung up to try the sound." It was then that the words "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants The Liberty BeU. thereof," were added. It was again cracked in 1835, while being tolled in memory of Chief Justice Marshall, and it now hangs over the hallway of the old State House. Little did the Assembly of 1729 dream of the his- Historic toric scenes that were to be enacted in the Associations Pennsylvania State House. Here, June 28, 1774, resolutions were passed, making common cause The Administration of the Government 121 with Boston, denouncing the "port bill," and recom- mending a congress of all the colonies; here the second Continental Congress met in 1775, and remained, ex- cept when the city was held by the British, till 1783; here the Declaration of Independence was passed July 4, 1776, and first publicly read, July 8 ; here the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were signed July 9, 1778, and finally ratified March 1, 1781 ; here the Constitution was framed, May 25 to September 17, 1787 ; here the State convention ratified the Con- stitution of the United States, December 12, 1787 ; and here, in the city building on the corner of Sixth and Chestnut streets. Congress sat between 1790 and 1800, and Washington was inaugurated in 1793 and Adams in 1797. Mrs. Penn having died in 1733, the government became vested in her three surviving sons, The Heirs John, Thomas and Richard. John and °* ^®""' Thomas both came to Pennsylvania. John could not remain long, on account of the boundary dispute with Marj^land ; but Thomas remained in the province nine years. Governor Gordon died while Thomas Penn was still here ; and for two years Logan, who had become president of the Council, acted as Governor. From 1738 to 1747, the governorship was held by George Thomas, a wealthy planter from the Governor island of Antiqua. War having been de- Thomas clared between England and Spain, in 1739, Governor Thomas passed through the same experiences that Evans and Gookin had concerning measures of defense. To his request for aid, the Assembly replied that their conscience forbade them to extend it, but that he, as Governor, might organize a voluntary militia without 122 A History of Pennsylvania consulting them. With the aid of Franklin, he soon had more troops than the quota called for; but unfortu- nately so many of them were redemptioners, anxious to escape from servitude, that the Assembly refused to vote any money unless these were returned to their masters. Thomas was stubborn, and raised funds on the credit of the British government. Then the Assembly had to indemnify the masters for the loss of their servants. It also gave 3,000 pounds to the Crown in aid of the war, but nothing to Thomas. Political divisions now sprang up. Those who sided with Thomas were called the "gentlemen's party;" while those who supported the Assembly were known as the "country party." At an election for the Assembly, in 1742, the "gentlemen's party" was completely routed. Thomas then made peace with the Assembly. He signed the laws passed, and in return got all arrears of salary. In 1744, King George's war commenced, and Penn- Peace at sylvauia ceased to be a colony of peace, an End Fraucc threatened the province from with- out, in the effort to take possession of the Ohio valley, and the Indians threatened it from within because they had been unjustly deprived of some of their lands. A battery was erected below Philadel- phia by means of funds raised by lottery. Conrad Weiser, the provincial interpreter, was sent among the Indians to propose a treaty. The Iroquois promised to prevent the French and their Indian allies — the Delawares and the Shawanese — from marching through Iroquois territory to attack the English settlements. However, the lavishness of French presents and the memories of the " Walking Purchase" made the set- tlers on the frontier feel very uneasy. The Admini'stration of the Government 123 Governor Thomas, assisted by Franklin and Logan, had no difficulty in raising a volunteer militia. The men who volunteered were called Associators, a name applied for many years to the militia. They carried for the first time the so- called provincial flag of Pennsylvania. It was de- signed by Franklin, and consisted of a lion holding a cimeter and the shield of the prov- ince. The true provincial flag ^fe««.>«BBK«te».^s»a (argent, on a fesse sable, three Ml|.\:'Ji^-^^^^^^^^ plates), the banner of the Penns, was |l')f''_^9/|l>')y-^ never unfurled in Pennsylvania. But fi. ; ''^^^R; :l its bearings are set up and displayed fJ'^^^^M^l on the shield of arms in the great m;^^M<,i^^^ seal and on the official acts and | proclamations issued by the State's ' authority. The Assembly, in sup- Provincial Flag, port of the expedition against Louis- burg, voted 4,000 pounds "to be expended for bread, beef, pork, flour, wheat and other grain." Fortunately, Pennsylvania was not molested in King George's war, except to be badly frightened. When Thomas resigned, on account of poor health, Anthony Palmer, president of the Council, Governor became acting Governor. The successor was Hamilton James Hamilton, whose administration extended to the year 1754. He ruled the province at a time when a great storm was gathering. The Indians, incited by French presents and promises of lost hunting grounds, now showed open contempt for the white man of Pennsylvania. The Senecas, on a visit to Philadelphia, killed cattle and robbed orchards, not even sparing the property of Conrad Weiser. Such acts were com- 124 A History of Pennsylvania mitted to extort presents from the province. In this the wily Indians were successful. The Assembly voted large sums of money on several occasions to quiet them. Nor was this the only expense. The settlers had to be reimbursed for their losses. Heretofore the Proprietors had borne their share of Germs of the the cxpcnsc incurrcd by Indian conferences Revolution ^^^ trcatics, bccausc quiet on the frontier helped the sale of land. But now, when peace had to be kept by an expensive system of presents, they refused to contribute. They claimed to have given too much already for public defense. Franklin, who was in the Assembly in 1751, drew up the reply to the Proprie- tors, and warned them that the province might be turned into a royal one. In this dispute were formed the germs of revolution which matured twenty-five years later. A powerful popular party was organized to oppose the Proprietors. Logan, the provincial Secretary for half a century, was dead, and his place was filled by Richard Peters, a man whose sympathies were not with the Quakers. This change made it possible for the breach to grow rapidly wider. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was simply a truce The French bctwecn thc EugUsh and the French, in the While it lasted, the English slept and Ohio Valley ^^^ Frcuch wcrc wide awake. The Brit- ish government was blind to the designs of the enemy, which had been for fifty years, and still were, to get possession of the Mississippi valley. During the years of peace after 1748, the French explored the valleys of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, burying leaden plates at the mouths of a number of tributa- ries, and nailing pieces of tin to trees standing near The Administration of the Government 125 by, as evidences of claims to the land drained by these rivers. They then erected forts at various places along the route of exploration, and stationed troops therein. One — Presque Isle— was located at the present site of Erie ; another— Le Boeuf — at that of Waterf ord ; and still another— Machault— at that of Franklin. To resist the progress of the French, the Assem- bly was asked to build a fort at the junc- Hamilton tion of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers ; but and the the French had so long confined their hos- Assembly tilities against New York and New England, that Pennsylvania felt at ease. Virginia then commenced to build the fort ; but the French seized it and, after finishing it, gave it the name of Duquesne. Virginia claimed the territory in which the fort was located, and promptly dispatched Washington on an expedition to drive the French out. Governor Hamilton appealed to the Assembly to join Virginia against the intruders; but that body decided that the French were as yet only in Virginia. After Washington's defeat at Fort Necessity, another appeal was made by Hamilton ; but as he insisted on an appropriation of money for the expedition, the Assembly again refused its consent. Rather than yield the right to give money on its own terms, the Assembly refused to give any at all. Nor was Pennsylvania alone in this position. The other colonies, too, withheld money and supplies rather than give up their constitutional rights at the dictation of the Governors. To gain the friendship of the Six Nations, a colo- nial congress was held at Albany in 1754, The Albany by order of the British government. In- congress dian affairs were now taken out of the hands of the 126 A History of Pennsylvania colonies and managed by the mother country through an agent appointed by the Crown. Among Pennsyl- vania's delegates was Benjamin Franklin. He pre- sented a plan of political union, which, though not accepted, was a step toward the union formed twenty years later. However, the purchase of land from the Indians by the Pennsylvania delegates was not a praiseworthy act. (See p. 6.) When the Indians in Pennsylvania learned that they had been deprived of nearly all the land west of the Susquehanna, they vowed vengeance, and cast their lot with the French. Such was the threatening attitude of the French and Governor ludlaus whcu, iu Octobcr, 1754, Hamilton, Morris wcary of his ofi&ce, resigned, and was suc- ceeded by Robert Hunter Morris. The Assembly now promptly voted 40,000 pounds of paper money, half of which was for the King's use. Morris returned the bill, because he wanted the paper money to be re- deemable in five years instead of twelve, as stated in the bill. To prove its loyalty and yet not surrender its absolute rights over money bills, the Assembly, on its own credit, borrowed 5,000jpounds, to be ex- pended in the King's cause. A year later, the same difficulty was solved in the same way. The Governor had secret instructions from the Proprietors not to assent to any money bills unless he could have a voice in disbursing the funds thus raised. But Penn- sylvania, as well as the other colonies, contended that those who pay the taxes mi^st have sole power to apply them. That was a principle of English liberty, and the Americans were entitled to all the liberties of Englishmen. The Administration of the Government 127 England, perceiving the designs of France to take possession of the Mississippi valley, sent two Braddock regiments under General Braddock to America Arrives in March, 1755. Pennsylvania was asked for troops, provisions, transportation, and for a part of a com- mon fund to be raised by all the colonies. The Assembly met and at once provided for the opening of a post road between Philadelphia, and Winchester, Virginia, as well as for wagons and pack-horses. Franklin undertook the task of getting 150 wagons and 1,500 pack-horses. He advertised for these in York, Lancaster and Cumberland counties, and in two weeks had more than the quota. He gave his bonds for such horses as might be lost in the service. Claims to the amount of 20,000 pounds — enough to ruin him financially — were afterwards presented. The Assembly, after a long delay, paid his obligations. Three hundred men were then put to work cutting a road from Fort Loudon to unite with Braddock' s road coming up from Maryland west of the mountains. Together with New Jersey, the province also furnished a body of troops. It was June before Braddock' s army left Fort Cumberland for Fort Duquesne, "over the Braddock's worst roads in the world." He was accom- T>eie&t panied by Washington, two chiefs, in command of some Indians, George Croghan, the Indian agent of Pennsylvania, and Captain Jack, the "wild hunter." Progress was slow, but without danger till the Monongahela had been crossed, some seven miles from Fort Duquesne, July 9. The army had just finished dinner and resumed the march, when it suddenly came face to face with the French, Canadians and Indians. 128 A History of Pennsylvania The English troops were at once confused by the strange manner of battle employed by the enemy, who kept behind trees and logs, while nothing could be seen but puffs of smoke. When Braddock rode up and down among his men, urging them to fight, they replied that they would do so if he could show them the enemy. He got angry at Washington for sug- gesting to fight the Indians in Indian fashion, and when some of the soldiers did resort to it, he rudely ordered them away from their shelter. The battle lasted for three hours, and had not Washington cov- ered the retreat with his provincials, the entire army would have been annihilated. Braddock was shot in the back just after he had ordered a retreat. He died on the summit of Laurel Hill the third day after- wards. His body was buried in the center of the road, that the retreating army in marching over it might efface all signs of the grave. In 1804 the re- mains were re -interred at the foot of a large white oak tree near by- Braddock' s defeat was followed by the greatest The Indians constcmation in Pennsylvania. The In- take Revenge (jians uow had the opportunity of aveng- ing the Walking Purchase, the Albany Deed, and other acts of injustice, real and imaginary. They fell upon the frontier of Pennsylvania along its entire length — a distance of two hundred miles. First they disposed of the isolated settler beyond the mountains,— in the valleys of the Juniata and the Susquehanna. With no neighbors nearer than four or five miles, he was an easy victim. A "plow in the furrow, a cabin in ashes, and a family scalped, mutilated and murdered, was the usual tale. Then the bloodthirsty Indians broke The Administration of the Government 129 through the gaps of the Blue Ridge. The French offi- cers who were with them had no control over them. The main body was encamped on the Susquehanna, thirty miles above Harris' ferry. Thence they rav- aged the counties of Cumberland, Lancaster, Berks and Northampton. Their atrocities were carried to within fifty miles of Philadelphia ; the scalp yells were heard at Nazareth and Bethlehem, to which towns the Indians carried their prisoners and plunder. Governor Morris called the Assembly in Novem- ber ; but he rejected their bill to raise Difficulties in money for the King's use because it taxed Raising Funds the Proprietary estates. The Assembly then raised 10,000 pounds by voluntary subscriptions, promising to reimburse the subscribers. Petitions for arms and ammunition now came in from every part of the prov- ince. The frontier counties passed resolutions at public meetings to repair to Philadelphia and demand measures and means of defense. A body of four hun- dred Germans marched to the city, crowded into the hall of the Assembly, and in personal interviews im- pressed their demands. The murdered and mangled bodies of a family butchered by the Indians were taken to Philadelphia, like frozen venison from the mountains, hauled about the streets, and actually placed in the doorway of the Assembly. About three hundred Indians who had remained faithful to the memory of Penn also joined in the appeals for help. The political quarrel could not be continued under such conditions. The Proprietors offered a do- nation of 5,000 pounds for the defence of the province, and . the Assembly passed a bill to raise money without taxing the Proprietary estates. 130 A History of Pennsylvania A militia law, prepared by Franklin, was the next A Militia measure of defence. The Proprietary, by Law Passed yirtue of the charter, could raise a militia; but prior to 1755, no militia law had been passed. Now, however, the Assembly decided that, although it was against their own scruples to bear arms, they would allow those who thought it right, to do so. It was to be altogether a volunteer system. Franklin was made com- mander. He led about five hundred men to Bethlehem, in December, to give much -needed succor to the Mora- vian settlements. He remained in Northampton county till February, and Benjamin Franklin. ^^^^ ^j^^^^ ^^^ rOU^hcd it with the associators. The philosopher, scientist, journalist and statesman became so popular as a soldier that he was made a colonel, and was actually suggested to lead an expedition against Fort Duquesne. While Franklin was in the field, he erected Fort Allen, opposite the mouth of Mahoning Frontier Forts ^ trir o creek, and formed a hue of communication through the wilderness to Wyoming, establishing a fort at mid -distance, called the Middle Fort. Gov- ernor Morris, about the same time, decided to build Fort Augusta at Shamokin. But there were so many points along the frontier that needed such protection that the Assembly took the matter in hand, and ap- propriated 85,000 pounds for a chain of forts from the Delaware to the Maryland line. At first there were less than twenty; but at the close of the war, no less than two hundred stockades and blockhouses had been erected, so as to form two distinct lines of The Administration of the Government 131 defence on the frontier. They commanded the prin- cipal passes in the mountains, and were garrisoned by the militia or by the rangers. The settlers fre- quently lived in the forts for months at a time, taking their household goods, farm implements, and live stock with them into the enclosure. When there was no immediate danger outside, the men worked in their fields during the day, and returned at night. They always took their rifles with them, and were often accompanied by sentinels. To incite the ener- gies of the militia in the forts, and of the frontiers- men in general. Governor Morris offered a reward for Indian scalps and for the recoverj^ of English prisoners. The Indians could be traced and located by their paths, of which there were four leading ones. But the reward for scalps did not accomplish much, except to arouse the indignation of the Assembly. Morris also planned Colonel Armstrong's famous expedition against the Indian stronghold Armstrong's at Kittanning, although it was executed Expedition under his successor. The force, consisting ot three hundred men, marched from Fort Shirley, now in Huntingdon county, August 30, 1756, and attacked Captain Jacobs, the most active chief of that time, at daybreak of the 8th of September. Many of the In- dians were sleeping in a cornfield, on account of the heat. They were surprised and driven into the town. After two refusals to surrender, their huts were set on fire, and many of the savages died in the flames, singing and whooping as they perished. Captain Jacobs was shot while trying to escape from a window. The best part of the victory was the capture and de- struction of great quantities of powder and other stores 132 A History of Pennsylvania which the French had supplied. Colonel Armstrong received a medal from the Council of Philadelphia in recognition of his services. If he had not destroyed Kittanning, Captain Jacobs would have marched for Fort Shirley the next day. Governor Morris was succeeded, in 1756, by Wil- Governor Ham Dcuny ; but the Proprietary instructions Denny ^gj,Q ^q^ chaugcd. As it was no time for renewing an old quarrel, the Assembly waived its rights temporarily, and passed a money bill satisfactory to the Governor. They even passed a compulsory militia law, but Denny vetoed it. Arms and ammu- nition were needed more than men. Guns were out of repair, flints were scarce and poor, and the forts were without cannon. Under such conditions, Arm- strong's victory lost its effect. PIT) wing and seeding and harvesting had again to be done in dread fear of the Indian's tomahawk and scalping knife. The bor- der counties in 1757 were kept in constant alarm, and the savages carried terror even to within thirtv miles of Philadelphia. Fortunately, with the advent of William Pitt as A Change in primc miuistcr of England, "the heavens the Ministry bcgau to brightcu and the storm to lose its power." England now sent men and munitions of war in numbers and quantities sufficient to put an end to the struggle with France. Pitt pledged himself to pay liberally all soldiers who enlisted in America. Pennsylvania raised 2,700 men. Of the three expeditions planned, the one against Fort Duquesne was led by General John Forbes. His army consisted of the provincials of Pennsj-lvania and the southern colonies and of British regulars — The Administration of the Government 133 9,000 all told. It rendezvoused at Bedford, in Sep- tember, 1758, and at the suggestion of Colonel Bou- quet, a Swiss officer in the service of the British army, cut a new road from Raystown to Loyalhanna — a distance of forty -five miles. Loyalhanna was made the base of operations. A small force was sent for- ward to ascertain the strength of the enemy at Fort Duquesne. Venturing too far, the detachment was attacked, and fared no better than Braddock. En- couraged by their success, the French and Indians resolved to make a sudden assault on the camp at Loyalhanna, but were repulsed twice by Colonel Bouquet. Forbes having been detained at Carlisle by sickness, reached Loyalhanna about November 1st. The campaign would have been postponed till spring but for the capture of three French scouts, who dropped the secret that Fort Duquesne was weakly garrisoned. Forbes quickly altered his plans, and sent Washington forward with the Virginians. But the enemy had fled. Flaming timbers and ex- ploding powder were all that was left at Fort Du- quesne to tell the tale of French occupation in the Ohio valley. Forbes was a hero; the French and Indian war was over in Pennsylvania ; and the question whether the Celtic or the Teutonic civili- zation should prevail in North America was more than half solved. Forbes' success was due in no small degree to Frederick Post, a Moravian mis- sionary. At the instance of the Friendly Association of Quakers, this heroic man twice, once in July and again in October, went among the savages of the West on a mission of peace. Under the very shadow of Fort Duquesne, in the presence of the French, 134 A History of Pennsylvania and in the face of threatened death, he made a treaty with the Delawares [and the Shawanese, whereby these became the friends of the English before Gen- eral Forbes had marched out of Loyalhanna. The Assembly, in 1757, had resumed the question Proprietary of taxiug the cstatcs of the Proprietary. Estates Taxed rpj^^y ^^^ ^^^^ Fraukliu to England to appeal to the King and Parliament. Finding the King too busy with the war to give him an audience, Franklin appealed to the people bj^ publishing a book, entitled " Historical Review of Pennsylvania." Com- ing from the man who had discovered the identity of electricity and lightning, the book was read by lords and commons. The English people could see no reason why Penn's estates should not be taxed, while they themselves paid heavy taxes for the war in America. So when finally, in 1759, the question came before the Privy Council, Franklin won the day. His fame as a diplomat spread all over America, and several other colonies made him their representative in London, to adjust their difficulties. Governor Denny was removed by the Proprietors Pontiac's lu 1759, and James Hamilton appointed in Conspiracy j^jg placc. The Asscmbly was now in a position to aid in the prosecution of the war in Canada without endangering its rights, and it did so most generously. After the treaty of 1763 there was every prospect of a long era of peace. There was no foreign foe bej'ond the mountains to invade the colo- nies, or to incite the Indians against the frontier. The settlers returned to their abandoned homes to begin life anew ; and the English government forti- fied the region conquered from the French. But the The Administration of the Government 135 extension of these defenses and the ^rapid advance of the settlers caused a fresh uprising among the savages. Pontiac, a veritable Napoleon of the wilder- ness, organized all the tribes from Lake Ontario to Georgia in a grand conspiracy to repel the English. In western Pennsylvania he was ably seconded by Kiashuta, the viceroy of the Six Nations. The attack was to be made on all the forts and settlements on the same day ; but the plan miscarried, and Fort Pitt was surrounded about June 1, 1763, a few days before the warwhoop was heard in New York, Maryland and Virginia. A bundle of sticks had been given to every tribe in the confederacy, each bundle containing as many sticks as there were days till the time for the attack. One stick was to be drawn out every morn- ing ; the day on which the last one was removed was to be the time for the attack. A Delaware squaw on the Ohio, who was in sympathy with the whites, had purposely drawn out two or three sticks, unno- ticed by the warriors, and so brought about the untimely action. The whole frontier of Pennsylvania west of the Susquehanna, was devastated so com- The Frontier pletely that Indian history in America Devastated presents no parallel. The tomahawk first and the torch next, was the order which Pontiac had given all along the line. Corpses and ashes marked the path of destruction. Although the harvest was ripe, the farmers abandoned their grain fields and fled through the mountain passes to the settlements beyond. On the 25th of July Shippensburg har- bored over three hundred fugitives ; Carlisle, too, was full to overflowing, and so were other places. Colonel 136 A History of Pennsylvania Armstrong, with some three hundred volunteers from Carlisle, Shippensburg and Bedford, started from Fort Shirley, on the Aughwick, to destroy the Indian set- tlement at Muncy, but the enemy had fled when he arrived there. But these and other feeble efforts at resistance Bouquet's Were far from effective. Unless Fort Pitt, Expedition from which the Indians had cut off all communication, could be relieved, there would be no safety east of it. General Amherst, commander of the British army in America, dispatched Colonel Bou- quet to western Pennsylvania. His command was composed of rangers from Lancaster and Cumberland counties, and about five hundred regulars, who were wornout veterans, unfit for hard service, some having to be conveyed in wagons. Starting from Carlisle July 21, he marched by way of Fort Bedford and Fort Ligonier. On August 5, when within a short distance of Bushy run, near Braddock's field, the In- dians made a savage attack on his advance guard ; and when the main army came up a fierce battle ensued, lasting the greater part of two days. Nothing but a strategy saved Colonel Bouquet's troops from being annihilated. In the night he arranged them in a circle. He then ordered a feigned retreat to be made at the point of the enemy's deadliest fire. The Indians rushed into the circle in pursuit of the retreating lines, but before they were aware of it received such a fire from all directions that they fled beyond the Ohio in the utmost confusion. Bouquet now led his tired army to Fort Pitt, and began to erect a redoubt — a square stone building, which is still standing — in place of the old fort. It is the last The Administration of the Government 137 Bouquet's Redoubt. monument of British dominion in Pittsburg. On it is the inscription, "Colonel Bouquet, A. D. 1764." The Indians withdrew beyond the Ohio. For some months after the battle of Bushy Run, the frontier of Pennsylvania was comparatively quiet. The raid made upon the Con- estoga Indians (see p. 55) especially had a wholesome effect upon the savages. But with the first appearance of spring, in 1764, hostilities were renewed. The British government now resolved to carry the war into the Indian country. Two expeditions were planned — one against the Indians along the Great Lakes, and the other against those on the Ohio. The latter was entrusted to Colonel Bouquet. The Assembly voted to raise 1,000 men, 50,000 pounds, and 50 pairs of bloodhounds. The use of the dogs was not put into effect. Bouquet marched bravely into the wilderness of Ohio, completely overawed the Indians, and made them sue for peace. They had to give up all the white prisoners — more than two hundred in num- ber — many of whom had been in captivity since 1755. Some of the soldiers had relatives and friends among the captives, and the reunion of such was a most affecting scene. Many of the children had become so attached to Indian life that they had to be taken back to their homes by force. A few, who had married Indians, never returned. Those who could not be identified at Fort Pitt were brought to 138 A History of Pennsylvania Carlisle, in the hope that people east of the mouo- tains might claim them. It was here that the old German widow, Mrs. Hartman, caused her long -lost daughter to recognize her by singing a cradle song. Although Franklin had secured the decision in To Abolish the England that the estates of the Penns Proprietorship ^erc to bc taxcd, yet how and upon what basis, was an open question. Governor John Penn, grandson of William, and successor to Hamilton, would not sign the grant for Bouquet's expedition unless the best wild lands of the family estates were taxed at the same low rate paid by the people for the poorest ; and the Assembly, anxious for peace, yielded. Immediately, strong opposition arose against the Proprietors, and measures were taken to abolish the Proprietorship and make Pennsylvania a royal province. The Assembly passed resolutions rehearsing the tyranny of the Proprietary, and a bitter factional struggle ensued among the people. The anti- Proprie- tary party circulated petitions praying the King to take the province under his benign protection. In October, 1764, the Assembly passed the petition for a change of government by a vote of 27 to 3. Rather than sign the document, Issac Norris, at the last moment, resigned the position of Speaker. In the final debate, John Dickinson and Joseph Galloway made the leading speeches for and against, respect- ively. Both desired the success of the democratic principle that was asserting itself in the province ; but Galloway favored the abolition of the Proprietary government as the best way to accomplish the end, while Dickinson believed its continuance would serve the end better. The Administration of the Government 139 Franklin was appointed to carry the petition to England and lay it before the Crown. The Proprie- tors do not seem to have feared the result. Thomas Penn wrote from England to a friend in Pennsyl- vania : " We are not in fear of your mighty Goliath, whose schemes of government are not approved of here, and who may lose the government of a post- office by grasping at that of a province." In Novem- ber, 1765, Franklin laid the petition of the Assembly before the Privy Council ; but no action was taken, except that the Penns were required to furnish the Crown a statement of the financial management of the province. However, the agitation had its whole- some effects. The Proprietors ordered Governor Penn to do everything in his power to conciliate the fac- tions in Pennsylvania. His task was made easy, for in their wrath against the Stamp Act the people lost sight of their grievances with the Proprietors. Never- theless, the effort to throw off the Proprietary Gov- ernment was a preparatory drill for the Revolution ten years later. THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD In 1764, Parliament announced a new doctrine of taxation to the colonies. It was to the ef- 1 . rt n -, TT" "^^^ Stamp Act feet that m future, revenue for the King's use would be raised in America by Parliamentary acts. Before that time, internal taxes had always been im- posed by the colonial legislatures. A bill passed on this doctrine of " taxation without representation " was brought in and passed in March, 1765. It was the famous Stamp Act. Dr. Franklin, who was in Eng- 140 A History of Pennsylvania land at the time, did all he could to prevent its pas- sage; but, said he, "England was provoked by Amer- ican claims of independence, and all parties joined in resolving by this act to settle that point." No sooner had the news reached America than the Stamp Act Congress was called to meet at New York. John Dickinson, of Philadelphia, drafted the reso- lutions, since known as the first American Bill of Rights. John Hughes, a member of the Assembly, was made stamp distributor for Pennsylvania ; but when the bells were muf&ed, the colors hoisted half- mast, and acts of violence threatened, he resigned. A Philadelphia newspaper appeared the day before the act went into effect, with skull and cross-bones, spade and shovel. The editor stopped and asked for sub- scriptions due, that he might live. The storekeepers resolved to buy no more British goods. To increase the product of domestic wool, lambs were no longer killed. Great frugality was practiced, even the "pomp of woe" at funerals was restrained. Such were the results accomplished in Pennsylvania by the Sons of Liberty, in opposition to the Stamp Act, and when news of its repeal reached Philadelphia, they were in high glee over the victory. Thej^ dined and wined the captain of the brig bringing the news, and presented a gold -laced hat to him. Their kindly feeling for the mother country returned unabated ; for on the King's birthday, they dressed themselves in English goods and gave their homespun to the poor. Dr. Franklin, who was largely instrumental in the repeal of the Stamp Act, had to caution his friends in America not to be too demonstrative, lest England take offense. The Administration of the Government 141 William Pitt, who " rejoiced that America had resisted" the Stamp Act, drew a line be- External tween internal and external taxation, hold- Taxation ing that Parliament could tax the colonies by the latter method, on the ground that it could regulate trade and raise a revenue. Accordingly, in 1767, an act was passed providing for colonial revenue, to be raised from a duty on wine, oil, glass, paper, lead, colors and tea, the pro- ceeds to be used to pay the gover- nors'- and the judges' salaries in the royal provinces. Again non- importa- tion agreements were proposed and accepted by the Philadelphia mer- chants, while the province sent pro- tests to the King and to Parliament. ""'^^ ^^<^^--o.. John Dickinson, in the " Letters of a Pennsylvania Farmer," stirred the colonists from New Hampshire to Georgia with his simple, irresistible logic. The farmers especially — and they were by far the most numerous class of people then — were thoroughly aroused from their political sleep by Dickinson. He pointed out " that any law, so far as it creates expense, is in reality a tax;" that if England could tax the colonies for the support of the gov- ernors and judges, the salaries of these officers would no longer depend on their standing with the Assem- blies, but would be fixed by the King to serve his own ends; that the Governors might not call the Assemblies together at all, except " to make laws for the yoking of hogs or the pounding of stray cattle." Dickinson's letters were widely read, both here and abroad. At a public meeting in Boston, Hancock, Adams, War- 142 A ^History of Pennsylvania ren, and others were appointed a committee to write him a letter, saluting " the Farmer as the friend of Americans and the common benefactor of mankind." Excepting a brief change in the governorship, John and poUtical affairs were quiet in Pennsylva- Richard Penn ^^^ till 1773. Johu Pcun haviug returned to England in 1771, the president of the Council, James Hamilton, acted as Governor until Richard Penn, a younger brother of John, arrived a few months later. Richard was a great favorite in Penn- sylvania, but he served only till his brother John returned, in 1773. John Penn now held the governor- ship until the end of Proprietary government, in 1776. The duties imposed by the act of 1767 were re- The Tax movcd lu 1770 from everything but tea, on Tea which was taxcd three pence per pound ; but the non- importation agreements were faithfully kept. Hence England was obliged to make arrange- ments at home so that the accumulated tea of the East India Company could be sold in America for what the colonists could buy it before the tax was on it. This act gave rise to the so-called "tea parties." The East India Company sent several ves- sels loaded with tea to the colonies, but it was not allowed to be landed. At Philadelphia, the ships "with the detested tea" got as far as Gloucester Point, where a committee from a mass meeting of 8,000 people, assembled in the State House yard, met them and warned them not to come nearer. The captain was allowed to come to town and decide for himself whether he thought it prudent to land. He came, but decided not to land. The committee also induced the consignees to resign their commissions for selling The Administration of the Government 143 the tea. The following is a facsimile of the notice sent to the consignees : HG** sr*"' CARD. THE PUBLIC prefent their Compliments to Meflieurs JAMES AND DRlNKER.—.Wc are informed thet you have this Day received your ComminTion to en Have your native Country} and, as your frivolous Plea of having received no Advice, relative io the fcandalous Part you vrere to aA, in the Tea>Schcme, can no longer ferve your Purpofc, nor divert our Attention* WE«xpe£t and defire you wilt immediately inform the Public, by a Line or two to be left at theCoTF£C Houss, "Whether too will, or will not, renounce all Prctenfions to execute that Commiflionf that YHE. may govern ouk- SCLYES ACCOH1)lKGI.Y. PhiUddfbidt Dcemier 2, 1773. »C|-- .•*►. — io When the Boston Port Bill (see any United States history) was passed by Parliament, in Pennsylvania 1774, and other repressive acts designed conservative to bring Massachusetts to submission, that colony felt that it could no longer resist Great Britain without the help of the others. This was not difficult to get in some colonies ; for they had like- wise been made to feel the rod of the mother country. Virginia promptly passed a resolution in her Legislature setting apart the day on which the Boston Port Bill was to go into effect as one of "fasting, humiliation and prayer." Virginia, like Massachusetts, had been deprived of her liberties by numerous acts of oppression and restraint, and was ripe for a united effort to regain what she had lost. 144 A History of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, having had a Proprietary form of gov- ernment, based on a most liberal charter, could not so readily trace her ills to the Crown. Moreover, the province always enjoyed a growth and a prosperity so great and uniform that the ills of government bore less heavily on her than on other colonies. It was natural, therefore, to find a strong conservative ele- ment in Pennsylvania when the first steps were taken to resist Great Britain. Since Pennsylvania, being next to Virginia and Paul Revere's CQual to Massachusctts iu populatiou, Visit would influence the middle colonies by her action, as the other two did their neighbors, it was important that she should respond promptly and vigorously to the cry from Boston. So in May, 1774, Paul Revere came to Philadelphia to explain the situ- ation. He was received by Joseph Reed, Thomas Mifflin and Charles Thomson, who introduced him to other leading men. A public meeting was held in the City Tavern the very next day. Speeches were made by Reed, Mifflin, Thomson and Dickin- son. Dr. William Smith, provost of the Phila- delphia College, drew up a letter to be carried to Boston by Revere. The letter, and a set of resolu- tions accompanying it, defended the right of the colonies to give and grant their own money through their own Assemblies ; the Boston Port Bill was de- nounced, and deep sympathy expressed for Massachu- setts ; and a colonial congress was recommended. Copies were sent to the other colonies, that a united effort might be made throughout America to let Great Britain know that a principle is far too dear to be abandoned by the payment of a petty tax on tea. The Administration of the Government 145 Another and a larger meeting was held June 28, in the State House. Stirring resolutions The People were again passed, similar to the others ; organize the Governor was asked to call the Assembly together ; a congress of all the colonies was recom- mended ; and a committee was appointed to corre- spond with similar committees then organizing in the other counties of the province. Governor Penn having declined to call the Assembly, these com- mittees were to be the nucleus of a new organization in the movement against the oppressive acts of Eng- land. Meetings were held throughout the province " to take the sentiments of the inhabitants." Those who favored the liberty partj^ were called "Whigs," and those whose sympathies were with Great Britain were called "Tories." At the suggestion of the com- mittee of Philadelphia, deputies were chosen from every county to meet in the city July 15. At this provincial congress, an account of what had already been done in Pennsylvania and other colonies was given ; sixteen resolutions were drawn up to express the sense of the convention on the difficulties with Great Britain ; and a set of instructions was addressed to the Assembly. The " instructions " were the work very largely of John Dickinson. " Honor, justice and humanity call upon us to hold, and to transmit to our posterity, that liberty which we. received from our ancestors. It is not our duty to leave wealth to our chil- dren ; but it is our duty to leave liberty to them. * * * So alarming are the measures already taken for laying the founda- tions of a despotic authority over us * ^ * that unless we can interrupt the work, our children will not be able to over- throw it when completed." 146 A History of Pennsylvania " For attaining this great and desirable end," tht The First AsscHibly was asked to appoint delegates Continental " to attend a Congress of Deputies from tlie Congress several colonies." The men appointed were Joseph Galloway, Samuel Rhoads, Thomas Mifftin and John Dickinson, of Philadelphia ; John Morton, of Chester ; Charles Humphreys, of Haverford ; George Ross, of Lancaster, and Edward Biddle, of Reading. These were Pennsylvania's delegates to what has since been known as the First Continental Congress, whose sessions were held in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, September 5 to October 26. Dickinson was the lead- ing man among them. Of the six papers drawn up by the Congress, he was the author of two — the famous petition to the King, and the address to the people of Canada. Galloway played a conspicuous but not very honorable part. According to Bancroft, he " acted as a volunteer spy for the British govern- ment." " To the delegates from other colonies," says the historian, " he insinuated as they arrived that ' commissioner^ with full power should repair to the British cour ,, after the example of the Roman, Gre- cian, and Macedonian colonies on occasions of the like nature.' His colleagues spurned the thought of send- ing envoys to dangle at the heels of a minister and undergo the scorn of Parliament." On the third day, the Congress was opened with praj^r, after Samuel Adams had silenced the objections of Jay and Rutledge by declaring : " I am no bigot ; I can hear a prayer from a man of piety and virtue, who is at the same time a friend to his country." The man named for this sacred duty was Rev. Jacob Duclie. rector of Christ church, and first chaplain of the The Administration of the Government 147 Second Continental Congress. News had just been received of a bloody attack on the people by the troops at Boston ; and as the collect for the day was read, the members of the Congress believed that a Carpenters' Hall. rude soldiery was then infesting the dwellings and tak- ing the lives of the people of Boston. Heaven itself seemed to dictate the words of Scripture, the 35th Psalm, that memorable morning : Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. * * * * Carpenters' Hall was built in 1770 by the Car- penters' Company, an organization formed r .. ' , \' ' t,.. . -, Carpenters' Hall tor giving instruction in architecture and assisting poor members' widows and children. After 148 A History of Pennsylvania the First Congress the building was occupied by various bodies representing the province. The British occupied it in 1777, the soldiers using the vane on the cupola for target practice. The First and Second National Banks both transacted their business within its walls for several years. Later on it served in all sorts of capacities — as custom house, land office, music hall, meeting house, school house, horse market, furniture store. In 1857, the Carpenters again took pos- session of their ancient hall, and have since kept it open as a historic relic. Half a million people visited the time -honored building during the Centen- nial Exhibition, in 1876. The report of the proceedings of the First Conti- The Assembly cental Cougrcss was unanimously adopted Ratifies the Acts by thc Pennsylvania Assembly, early in Congress Deccmbcr ; and the province thus became a member of the American Association designed to secure the enforcement of non- importation and non- consumption of British goods. Biddle, Dickinson, Mifflin, Galloway, Humphreys, Morton and Ross were elected delegates to the Second Continental Congress, to meet May 10, 1775. Franklin, on arriving from his ten years' sojourn in England, in the spring of 1775, was at once added to the delegation. Galloway had requested to be relieved from serving on account of the radical acts against England. Governor Penn had hitherto refrained from directing or controlling the Assembly in matters pertaining to the contest. But when Great Britain proposed not to tax the colo- nists, provided they would tax themselves to the satis- faction of Parliament, the Governor, in a message to the Assembly, May, 1775, sided with Great Britain, The Administration of the Government 149 A second provincial congress was held in Philadel- phia, January, 1775. Nearly all the coun- An Echo from ties were represented. Resolutions were Lexington adopted to provide means for the growth and manu- facture of things that used to be imported from England. At first it was determined to exhaust all peaceable measures for the restoration of American rights before resorting to arms. It was not until " the shot which was heard around the world " had been fired at Lexington, that a different spirit began to make itself strongly felt. Thousands of people now agreed " to associate for the purpose of defending with arms their lives, their property, and their liberty," Pennsylvania's instructions to her delegates in the Second Congress, to whom, besides Frank- Redress of lin, Thomas Willing, of Philadelphia, and Grievances James Wilson, of Cumberland, were added, sought had been to combine, if possible, a redress of griev- ances with "union and harmony between Great Britain and the colonies." In this position Pennsyl- vania was not alone; for the Americans generally had not yet given up the hope of reconciliation. Independ- ence seemed probable, but not inevitable. Franklin, however, supported the boldest measures. " Make yourselves sheep," he would say, " and the wolves will devour you." Dickinson favored a second peti- tion to the King, and drafted it ; but the King "determined to listen to nothing from the illegal Congress." On the 14th of June, 1775, Congress resolved to raise a Continental army. Its first levy a continental was for "six companies of expert rifle- Army Formed men to be raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, 150 A History of Pennsylvania and two in Virginia." A few days later two more companies were ordered from Pennsylvania. The Assembly at once recommended to the counties to provide arms and equipments for this force. It also appointed a Committee of Safety June 30, consisting of ten persons from the city of Philadelphia, four from the county, two from Chester, and one from each of the other nine counties. This body organ- ized, with Franklin as president. Its first act was to draft rules and regulations for the associators, or militia, which included all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 50. Many persons declined to perform military duty on the ground of conscientious scruples. All such were to contribute an equivalent in money for military service. The eight companies of volunteer riflemen, called by Congress, were raised without any difficulty. Lancaster county furnished two instead of one, and so there were nine when the quota had been completed. They were formed into a battalion, commanded by Colonel William Thomp- son, of Carlisle. The companies marched for Boston as soon as they were organized. On the 18th of July, Nagel's Berks County "Dutchmen" — the first company to be ready — arrived at Cambridge, and within less than sixty days from the date of the call of Congress, the riflemen of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia were all with Washington, the first troops called into the Continental army. The Committee of Safety next went to work on The American the dcfcnses of Philadelphia against an Navy invasion from the sea. It put the fa- mous chevaux-de-frize in the Delaware, and began the Gonstruction of the State Navy. In August, 1776, The Administration of the Government 151 the fleet numbered twenty -seven vessels, with Cap- tain Thomas Reed as commodore, the first officer of that title in America. One of the first commissions issued was that to the famous Nicholas Biddle, as captain of the Franklin. Three months after the State Navy was begun, Congress took action for the construction of a Continental Navy, which was also fitted out at Philadelphia. The opening gun of the year 1776, the most memorable of all the years of the Revo- "common lution, was Thomas Paine's pamphlet, sense" "Common Sense," brought out January 8. The son of a Quaker in England, he was induced by Frank- lin to come to Philadelphia, where he associated with Rittenhouse, Clymer, Rush, and other patriots of Pennsylvania. "Everything that is right and natural pleads for separa- tion. Even the distance at which the Almighty hath placed England and America is a strong and natural proof that the authority of the one over the other was never the design of Heaven. It is not in the power of Britain, or of Europe, to conquer America, if she does not conquer herself by delay and timidity." "Common Sense" was written to overthrow the Proprietary party in Pennsylvania, but it did more. The King had just issued his proclamation denouncing the colonists as rebels. Paine 's pamphlet, therefore, came at a most opportune time to create sentiment in favor of a separation. In April, the Assembly renewed its instructions to the Pennsylvania delegates in Congress The Assembly not to give their consent to a separation Tested or a change of the Proprietary government. But 152 A History of Pennsylvania Congress, May 15, recommended State governments in the colonies, and declared that all authority under the Crown should be totally suppressed. On the 8th of June, the day after Richard Henry Lee, in Congress, had proposed the independence of the colonies, the Assembly gave instructions which neither advised nor forbade a declaration of independence, but left the question to the '^ ability, prudence and integrity " of the delegates. This doubtful action proved the end of the Proprietary Assembly ; once only did it again have a quorum of its members. Instead of allowing the State government, ordered by Congress, May 15, to be formed by members of an Assembly sworn to support the King, the people called a provincial con- vention for that purpose. The Assembly instituted by Penn did not come to an end till the obstinacy of the King left no room for reconciliation. When, on the 1st of July, the vote on Lee's resolu- Lee's Resolution tlou for independence was to be taken Adopted jjj committee of the whole, the Pennsyl- vania delegation in Congress — Franklin, Dickinson, Morris, Wilson, Morton, Humphreys and Willing — were divided, and cast their vote against it. Dickin- son made a great speech, the burden of which was that the time was not yet ripe for such an important step. Wilson, who had held the same view before, could now no longer agree with Dickinson. Two other States — Delaware and South Carolina — voted nay; while New York, whose delegates did not receive favorable instructions till after the adoption of the declaration, did not vote at all. The next day, when the committee of the whole reported to Con- gress, Delaware voted aj-e ; so did South Carolina. The Administration of the Government 153 Delaware's vote was changed by Caesar Rodney, who rode eighty miles on horseback to vote for inde- pendence. Dickinson and Morris remaining away, Pennsylvania, by the vote of Franklin, Wilson, and Morton, against Humphreys and Willing, was also enabled to say aye on " the greatest question ever debated in America or ever decided among men." The second day of July, 1776, was not destined to become " the most memorable epoch in the Jefferson's history of America." It was the fourth Declaration of day of July when Jeflferson's Declaration I"'*«p="^^"'=^ of Independence, in which he set forth the reasons for the act of the second of July, was passed. On the Interior of Independence Hall. Room in which the Declaration of Independence was signed. 8th, the Declaration of Independence was read in the State House yard. At the same time the King's arms were taken from the court room and publicly burned, while merry chimes from the church steeples and peals from the State House bell " proclaimed liberty 154 A History of Pennsylvania throughout the' land." The Declaration having to be engrossed, was not signed until August 2. As Dickinson, Humphreys and Willing had in the mean- time been succeeded in Congress by other men, their names do not appear among the signers of Pennsyl- vania, who were Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, Dr, Benjamin Rush, and George Clymer, of Philadel- phia ; George Ross, of Lancaster; James Smith, of York ; James Wilson, of Cumberland ; George Taylor, of Northampton, and John Morton, of Chester county. Before Dickinson left Congress, he drafted the Articles of Confederation, and once more distinguished himself by the use of his pen in behalf of his country. Franklin had prepared a plan of union the previous year, but it had been laid aside for the time being. Scarcely had the peals of the Liberty Bell died out, Washington's whcu the drums of Washington's army Retreat souudcd the rc treat across New Jersey, in the fall of 1776 (see any U. S. history). Pennsyl- vania was in consternation. Liberal bounties were offered to volunteers ; blankets and stockings were begged for the soldiers ; the assoeiators of Philadel- phia and the counties around it were urged to join the army, and armed boats were sent to Trenton to transport Washington's troops across the Delaware. In the midst of this excitement, Congress fled precipi- tately to Baltimore. But Pennsylvania's Committee of Safety cooperated with Washington, calling on every patriot "to step forth at this crisis" and re- inforce the depleted and disheartened army of less than three thousand men. The militia of Bucks, Northampton and adjoining counties answered the call promptly. The Administration of the Government 155 After crossing the Delaware on his retreat, Wash- ington made his headquarters at Newtown, Washington Bucks county, while his army was sta- crossing tioned eight miles above Trenton, at ^ e aware McConkey's ferry, near Taylorsville. The Pennsyl- vania militia were stationed at Bristol, under Cad- walader, and at Morrisville, opposite Trenton, under Ewing. Some troops were also stationed at Yardley- ville and other points up the river. Washington's plan on the night of the ^Sth of December contem- plated a combined attack on Trenton by himself, Ewing, and Cadwalader. Ewing, owing to the ice in the river, made no attempt to cross it. Cadwalader, with honest zeal, tried it; some of the men got over, but the horses and artillery could not reach the land on account of the ice. After suffering in a driving snow storm for some hours, Cadwalader and his men returned to camp and crept into their tents, without fire or light. The story of Washington's crossing the Delaware is familiar to every school -boy. Before night on the 26th he had landed in Pennsylvania with his thousand Hessian prisoners and started them on their way to Philadelphia, whence they were sent to Lancaster and confined in barracks erected for the purpose. The Supreme Executive Council, chosen under the new Constitution, in February, 1777, met The Year 1777 March 4, and took the reins of govern- ment. Thomas Wharton, Jr., was elected President, and as such was chief executive of the State. The Council of Safety was now dissolved, Franklin, its president, having already gone to France as one of the three commissioners sent by Congress to solicit 156 A History of Pennsylvania aid. The year 1777 was to be a memorable one for Pennsylvania. Many such patriotic and heroic deeds as that of Robert Morris, in Philadelphia, on New Year's morning, and John Kelley, at Stony creek, on January 3 (see p. 317), were done before it closed. Morris went from house to house, in Philadelphia, rous- ing the people out of bed, to borrow money of them. Early in the day he sent Washington $50,000, with the message : "Whatever I can do shall ..^ ^ , be done for the good of the service ; Thomas Wharton, Jr. _ . . ' if further occasional supplies of money are necessary, you may depend on my exertions, either in a public or a private capacity." During the summer the Whigs arrested some forty Tories. About half of them signed their parole, promising not to say or do anything against the United States, and then were discharged. John Penn, the late Governor, refused, and he was confined at Fredericksburg, Virginia. The expected attack on Philadelphia was set on Howe Sails ^^^^ ^^ Howc at Ncw York, July 5, where for he embarked his troops. On arriving at Philadelphia ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ Delaware, he learned of the chevaux-de-frize in the Delaware, and resolved to enter Pennsylvania by way of the Chesapeake, an- choring his fleet in Elk river, 54 miles from Phila- delphia. Congress, which had returned from Balti- more, made a requisition on the Executive Council for 4,000 militia, and ordered Washington to leave New Jersey and march against Howe. The comman- der-in-chief reached Philadelphia August 24, and The Administration of the Government 157 - Ti/Miilikv''^ yi^'^ Brandywine led his troops, decorated with sprays of green and carrying the American flag for the first time, through the streets of Philadelphia, to encourage the patriots. Here the young Marquis de Lafayette joined the army, to be wounded in his first bat- tle. Washington hastened on to meet the enemy, whose two divi- sions had formed a juncture at Kennett Square, September 10. By a secret movement, he took position on the high grounds above Chadd's Ford, on the north side of the Brandywine, directly in Howe's path. The Betsy Ross Flag. Early on the morning of the 11th, the British, with a small part of their army under Knyphau- sen, made Washington believe that they intended to cross the Brandywine at Chadd's Ford. But he received information that their main body, under Howe and Cornwallis, would cross the river at a ford higher up. So he sent word to General Sullivan, second in command, to meet Howe and Cornwallis and hold them in check, while he himself would defeat Knyphausen first and then turn his attention to the main body of the enemy. Just as Washington was about to attack Knyphausen, a message came from Sullivan that the British were not coming from the north, and that therefore he had disobeyed his orders The Present Flag. 158 A History of Pennsylvania Birmingham Meeting House. But Washington had been correctly informed. Howe had crossed the Brandywine above the forks at Trim- ble's and Jefferi's fords, and soon fell upon Sullivan above Birmingham meeting house. Washington, leav- ing General Wayne to oppose Knyphausen at Chadd's Ford, hastened to the assistance of Sul- livan ; but this General had already given way to the unex- pected attack of the British, and was on the retreat. When Washing- ton came up, his own troops at first fell in with the fleeing soldiers of Sullivan; but Greene's corps, which included a division of Pennsylvanians fighting on their native soil, was finally planted in a posi- tion where it could hold its ground against the British till nightfall. General Wayne made a gallant stand against Knyphausen; but the defeat of the American right compelled him at last to retreat and abandon his cannon to the Hessian commander. General Greene was the last to quit the field, but not before darkness had made further resistance impos- sible. Washington's army retreated to Chester that night, and the next day to Germ an town. Howe's success on the Brandywine caused great Great constematiou in Philadelphia and its Consternation yiciuity. Church bclls wcrc sunk in tht river or carried away. The Liberty Bell was hidden The Administration of the Govermnent 159 under the floor of Zion's Reformed church, in Allen- town ; the State archives were carried to Easton, while the State government removed to Lancaster. The members of Congress rose from their beds and fled in the night to Lancaster, and thence to York. The wounded in battle were sent to Ephrata and other places. Lafayette was cared for by the Moravians at Bethlehem. Many of the farmers, with their families and their horses and cattle, sought safety in the outlying counties ; and to prevent the British from entering Philadelphia before another blow could be struck, the floating bridges on the Schuylkill were removed. As soon as Washington had supplied his army at Germantown with provisions and ammu- The Massacre nition, he recrossed the Schuylkill, fol- °^ ^^°" lowed the Lancaster turnpike and met the British at Warren Tavern, a little west of Paoli ; but a heavy rain drenched the cartridges, and he had to retire. He left General Wayne, with 1,500 men, near Paoli, to fall upon and to destroy Howe's baggage. The British learned of Wayne's position, and made a sudden attack on the camp in the dead of night. With the cry of "no quarters," they bay- oneted the Americans in a man- Anthony Wayne. ner that beggared description. Some of the victims passed from the sleep of night into the sleep of eternity without waking. The loss was heavy to bear, and opened the way to Philadel- phia for the British. 160 A History of Pennsylvania The massacre of Paoli occurred on the uight of Howe Takes thc 20th. By scvcral skilful manoeuvers, Philadelphia Howc, OH the night of the 23d, crossed the Schujdkill below Valley Forge, and took pos- session of Philadelphia on the 26th. The American army, too weak to offer any resistance, encamped at Skippack creek, north of Germantown. The fact that Washington did not prevent Howe from cross- ing the Schuylkill was the chief ground on which, the following winter, his enemies sought to have him removed. Even John Adams cried out in despair after the massacre at Paoli : " O, Heaven grant us one great soul ! One leading mind would extri- cate the best cause from that ruin which seems to await it ! " Howe constructed a line of redoubts from the Howe in Dclawarc to the Schuylkill, along the Philadelphia prescut liucs of Poplar, Green and Cal- lowhill streets. He also posted a strong force at Germantown, extending from the mouth of the Wissa- hickon to the Old York road. Washington broke camp on the evening of October 3, and arrived at Ger- mantown at 3 o'clock on the morning of the 4th. General Armstrong, with the Pennsylvania militia, moved along the banks of the Schuylkill, to fall upon the Hessians at the mouth of the Wissahickon. Wayne and Sullivan went down the main street of Germantown to attack the British at Market Square. Greene followed a circuitous route by way of the lime kiln road, to attack the right wing of the enemy and drive them in upon the center at the same time that Wayne and Sullivan would attack them in front. Germantown The Administration of the Government 161 The battle was to begin on all quarters precisely at 5 o'clock. Armstrong could not drive the Hessians from their position and get in the rear of the British center, as was intended. Wayne and Sullivan, however, forced Howe's center at Market Square into confusion, so that the British commander had to cry, " For shame, light infantry ! I never saw you re- treat before. Form ! form ! it is only a scouting party." Colonel Musgrove quickly took posses- sion of the large and strong stone mansion of Chief Justice Chew, and used it as a fort to check the advance of Wayne, whose memories of Paoli found expression in the cry, " Have it at the bloodhounds ! Revenge ! Revenge ! " Not willing " to leave an enemy in a fort Lin the rear," the Americans tried in vain to set the mansion on fire and batter it down with cannon balls. This diver- sion gave the English time to form for battle and get reinforcements from Philadelphia. When Greene arrived, almost an hour late, he was outflanked, and, after fifteen minutes of heavy firing, was driven back. Though Washington had placed a regiment around Chew's mansion, with orders not to cannonade it again, one of Greene's divisions opened fire on it once more. This occurring in the rear of Wayne's division, he mistook it for the enemy's fire, and retreated in great haste. An early morning fog The Chew Mansion. K 162 A History of Pennsylvania added greatly to the confusion. At about half -past eight, Washington, seeing that the day was lost, ordered a retreat, which w^as made in perfect order, to Perkiomen creek. The forts and vessels commanding the Delaware The Forts on wcrc ucxt attacked by General Howe, in the Delaware ^^.^qj. ^q ^q^ ^j^g flgg|^ uudcr his brothcr. Admiral Howe, to Philadelphia. There were three forts — Mif&in, Mercer, and Billingsport. Between these forts were stretched the chevaux-de-frize, and above lay the American fleet. Billingsport had been abandoned to the enemy before the battle of German- town, and on the 22d of October a body of Hessians, aided by the British fleet, made an assault on Fort Mercer. They were repulsed, with the loss of 400 men, who lay in heaps around the fort. Howe's men-of- war were equally unsuccessful, having been driven down the river by Commodore Hazle wood's Penn- sylvania State fleet. The attack on Fort Mifflin was heroically resisted for six long days and nights, until palisades, parapets and blockhouses had been leveled to the ground and 250 of its 300 defenders had been killed and wounded. The fort was then burned and the garrison removed to Red Bank. With the fall of Fort Mifflin, Fort Mercer had to be abandoned also. The State fleet succeeded in stealing past the city at night into the upper waters of the Delaware, but the Continental fleet was less fortunate, and had to be set on fire and burned. Howe's fleet now came up the Delaware and took "The Battle a posltlou iu frout of Philadelphia. On ofvheKegs" January 5, 1778, the men of the Penn- sylvania fleet executed a scheme to destroy it. A The Administration of the Government 163 number of machines resembling kegs were prepared at Burlington and placed in the river, to be carried down by the current. The kegs had spring locks so contrived as to explode on coming in contact with a vessel. Unfortunately the British fleet kept close to the wharves at the time to avoid the ice. As the' kegs moved past the city, broadside after broadside! was hurled at them. Every chip, stick, or drift -log felt the vigor of the British guns. The aifair was most ludicrous. Francis Hopkinson ridiculed it in a ballad entitled " The Battle of the Kegs." Washington, though reinforced- by troops from Gates' army, chose the .defensive in his X TTTi -^ TiT 1 TT 1 Valley Forge strong camp at Wnite Marsn. Here he was attacked by Howe, December 4. After a skirmish with the Pennsylvania militia and a sharp action at Edge Hill, the British retired to Philadelphia without " driving General Washington over the Blue moun- tain," as Howe had threatened to do. And then be- gan a chapter in Pennsylvania history whose events make the spot on which they transpired most sacred. Valley Forge ! The American army reached this place about the 19th of December. It is a deep, rugged hollow on the west side of the Schuylkill, about six miles above Norristown. The soldiers were too poorly clad to live in tents; so huts, 16x14, in the form of a village, were made with logs, and twelve men were assigned to each cabin. Washington reported that when the army went into camp at Valley Forge "no less than ^ .7 fc. ^j^g Sufferings 2,898 men were unfit for duty because they were barefoot and otherwise naked." They often sat up all night by the fires to keep warm. There 164 A History of Pennsylvania Washington's Headquarters at Valley Forge. was a scarcity of provisions, the soldiers being with- out meat or bread for days at a time. Washington had to issue a proclamation, commanding that one- half of the grain in store within seventy miles of his camp should be threshed out before the 1st of February and the other half before the 1st of March. The British gold at Phila- delphia was more de- sirable than the Conti- nental bills, and so many farmers sent their provisions to Howe. Horses and wagons being scarce, the patriots yoked themselves to little wagons of their own making, or, like beggars, carried their wood and provisions on the back. Even straw to lay on the cold, wet earth in the cabins was wanting. There was no lack of provisions and clothing in the country ; but by mismanagement in Congress the army was not supplied with them. Washington felt most keenly for his men, a fact well attested by the praj^er which he sent to the throne of heaven from his head- quarters in the house of Isaac Potts. Added to these trials was the famous plot of General Conway, the attempt to alienate Lafayette, and the clamor of Con- gress and the Assembly of Pennsylvania to drive the British out of Philadelphia. But Washington never shrank from the cause of American liberty as it lay helpless and groaning in Valley Forge. The Administration of the Government 165 While the Americans were experiencing all this suffering, Howe's army had one long Howe's winter round of pleasure in Philadelphia. The in Philadelphia days were spent in pastime and the nights in enter- tainments. As Franklin said, '^ Howe did not take Philadelphia — Philadelphia took Howe." The officers played cricket and had cock-fights. A theater was established on South street. Major Andre painted the curtain, and was the soul of the enterprise. But quite different was the lot of the American prisoners of war in Walnut street jail ! It was a veritable Libby or Andersonville ; and its keeper — Cunningham — was the original of Marz. The treatment was cruel, the food was not fit for swine, and the dead were tumbled into pits in Washington Square, to mingle with the bones of Indians, paupers, and criminals, who had been buried there in the past. In the spring Howe was superseded by Clinton ; and the officers gave a grand fete to the departing General. It was the famous mischianza — "a combination of the regatta, the tournament, the banquet and the ball." It was enacted at the country seat of Thomas Wharton, in South wark, and began in the afternoon of the 18th of May with a grand regatta, which started down the Delaware from the foot of Green street and landed at the foot of Washington avenue. Here the procession of gay officers, beautiful ladies, and prominent citizens, headed by all the bands of the army, formed in line and marched between grena- diers and troopers up the slope to Wharton's man- sion. Then followed a tournament. The festivities of the evening consisted of dancing, faro, fireworks, and feasting ! and lasted until the sun came up over 166 A History of Pennsylvania the Jerseys. Once, while this revelry was at its height, the sound of cannon was heard in the north. The English officers explained to their frightened part- ners in the dance that it was a part of the ceremony. But it was not. A dashing fellow from Washington's army, hearing of the mischianza, took a squad of men in the darkness to the line of redoubts between the Delaware and the Schuylkill, painted everything within reach with tar, and, at a given signal, set it on fire. The flames that shot up all along Poplar street startled Howe's army, and every cannon from river to river was fired. The British cavalry dashed out into the night, but the daring Americans were nowhere to be found. Six days after this pageant of folly. Sir Henry Philadelphia Clintou dccidcd to evacuate Philadelphia. Evacuated rj^j^g British Icamcd that the American capital was not of much importance to them after all. The Congress had fled on wheels, and Pennsyl- vania had remained loj^al. Washington's army, now thoroughly drilled by Baron Steuben, a Prussian officer who had come to Valley Forge in February, became a source of danger to the British. Besides, a French fleet was on the way to New York, and that city required the presence of Clinton. Just before the evacuation, on the 18th of June, three peace com- missioners from England arrived in Philadelphia, and were willing to gratify "every wish that America had expressed." But it was too late. Franklin and his associates had secured an alliance with France; and the American Congress refused to entertain such propositions. It is said that Joseph Reed, one of Pennsylvania's delegates in Congress, was offered The Administration of the Government 167 10,000 pounds sterling and the best office in the colonies if he would promote the plans for peace; but that he promptly replied: "I am not worth purchas- ing ; but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it." Clinton's army crossed the Delaware at Camden and Gloucester, New Jersey, in great haste; while the fleet, with several thousand Tory refugees and all their possessions on board, floated slowly down the bay. "The sky sparkled with stars; the air of the summer night was soft and tranquil, as the exiles, broken in fortune and with-, out a career, w^ent with despair from the only city they could love.'' Washington moved his army out of Valley Forge, followed Clinton, and soon afterwards Washington fought the battle of Monmouth, where foiiows ciinton Mollie Pitcher, of Carlisle, made herself famous. General Arnold was put in command of Philadelphia, to prevent the disorders that were expected to follow when the Whigs would return. Congress came back from York June 25, and the State government, from Lancaster, the next day. Wharton having died, George Bryan, Vice-President of the Supreme Execu- tive Council, performed the duties of the President. The Whigs now began to punish the Tories. The Assembly passed an "act for the attainder of divers traitors," among whom were Joseph Galloway, Rev. Jacob Duche, and the Aliens. The Quakers and the German sects were special objects of suspicion because they thought it wrong to take up arms. Active measures were taken for the trial of all persons ac<3used of high treason; but only a few were executed. The excitement during the trial ran very 168 A History of Pennsylvania pgs Wyoming high ; and Arnold, who himself was afterwards court- martialed for lawless conduct while in command of Philadelphia, was not able to repress the disorder that arose. He speculated in government contracts, grew rich, and hob- nobbed with the aristocracy, marrying one of its daughters before " he fled from inquiry." The year 1778 is re- membered in Penn- sylvania by one other event — the Wyoming Mas- sacre. After Burgoyne's sur- render the British organized the Tories and Indians to make war upon the frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania and Vir- ginia. It was assumed, and correctly so, that the Ameri- cans could not give much attention to the frontier, be- cause all their available forces would be required to oppose Howe after he had entered Pennsylvania. So the savages were set loose like hounds to murder and devastate. In the month of June the people of Wyoming became aware of the approach of a large force of Tories and Indians, under Colonel John Butler. An appeal for help was made to Con- gress, as nearly all the able-bodied men of Wj'oming were in the Continental army; but no help came. So when the enemy appeared in the valley, Colonel Zebulon Butler, of the Revolutionary army, who was Provincial Court House at York where Congress sat, 1777-78. The Administration of the Government 169 home on a furlough, had only about three hundred raw recruits to oppose the enemy. Many people, with their families, had collected at Forty Fort, a little above the present site of Kingston. Here, on the 3d of July, Colonel Zebulon Butler, with Colonel Den- nison second in command, started his little band to meet a force three times as large. The engagement began late in the afternoon. At first the fight was spirited on both sides ; but the men of Wyoming could not long resist the superior numbers. An order to fall back to a better position was misunderstood as a signal for retreat. The enemy then sprang forward, sounded the war-whoop from one end of the line to the other, rushed in with the tomahawk and spear, and defeated the brave band of heroic farmers. Only about fifty escaped, while those who did not fall in battle were put to death on the field in the most cruel manner. The refugees in Forty Fort, consisting of old men, women and children, were allowed to depart to their homes. But the Indians soon began to .^| rob, burn, plunder and destroy in every direc- tion, in spite of an agreement that they would not. In a week or ten days these dep- redations became so numerous and heartrending that all the settlers who could get away, fled. Some came to Sunbury ; others The Wyoming Mouument. 170 A History of Pennsylvania went to New York and Connecticut ; but most of them took refuge in the wilderness of the Pokono mountains, and finally reached Stroudsburg. Those who sought safety in these mountains had nothing to eat except whortleberries. Some perished in a great swamp, which has ever since been known as "The Shades of Death." The Wyoming massacre was not the only one in Pennsylvania in the war of the Revolu- Other Massacres . "^ . , „ . tion. From 1777 to 1784, the frontiers of the State were one vast region of bloody mas- sacres. Immediately after that of Wyoming, the wild, precipitate flight, known as the "Great Runaway," occurred in the valley of the West Branch. All summer the tomahawk and scalping knife had been doing their deadly work there, and when the news of the massacre on the North Branch arrived, the West Branch above Sunbury and Northumberland was abandoned by the settlers. Boats, canoes, hog- troughs, rafts, and every sort of floating things, were crowded with women and children. The men came down in single file, on each side of the river, and acted as guards. Sunbury became a frontier town, and the country below — Harris Ferry, Paxtang, and Mid- dletown — was filled with the unfortunate refugees. Bedford and Westmoreland counties and the country about Pittsburg were likewise sorely afflicted at this time. A regiment of Continental troops was despatched from Valley Forge some time in the spring for the relief of the western frontier. Most of these soldiers had enlisted from beyond the mountains early in the war, and they were now glad to go back to defend their wives and childi-en. The next year Sullivan's expedi- The Administration of the Government 171 tion started from Easton, and marched by way of Wyoming into the country of the Six Nations, in New York. He defeated an army of Tories and Indians, and destroyed many Indian villages. But the punish- ment had no lasting effect. The ravages continued. Other expeditions were organized, notably at Fort Pitt ; and the border warfare raged until 1784. On December 1, 1778, General Joseph Reed was elected President of the Council and chief Paper Money executive of the State. He went into office Troubles at a time when Pennsylvania, in common with the other colonies, suffered greatly from the depreciation of the Continental money. The State, too, had issued paper money. There was about four times as much in circulation as was needed for the transaction of business, and prices were high and fluctuating. These conditions were very favorable for speculators, and a law was passed fixing the price of certain articles, to destroy speculation, and laying em- bargoes on the exportation of goods needed by the people. But these measures gave little relief. The militia at one time marched down Chestnut street, posting placards against Morris, Wilson, and others suspected of being speculators. At ^^^^^^ ^^^^ Wilson's house they stopped and killed the captain of the guard, and broke into the hallway, where for a time there was stabbing and clubbing. The question of slavery, which had periodically Slavery disturbed the ruling class in Pennsylvania Abolished gygj, gince Pastorius' protest in 1688, came up now for final settlement, early in 1780. The 172 A Sistory of Pennsylvania Friends, in their quarterly and yearly meetings, had repeatedly advised against importing and purchasing negroes. As early as 1705, a duty was imposed on slave importation. In 1711 it was forbidden alto- gether, but the Privy Council in England quashed the act. The following year, upon petition " signed by many hands," the Assembly assessed 20 pounds a head on imported negroes,, thinking so high a duty would be prohibitory ; but the act was again vetoed by the Crown. A letter written by a merchant in 1715 to an importer in Jamaica says : " I must entreat you to send me no more negroes for sale, for our people don't care to buy them. They are generally against any coming into the country." Yet, in spite of all opposition, it was the common incident of the day before the Revolution to vend blacks of both sexes at public sale, at the coffee houses in Philadelphia. Family servants were sent to jail to get their dozen lashes for acts of insubordination. But the laws regu- lating their conduct and punishment were always humane. They enjoyed as much liberty as their masters, were as well fed and as well clad, and gen- erally lived under the same roof. The final movement for the abolition of slavery was made in 1779 by the Supreme Executive Council, in their message to the Assembly : " Honored will that State be in the annals of mankind which shall first abolish this violation of the rights of man- kind ; and the memories of those will be held in grateful and everlasting remembrance who shall pass the law to restore and establish the rights of human nature in Pennsylvania." On the 1st of March, 1780, George Bryan, ex-Vice President of the State, now a member of the As- The Administration of the Government 173 sembly, presented a bill for the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania, and urged its passage with great earnestness. It passed by a vote of 34 to 21. By its operation there were 3,737 slaves left in the State in 1790, 1,706 in lj800, 795 in 1810, 211 in 1820, and 67 in 1830. The Assembly about this time made another effort to relieve the people from the withering The Death blight of the Continental paper money. of the It tried to redeem it by taxation at the Continentals rate of 1 to 40. But neither this nor any other measure prevented the coinage of the phrase, " It is not worth a Continental." To assist Congress in pro- viding for the army, Robert Morris and other finan- ciers of the State established the Bank of Pennsyl- vania, the first bank in America. The last attempt to prolong the life of the " Continentals " was made hy the Executive Council in May, 1781 ; but the rem- edy proved fatal. Pelatiah Webster said of the pro- ceedings : " Thus fell, ended and died the Conti- nental currency, aged six years." The opening of the year 1781 brought President Reed face to face with a very serious The Revolt at problem. The Pennsylvania Line, in Momstown Washington's army at Morristown, had for some time been dissatisfied with the treatment they were receiving at the hands of Congress. Some had been kept in the army beyond their time of enlistment ; all had arrearages of pay due them ; and the money they had received was worthless. On New Year's day the Line broke out into open revolt and left the camp for Princeton. Here they were met by two spies, who tried to induce them to join the British army, but 174 A History of Pennsylvania these were handed over to Washington and executed. When Wayne, their commander, met the Pennsyl- vanians at Princeton, he proposed that they reduce their grievances to writing. This being done, Presi- dent Reed and a committee of Congress set out to meet them. Before entering their camp, Reed sent a note to Wayne, asking whether it was safe for him to go within the picket line of the insurgents. Their committee replied that he need have no fear, that the whole Line was anxious to have him settle the unhappy affair. After a hard -fought battle of words the difficulty was amicably settled by Reed ; and the Pennsylvania Line marched to Virginia to take a most honorable part in the closing battles of the Revolution. When offered a reward for delivering up the two spies, they refused it, saying : " Our necessities compelled us to demand justice from our government; we ask no reward for doing our duty to our country against its enemies." The revolt of the Pennsylvania Line at Morris- compiete towu was au evidcuce of the complete Exhaustion cxhaustiou of rcsourccs for the Revolu- tion. But none of the States was more thoroughly di^ained than Pennsjdvania. This State was not only the residence of Congress, with all its train of attendants and officers, but also of all the military mechanism of the country. From it the quartermaster principally di-ew his wagons, his horses, his camp equipage of all kinds, besides a great num- ber of wagoners and artificers. Prisoners of war and state had been largely the inheritance of Pennsyl- vania. All this was done at great expense to the State, and burdened it with a heavy load of debt. The Administration of the Government 175 The substance of the people had been used, but in its place they had nothing but money made of rags. Pennsylvania's share of the supplies asked for by Congress in 1781, was equal in amount to eleven years' taxes and all the income of the State. Reed's successor as President of the Supreme Ex- ecutive Council was Vice-President William Moore, who entered upon his duties in November, 1781. Early the next year, Pennsyl- vania joined with Congress in charter- ing the Bank of North America, by which Robert Morris, the superintendent of finances for the Continental Con- gress, was enabled to restore the credit of the United States and transact its wmiam Moore. financial affairs with greater efficiency. It was the first incorporated bank in America, and it still exists. Dickinson, having returned from his six years' so- journ in Delaware, whither he had gone congress Leaves after his defeat for reelection to Con- Philadelphia gress, soon regained his popularity. He was elected a member of the Supreme Executive Council in No- vember, 1782, and became its President. The Execu- tive Council, in April following, proclaimed the news that the preliminary treaty had been signed, and or- dered the State flag to be hoisted and the bells to be rung. The prisoners of war confined in barracks at Carlisle, Lancaster and Reading were brought to Phil- adelphia and sent to New York. The chevaux-de- frize were removed from the Delaware, that the white wings of commerce might again flutter over its waters. But before the Quaker City could fully enjoy peace, a number of officers and soldiers of the Pennsylvania I 176 A History of Pennsylvania Line, in June, came from Lancaster and were joined by others, to demand of the Council and Congress a settlement of their accounts. Their demands were so insolent that the Council rejected them. Congress urged that the militia be called out to disarm the insurgents, but Dickinson did not favor a step so serious. Then jlPl Congress resolved to leave, and adjourned to meet at Princeton. The leaders in this unfortunate The State Flag. ^ . ^ j j l affair were arrested and court- martialed. Two sergeants were sentenced to be shot and others were to be flogged. All were subsequently pardoned. The Assembly and the people of Phila- delphia urged Congress to return, promising ample protection if it would do justice to the army and public creditors. But it resumed its sessions at Annapolis. Peace being now assured, the State authorities Problems tumcd their attention to the restoration of of Peace trade and industry. Commissioners were ap- pointed to estimate the cost of opening a communica- tion by means of roads and canals between the Susquehanna and the Schuylkill. The islands in the Delaware were divided between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to proximity, and distributed among the several counties along the river. The two States were to have concurrent jurisdiction between the banks. The Council of Censors, with Frederick A. Muhlenberg as president, held its first and only septennial session November 10, 1783, to September 24, 1784. The Administration of the Government 111 After the State government had been formed, laws were passed in 1777 requiring the oath of allegiance of all persons above eighteen years of age, in order to enjoy " the blessings of liberty and citizenship." It was a test of loyalty to the Ameri- can cause, and those who refused to take it were re- garded as Tories. Some of these did sympathize with Great Britain ; but others declined to take the oath on account of religious scruples. This class included many people of means, who paid heavy taxes, directly or indirectly, and were peaceable and inoffensive dur- ing every stage of the Revolution. It was estimated that nearly half of the inhabitants were deprived of citizenship. In some places the number of persons qualified to hold office was insufficient to administer the local government. The agitation to repeal the test laws began in 1784, but was fruitless until 1789, when all disfranchised persons were restored to citizenship, and foreigners alone were required to take an oath of allegiance. Franklin returned in 1785 from his nine years' service in Europe. He was soon after Frankiin President elected to the Executive .Council and of Pennsylvania made its President. He thus became the chief execu- tive of Pennsylvania at the extreme age of eighty years, serving until 1788. It was a singular coinci- dence that during the first year of the great scientist's administration, numerous applications were made to the Assembly for aid by scientific inventors. One had made a crucible from blue-stone ; another wanted to convert bar -iron into steel ; still another had a machine to clean wheat and make it into flour ; a fourth asked encouragement in the making of i\x\m^ 178 A History of Pennsylvania bellows for blacksmiths ; while John -Fitch asked for the exclusive rights of steam navigation in Penn- sylvania. Three years later one of his improved steam -packets carried passengers regularly for three months, from Philadelphia to Burlington, N. J. In 1787, Philadelphia again became the scene of The constitu- a great Federal event — the formation tionai Convention ^^f ^]^q Coustitution of the United States. The Constitutional Convention went into session May 25, in the State House, and after a stormy session of four months, ended its labors September 17. The delegates from Pennsylvania were all from Phila- delphia — Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Mifilin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, Thomas Fitz Simons, Jared IngersoU, James Wilson, and Gouverneur Morris. John Dickinson represented the State of Delaware. Pennsylvania's delegation was the largest. Of its eight members, the venerable President of Pennsyl- vania, Benjamin Franklin, now eighty -one years old, was the Nestor of the convention. The Doctor's speeches, on account of his physical infirmities, were read by his col- league, Mr, Wilson. It was Frank- lin who proposed daily prayers in the convention, and urged a spirit of conciliation when the contest about representation in Congress waxed hot, saying, "We are here James WUson. tO COUSUlt, UOt tO COUteud." He advocated representation in Congress based on popula- tion; he opposed property qualification for representa- tives ; and he was always a power when he spoke. While the members were signing their names, Franklin, The Administration of the Government 179 looking towards President Washington's chair, on the back of which was cut a sun, said to those around him: "I have often and often, in the course of the session, and in the solicitude of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that figure behind the President without being able to tell whether it was the rising or the setting sun. Now I know it is the rising sun." Mifflin, though saying but little, was prominent and influential as a general of the Rev- olution and a member of Congress. Robert Morris proposed General Washington as president of the convention and was well known to the members as the great financier of the Revolution. Clymer was one of the members who had the honor of having signed the Declaration of Independence; he made a number of speeches and, with Sherman, of Connec- ticut, was instrumental in keeping the term slaves out of the Constitution of the United States. Fitz Simons was a rich merchant, and objected to the prohibition of a tax on exports. Ingersoll, a leading lawyer, took little part, but afterwards acquired a national reputation. James Wilson was the best -read lawyer on the floor. Whatever of Blackstone went into the Constitution was tested by him. Gouver- neur Morris has credit for more remarks and speeches than any other member of the convention except Madison. As chairman of the Committee on Arrange- ment and Style, Morris deserves the credit for the clear and simple language of the Constitution. Dickin- son stood for the interests of the small States, and his advocacy secured the equality of representation in the Senate. He drafted the section providing for the formation of new States from parts of old ones. 180 A History of Pennsylvania While the .thirty -nine members of the convention Pennsylvania ^ere signing the Constitution on the Acts on the aftemoon of the 17th of September, in Constitution ^ j^^^^ ^^^^^ ^f ^^^ g^^^^ House, the Pennsylvania Assembly sat in a room above ; and there, early the next morning, the document was read two days before Congress, in session in New York, received it. The press of Philadelphia pub- lished it on the 19 th, and everybody praised ''The New Roof" at first. Congress sent it to the States for ratification on the 28th. The Pennsylvania Assembly was to adjourn sine die the next day. The members friendly to the Constitution determined that a convention to adopt it should be called before adjournment. On the same day that Congress took its final action, and without knowing what that action was, George Clymer moved in the Assembly that a convention meet in Philadelphia to consider the adoption of the new constitution. The motion carried by a vote of 43 to 19 ; but before fixing the time and manner of election, the Assembly took a recess, to meet in the afternoon. As it took 46 to make a quorum, the 19 opposed to the convention remained away after the recess ; and the Assembly had to adjourn until the next morning. The action of Congress having now become known, it was sup- posed that the opposition of the nineteen would give way ; but it did not. A quorum had to be secured by dragging the members from Franklin and Dauphin counties — McCalmont and Miley — from their lodg- ings to the State House. With clothes torn into shreds and faces white with rage, the two men were made to sit in their places until the call for the con- The Administration of the Government 181 vention was complete. Thus it happened that Pennsyl- vania called a convention to consider the Federal Con- stitution twenty hours after the Congress in New York had agreed to submit it to the States, and twelve days after it had been finished by the convention. The violent course of the Assembly, combined with about a dozen objections to the Constitu- Pennsylvania tion, made the campaign for the election Adopts the of delegates very fierce. Wilson was the Constitution champion on the side of the Federalists. He made a powerful speech in favor of adoption in the State House yard. " Centinel," who wrote letters for the newspapers, took the opposite side, and was often abusive, not even sparing Washington and Franklin. Robert Morris was " Bobby, the Cofferer ; " Mifflin, "Tommy, the Quartermaster - General ;" Gouverneur Morris, " Gouvera, the cunning man." The conven- tion met at the State House November 21, with Frederick A. Muhlenberg as chairman. The Fed- eralists had won 2 to 1; for the Constitution was ratified December 12, by a vote of 46 to 23. The members comprised some of the best -known men — Thomas McKean, Benjamin Rush, and James Wilson, of Philadelphia ; Anthony Wayne, of Chester ; Abra- ham Lincoln, of Berks ; Timothy Pickering, of Luzerne ; William Findley, of Westmoreland ; and Frederick Muhlenberg, of Montgomery. Those oppos- ing the Constitution did so largely because it was in many ways different from their own State constitu- tion. The latter had been the work of men from the frontier counties in 1776 ; and the representa- tives of these counties were generally the ones that opposed the Federal Constitution. 182 A History of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania being the second State to ratify, there The Affair was not much demonstration made at the at Carlisle ^[j^q g^^ when, on the 21st of Jmie, 1788, New Hampshire, the ninth State, ratified it, Philadelphia and other towns resolved to celebrate the new Union on the 4th of July. The enthusiasm was unbounded, but generally peaceable. A serious riot broke out right after the ratification, in the town of Carlisle. Thomas McKean and James Wilson were burned in effigy, cannon were spiked, and a copy of the Constitution was burned. The " New Roof " being up and Pennsylvania Opposition under it, the anti- Federalists met in con- Ends vention at Harrisburg for the purpose of suggesting certain amendments. Twelve were pro- posed and recommended to the Assembly for submis- sion to Congress. This action ended all opposition in Pennsylvania to the Constitution. Fifteen amend- ments had also been presented by the anti -Federalists in the Philadelphia convention. They were drawn up by Robert Whitehill, of Cumberland county, and were remarkable as being almost identical with the first ten amendments afterwards added to the Con- stitution. It is supposed that Madison, who pre- pared the amendments for Congress in 1789, made use of those offered by the anti -Federalists of Penn- sylvania. Benjamin Franklin, having declined a reelection on President accouut of old age, was succeeded as Presi- ^""^" dent of the State, in November, 1789, by General Thomas Mifflin. In January following, the first election for Presidential electors was held, and in April, Philadelphia gave a royal welcome to Wash- The Administration of the Government 183 ington, the first President of the United States, as he passed through on his way to New York. The float- ing bridge at Gray^s Ferry was so elaborately decorated that the pass- age over the Schuylkill seemed like that along a green lane. Arches of laurel spanned each end ; and just as the carriage of the Presi- dent passed under the western arch a laurel wreath was lowered _ ,,.^. Thomas Mifflm. upon his brow by a child clad in white. After a banquet and fourteen toasts, Washington resumed his journey. A new constitution having been adopted in 1790, the last President of the State under the Governor old, General Miflin, was elected the first m""^" Governor under the new. He served three successive terms, until 1.799. With his administration began the system of internal improvements for which the State became noted. The funding of the national debt, the national bank, the impost, the excise — all tended to make money plentiful. The favorite form of improve- ment all over the country was the canal. In Penn- sylvania, the Delaware, Schuylkill and Susquehanna were to be made navigable and connected with one another by means of canals. This eastern system was then to be linked in the same way to the waters of the Allegheny, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Legislature also recommended a turnpike from Phila- delphia to Lancaster, as well as roads in other parts of the State. To facilitate these schemes of internal improvement, companies were chartered by authority of the State. So many more shares were subscribed 184 A History of Pennsylvania in some of them than were authorized by law, that the names of the purchasers were put into a wheel, and enough drawn out to form the company. The Federal government having gone into the banking business at Carpenters' Hall, Phila- State Banks delphia, in 1791, through the establishment of the famous Bank of the United States, Pennsyl- vania followed the example in 1793. The Legislature chartered the Bank of Pennsylvania, and the State took one -third of the entire stock. Branches were estab- lished at Lancaster, Harrisburg, Reading, Easton and Pittsburg. The State continued the partnership for fifty years. In 1793, the yellow fever appeared in Philadelphia. The Yellow It lastcd from August to November, and Fever Carried off about five thousand people. The streets were deserted by all except those who buried the dead. Exposed coffins on chair -wheels were constantly in sight, but no mourners accompa- nied them. The dead were hurriedlj^ laid in large pits, which would receive many before filling up. Some 17,000 persons left the city, or one -third of the population. Germaiitown was a favorite place for the fugitives. Both the State and the United States governments moved their offices to that town. THE CONSTITUTIONAL PERIOD In March, 1791, Congress laid a tax of 25 cents a The Whisky gallou Oil w^luskj^ mauufacturcd in the Insurrection United Statcs. At that time the Mississippi was not yet open to the Americans for transporta- tion ; hence the farmers around Pittsburg had no The Administration of the Government 185 outlet for their grain. So they turned it into whisky, which found a market nearer home. The inhabitants of that section had an inborn hatred for excise taxes. . Their Scotch -Irish ancestors had re- sisted such taxes in Ireland. Moreover, the Revolu- tion had been fought without a tax by the United States government ; and the pioneers beyond the mountains could not understand why one was neces- sary now. So in September, 1791, when a collector appeared in Washington county, he was fiercely as- saulted and had to flee for his life. About the same time delegates from Fayette, Allegheny, Westmore- land and Washington counties met in Pittsburg and passed resolutions against the excise. Resistance more or less violent was made against the collection of the tax for several years, but no blood was shed until July 16, 1794. Then the house of the inspector. General Neville, was surrounded by a company of militia, and one of their number was killed by the shots that were exchanged. The next day Neville's house and barn were burned, but not until the leader of the militia. Major McFarlane, a veteran of the Revolution, had been shot by the occupants. The death of McFarlane greatly incensed the people, and a mass -meeting was held on Braddock's Field, August 1. It was resolved to march to Pittsburg, where the Federal collectors had their headquarters. Fearing the town would be burned by the " Whisky Boys," the people sent a committee out to reason with them. By the tact of Judge Brackenridge^ who preferred " the loss of four barrels of old whisky to the loss of a quart of blood," they were led through the town and out of it again without doing any harm. 186 A History of Pennsylvania Pittsburg was saved by a " free treat," but the Federal government, as well as that of An Army Raised ■, r-, the State, now concluded that something stronger than whisky even was required to end the disturbance. President Washington sent a commis- sion to make peace, if possible, and ordered an army of 12,000 men to be collected from Pennsylvaiiia, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Gov- ernor Mifain sent Chief Justice Mc- Kean and General William Irvine to ascertain the state of the rebellion, and called a special session of the Albert GaUatin. -. • i ^ t ^ T) i -^ j Legislature. Judge Brackenridge and Albert Gallatin acted as mediators between the com- missioners and the insurrectionists, and after one month of hard work Q.ame to an amicable agree- ment. All those willing to do so were to sign papers signifying their submission to the govern- ment ; but many failed to sign. Washington, there- fore, ordered an advance of the army. Soon after- wards William Findley, at the head of a committee, met him at Carlisle, whither the President had come, and assured him that peace would be restored. Washington replied that the army was already on the march, but that no violence would be used if the insurrectionists had submitted. No further resistance was offered. It had been demonstrated that the Federal government was no rope of sand, to be broken whenever a State or a part of a State was opposed to a law. The difficulties of the Federal government with France and England, when those nations commenced The Administration of the Government 187 war with each other in 1793, made themselves felt in the State. In common with the whole . . . ' country, the people of Pennsylvania sym- pathized with France. Jay's treaty with England, made the following year, caused such a division of the Americans that they were all either Frenchmen or Englishmen in their politics. At the election for the Assembly, there were "treaty" and " anti- treaty" candidates. Genet, the French minister, received the most flattering attention from the day he arrived until he was recalled. When Adet, his successor, ordered all Frenchmen in America to wear the tri- colored French cockade, everybody in Philadelphia wore it. Governor Miflin and his associates in the State gov- ernment openly sympathized with France. Even after France had asked a tribute from the American min- ister, and while " millions for defense ; but not one cent for tribute," reechoed over the land, the Pennsylvania Senate passed resolutions against a war with France. However, the House would not concur, and when war was imminent. Governor Miflin called on the militia to prepare for defense. Joseph Hopkinson's " Hail Columbia," sung for the first time in a Philadelphia theater April 25, 1798, to the tune of "The Presi- dent's March," added greatly to the war feeling. The words were caught up and repeated throughout the country. The agitation for the removal of the capital from Philadelphia began in 1784. In that Removal of the year a committee, which had been ap- state capital pointed on opening communication with the Susque- hanna, reported that John Harris, of Harris' Ferry, had offered some land to the State, which it might use 188 • A History of Pennsylvania for public purposes. Soon afterwards other interior towns made efforts to secure the capital ; but Harris- burg and Lancaster were the principal competitors. In 1795 Carlisle was the choice of the House, but not of the Senate. The next year Lancaster was selected by the House in preference to Carlisle or Reading ; but the Senate again dissented. In 1798, Harrisburg and Wright's Ferry were voted for, but without an agreement. The following April Lancaster was se- lected to be the seat of government after the first Monday of November, 1799. Early in Adams' administration, the Federal gov- ernment imposed the so-called " house Fries' Rebellion tax," which required the assessors to measure and register the panes of glass in windows. To the Germans the tax seemed tyrannous ; and in the counties of Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Mont- gomery and Bucks they resisted the enforcement of the law. From the fact that the women in certain places poured hot water on the assessors, the in- surrection got the name of " Hot Water Rebellion ; " while through its leader it also received the name of '' Fries' Rebellion." John Fries, a soldier of the Revolution, was a well known character in the Ger- man section north of Philadelphia. He was an auctioneer, and was endowed with the power of leadership. With a plumed hat on his head, a pistol and a sword at his side, his little dog "Whisky" at his heels, and about sixty armed men around him, he marched from place to place, to the sound of fife and drum, and harangued the Germans on the in- justice of the " house tax." He did this for several months before the government took any notice of it. The Administration of the Government 189 Finally, a United States marshal arrested twelve of his men and confined them in the Sun Inn, Bethle- hem. Fries went to their rescue. He appeared be- fore the inn in March, 17^9, and demanded the sur- render of the prisoners. The marshal had to yield, and Fries marched away in triumph. By order of President Adams, Governor Mifflin now called out the militia, and Fries, betrayed by "Whisky," was cap- tured in a swamp south of Allentown. He was tried in Philadelphia for high treason, convicted and con- demned to die ; but President Adams pardoned him . The successor to Mifflin was Thomas McKean, then Chief Justice. He, too, served three succes- Governor sive terms, 1799-1808. In a speech after his McKean election he applied the epithets, "traitors, refugees, Tories, French aristocrats, British agents, apostate Whigs," etc., to the Federalists; and when Governor he removed the old soldiers of the Revolution from office as fast as he could. For this conduct he received a vote of censure in the Senate, and but narrowly es- caped a like rebuke from the House. This unhappy beginning resulted in a bitter contest with the Legislature, lasting during his entire administra- tion. At one time he was in danger of impeachment, one of the charges being that he allowed his clerk to affix the official signature to public documents by means of a stamp. In ^^^^ 1799 many petitions for the unconditional abolition of slavery were sent to the Legislature. By the law of 1780, the children born of slaves thereafter were to be servants, not slaves, and that only until they were 190 A History of Pennsylvania twenty -eight years old. This condition was obnoxious to many people ; and the free negroes offered to pay for freeing their brethren unconditionally. In 1802 the Legislature passed an act which A Famous bccame the foundation of the public school Trial system. It provided for " the education of the poor gratis." Great interest was shown, also, at the opening of the century, in architecture, manufac- ture, horticulture, literature, and the useful arts — a number of societies being chartered by the Legisla- ture to promote one or more of these. But such useful things were lost sight of in the political tur- moil of the time. In January, 1805, when Justice Chase, of the Supreme Court of the United States, was about to be tried at the bar of the Senate for "high crimes and misdemeanors," a famous trial of a like nature occurred in Pennsylvania. Three jus- tices of the Supreme Court of the State — Edward Shippen, chief justice, and Jasper Yeates and Thomas Smith, associates — had been impeached by the House for the arbitrary committal of a suitor for contempt of court. H. H. Brackenridge, the fourth justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, was also to be removed, but Governor McKean refused when the Legislature asked him to do so. Caesar A. Rodney, of Delaware, was employed by the Legislature to act as counsel against the judges, because no lawyer in the State would do it. After a long struggle, the Senate came to a vote in the case of Shippen, Yeates and Smith. It stood for conviction — 13 guilty and 11 not guilty. As three less than the required two- thirds voted guilty, the judges were acquitted. The Administration of the Oovernment 191 The much -hated embargo act of the Federal gov- ernment made itself felt in Philadelphia Effects of very early in 1808. Discontented, hungry the Embargo and penniless sailors marched to the City Hall, under the folds of the Stars and Stripes, to ask the mayor what they should do to keep from starving. Yet the Pennsylvania Legislature, in common with that of other States, supported the embargo act in various resolutions. At the same time, it admitted that cer- tain evils existed, — "to wit, the great scarcity of money in the Commonwealth ; " and it appointed a committee to consider measures to stop the sale of property for the payment of debts. After Thomas McKean had served as long as the Constitution would permit, he was sue- Governor ceeded by Simon Snyder, the first native snyder executive of Pennsylvania born outside of a Quaker county. He served three terms — from 1808 to 1817. There were three parties in the field with a candidate for Governor — the Democrats (Snyder), the Constitutional Democrats, or "Quids" (Spayd), and the Federalists (Ross). The cry of the Federalists was "Free trade and no embargo." The Democrats generally supported Jeffer- son and his embargo, and passed a resolution in the Legislature early in ^ Simon Snyder. 1809 recommending that the members of the next Legislature " appear in clothes of domestic manufacture." The Legislature also ordered " that no British precedent should be read or quoted in courts of justice, nor any British decision made after July 4, 1776, except those on maritime and international law." 192 A History of Pennsylvania When the United States bank went ont of exis- tence in 1811, a great demand for State banks was made. Such was the mania for local banks that in 1814 a bill to charter forty -two of them was passed, vetoed by the Governor, and passed over his veto. After the capture of Washington by the British, the banks of Baltimore and Phila- delphia suspended specie payment, a measure which was followed by the banks throughout the country. TWO CENTS TWO CENTS I promise to pay the Bearer Two Cents on Demand at the Schuylkill Bank When a sum amounting to one dollar shall be presented. Philadelphia, July 4, 1815. Eichard Bache. The scarcity of coin gave rise to the use of notes for small sums — ^' shinplasters " — issued by individ- uals. With the establishment of banks all over the State, public improvements were extended. Petitions to the Legislature for money to improve the roads were especially numerous. When the second war with Great Britain was de- clared, June 18, 1812, Pennsylvania was The War of 1812 ' . ' . ' *^ ready with three times as many troops as were required to fill her quota. In December follow- ing Governor Snyder, in his message to the Legisla- ture, said : " The sword of the Nation, which for thirty years has besn resting in the scabbard, has been drawn to maintain that inde- The Administration of the Government 193 pendenee which it had gloriously achieved. In the war of the Revolution our fathers went forth, as it were, 'with a sling, and with a stone, and smote the enemy.' Since that period our country has been abundantly blessed and its resources greatly multiplied; millions of her sons have grown to man- hood, and, inheriting the principles of their fathers, are deter- mined to preserve the precious heritage which was purchased by their blood, and won by their valor." Pennsylvania's soil received none of the blood shed in this war ; but her sons bled and died at Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, on Lake Erie, and at Baltimore, and shared in the glorious victory at New Orleans, When General TannehilPs brigade of 2,000 volunteer militia reached Niagara, they promptly crossed the line into Canada, and gallantly followed the flag of the United States government into a foreign country. The historic dialogue at Lundy's Lane — "Major, can you take that battery ! " "I can try, sir " — was between General Brown, a native of Bucks county, and Major Miller, of Gettysburg „ The greatest contribution by Pennsylvania to the war of 1812 was what Erie did in helping . ^ ^ Perry's Fleet to build and man Perry's fleet. Had it not been for Captain Daniel Dobbins, of Erie, Perry might never have been enabled to send the famous despatch, September 10, 1813: "We have met the enemy, and they are ours." Dobbins, as commander of a trading vessel, had the year before been a pris- oner of the British at Detroit. Believing that his experience would be of value, he went to Washington and told the President and his Cabinet that a fleet ought to be built at Erie for the purpose of sweeping the British from the lakes. He returned with orders to build two gunboats. Late in October he gathered M 194 A History of Pennsylvania a few house -carpenters, and by January, 1813, had made such progress that he was instructed to build two sloops -of -war. Every stick of timber had to be cut from the stump, while deep snows covered the roots and wintry blasts whistled through the tops. In March, when Perry arrived, the keels and ribs were ready at the harbor of Erie. He hastened the work still more by ordering men from Philadelphia and New York to assist. Frequently a piece of timber that became part of a ship on an afternoon had been part of a tree in the forest that morning. The men of Erie stood guard over the ships while in process of construction ; they went to Buffalo and Pittsburg for supplies ; and when at last Perry was forced to say to the naval authorities, " For God's sake, and yours, and mine, send me men and officers, and I will have the enemy's ships in a day or two," the militia around Erie responded to his call and helped to win the great victorj^ that made him " the young Nelson of America." One other event of this war caused a great stir within the borders of this State — the burning of Washington. Governor Snj^der, August 26, 1814, in obedience to an order from President Madison, made a call for the militia of the counties nearest to the Capital. They assembled at Carlisle, York, and Mar- cus Hook. Those who were ordered to Washington took part in the attempt of General Winder to keep the British invaders out of the Capital. Among the heroes who won distinction on the sea were Commo- dore Stephen Decatur, Lieutenant James Biddle, and Captain Charles Stewart, each of whom was honored by the Legislature with a gold-hilted sword. The Administration of the Government 195 In February, 1810, Governor Snyder approved the act of the Legislature establishing permanently the capital at Harrisburg, before the close of October, 1812. The records were in danger of destruction at The Old Capitol. Built 1819-21 ; destroyed by fire February 2, 1897. Lancaster, and a more central place was desired. The places voted on were Lancaster, Harrisburg, North- umberland, Belief onte, Columbia, Carlisle, Reading and Sunbury. Harrisburg was selected because a very great portion of the produce of the State would find its way to market by means of the Susquehanna and its branches. It was argued that men of capital would locate at the seat of government if it admitted of commerce and was within easy and close communi- cation with Philadelphia. William McClay gave ten acres of land to the State, in addition to the four acres already appropriated by John Harris. The cor- 196 A History of Pennsylvania nerstone of the capitol was laid May 31, 1819 ; the building was completed in 1821 and first occupied by the Assembly January 3, 1822. Before it was com- pleted, the State government was quartered in the old Dauphin county court-house. Towards the close of Snyder's administration, there A Bitter wcrc old-school Dcmocrats and new -school Quarrel Dcmocrats. The former were opposed to the system of caucus nomination, by which Congress and the State Legislature made known their preferences for President and Governor. The new school, in 1817, nominated William Findlay for Governor ; the other wing of the party presented the name of Joseph Hiester to the voters of the State. The Federalists voted for Hiester ; but Findlay carried the State by a small majority. When the Legislature met in December, petitions were presented protesting against the election of Findlay. A motion to suspend the inauguration was made in the House. Beyond causing much rancor, the petitions were fruitless. William Findlay was Governor for one term only, from 1817-1820. The war between the two schools of the Democratic party over methods of nomination was kept up briskly, and party spirit ran high. Petitions were sent to the Legisla- ture asking for an investigation into the conduct of the Governor. A committee was appointed to make a report of the charges, of which there were nine ; but no action was taken, because the report of the committee was not in favor of it. Governor Findlay was an ardent advocate of inter- nal improvements. He presented a plan for the navigation of the principal rivers as near to their The Administration of the Government 197 sources as possible — the heads of the streams to be connected by short portages. In this he was but seconding a like movement by other States and the United States all along the Atlantic seaboard. During the second war with England, the Southern and Mid- dle States were blockaded and the coast trade had to be abandoned. Instead, a system of inland trade sprang up between New England and the South, which resulted in certain ^'^^'"^ ^^^^^"^• trunk line routes running north and south. After the war, when the Indians and the British were no longer a hindrance to the settlement of the North- west, great quantities of ware and merchandise had to be sent westward. But there were no roads in that direction ; so the natural thing to do would be to open the rivers for navigation. Steamboats, which had hitherto been used only for passengers, were now to take the place of the "ox and horse marine" in carrying freight. Commissioners of Maryland and Pennsylvania jointly examined the Susquehanna, and reported that $20,000 would clear the river from Harrisburg to Tioga Point. With a canal, twenty- three miles long, from the head of the West Branch to the Allegheny, the Mississippi valley could be reached. From the head of Chautauqua lake, a canal nine miles long would open an easy route to Lake Erie and the other great lakes. By means of another water route to Harrisburg and Pittsburg, by way of the Schuylkill, the Swatara and the Juniata, Philadelphia could be connected with the Pacific ocean at the mouth of the Columbia with only seventy- five 198 A History of Pennsylvania miles of canal. Such were the calculations made to outdo New York on the north, and such were the dreams of Pennsylvania while the nightmare of the Erie canal disturbed her sleep! At the election for Governor in October, 1820, the The Elections coutcst was entirely confined to State of 1820 issues. The new -school Democrats had given Findlay a unanimous nomination for another term. Joseph Hiester, his opponent, was supported by the old -school Democrats and the Federalists. Under the constitution of 1790, the Governor had many offices to fill, and thus made many enemies. It was this that defeated Findlay for reelection. At the presidential election in November, Pennsylvania was the only State in the Union that made any oppo- sition to Monroe. It was based on his approval of the Missouri Bill. On election day, therefore, the anti- slavery men of Pennsylvania voted for DeWitt Clinton. Governor Hiester served one term — from 1820 to 1823. He foresaw the party strife that awaited him ; for he urged the Legislature iu his first message to reduce the great power and patronage of the Executive. Findlay became a candidate for the United States Sen- ate in January following ; but no one . osep les ei. getting a majority, the Legislature adjourned sine die. This unfinished business in- creased the rancor of party; but early in 1822 ex- Governor Findlay was elected Senator, and that contest was eliminated from the struggle between the two factions. The Administration of the Government 199 The movement for internal improvement did not abate during Hiester's term. The great p^^j^j.^ highways to the West were not to be improvements a mere fancy. The Legislature in 1821 ^"'^ Education chartered a number of canal and turnpike companies, and appropriated money for the same. The subject of education received considerable attention at this time. Governor Hiester said in his message : "Above all, it appears an imperative duty to introduce and support a liberal system of education, connected with some general religious instruction." Hiester not being a candidate for reelection, the Democrats nominated John Andrew Shulze The Elections of for Governor in 1823. The Federalist i823andi824 candidate was Andrew Gregg, a former Democrat. Shulze was elected, and was the choice of the Democratic wing which supported Calhoun and Crawford against Jackson in 1824. However, the hero of New Orleans got the electoral vote of Penn- sylvania by an overwhelming majority. Crawford, having been nominated by a congressional caucus, had no chance in this State, where the Democrats had been split since 1817 on methods of nomination. Governor Shulze was in office from 1823 to 1829, serving two terms. Governor Assuming that the Legislature shuke knew the wants of the State better than he, Shulze, in his first message, John Andrew Shuize recommended but one thing for their consideration — education. Said he, " Convinced that even liberty without knowledge is but a precarious blessing, I can not too strongly recommend this subject to 200 A History of Pennsylvania your consideration." The Legislature accordingly passed a law providing for the education of all children between six and fourteen at public expense ; but no child was to have this privilege for more than three years. Being violently opposed, the law was repealed in 1826. The subject of internal improvements was another Internal im- vcry Uvc qucstiou at this time. Coal, iron provements ^ud mauufacturcs were becoming great in- dustries in Pennsylvania. The Schuylkill and the Union canals, connecting Philadelphia with the Sus- quehanna, were finished. The great Pennsylvania canal was begun near Harrisburg in 1827. The several parts, including the Delaware, the Columbia, the Harrisburg, the Juniata, and the Western divi- sions, having altogether a length of 425 miles, were completed in 1830. A board of five canal commis- sioners was created by the Legislature in 1825, to manage Ihis stupendous system for the State. The money needed was borrowed from banks by authority of the Legislature. Governor Shulze opposed this plan, favoring taxation to pay at least a part of the enormous expense. But the people did not care for debts in this "era of good feeling," and before the close of Shulze's second term the State, had borrowed $6,000,000. It required all his skill and energy to remedy the evils that followed. During the Presidential campaign of 1824, when four candidates were before the people, Governor Wolf , , ^ . , mi the old parties were broken up. The name Federalist sank into oblivion. Its place for a brief period was taken by the anti-Masons, who, in 1829, named Joseph Ritner as their candidate for Gover- The Administration of the Government 201 nor. . The Democratic candidate was George Wolf, who won the election by a majority of 17,000, When Governor Wolf assumed office, he reported to the Legislature that $8,300,000 had been borrowed by the State since the first loan for public improvements was authorized in 1821, and that $3,459,533 was still needed to complete the canals and railroads included in the system. The public works were pushed to completion, and in a few years Governor Wolf and others, upon ^^^^^ whose shoulders the responsibility rested heavily for a time, had the proud satisfaction of seeing the State prosper greatly under 'its system of water communication. "Clinton's Big Ditch" in New York now had a worthy rival. Governor Wolf, in his first inaugural addi;ess, like all his predecessors under the constitution PubUc of 1790, addressed himself to the subject of Education public education, and proved himself a warm friend of that cause. But all the Governors, from Mifflin down to Wolf, and all the legislative reports, bills, discussions and enactments, reached no higher ground than the free instruction of the poor, or, at best, a general system of free primary instruction. Up to 1830, the great free -school system, as we now have it, was still in embryo. Even Wolf, when he became Governor, spoke only of "ensuring to every indigent child in the Commonwealth the rudiments of learn- ing." But in his message to the Legislature of 1830-31, he gives evidence of broader ideas when he speaks of the blessings of education to "the whole 202 A History of Pennsylvania community," to "every individual susceptible of par- taking of them," "to the poor, as well as to the rich." " I am thoroughly persuaded that there is not a single measure of all these which will engage your deliberations in the course of the session of such intrinsic importance to the general prosperity and happiness of the people of the Common- wealth," to the cause of public virtue and public morals, to the hopes and expectations of the rising generation, to whom the future political destinies of the Eepublic are to be committed, or which will add so much to the sum of individual and social improvement and comfort, as a general diffusion of the means of moral and intellectual cultivation among all classes of our citizens." The people, too, had advanced. Petitions for the The Common establishment of a better system of pub- schoois lie education had come before the Legis- Estabhshed laturc from twenty -four counties, while only a few remonstrances were presented. Much credit is due to the Pennsylvania Society for the Pro- motion of Public Schools. It memorialized the Legis- lature repeatedly in favor of public schools. Yet all that was done at the session of 1830-31 was to pro- vide for a "common school fund," the interest of which was to be distributed and applied to the sup- port of common schools in a manner to be determined by future legislation. In his next message, the Gov- ernor emphasized the importance of further legisla- tion. Yet, though the question came up annually thereafter, nothing was accomplished until 1834. The people had become wide awake now. Public meet- ings were held all over the State, resolutions were passed, comparisons with other States were made, and an increased number of free -school members was in both houses of the Legislature. The result was that The Administration of the Government 203 on March 15, 1834, "An Act to Establish a General System of Education by Common Schools" was passed. In the House but one man voted nay ; in the Senate, three. In strange contrast with this unanimity was the opposition to the law in the next Legis- The common lature. A majority of the members went schools saved to Harrisburg resolved to repeal it. The enemies of free schools had attacked the measure of 1834 in all parts of the State. Families, neighborhoods, churches, newspapers — all quarreled with one another and among themselves. In some instances members of the Legislature who had voted for the free -school law made humiliating and dishonorable confession of having done wrong, else they would not have been returned. The Senate was especially hostile to the act of 1834, and repealed it in March, 1835. Thirteen of the nineteen who voted for the repeal had the pre- vious year voted for free schools. The House, fortu- nately, was more friendly; but what it would have done had it not been for the speech of one member — Thaddeus Stevens — cannot be told. It was said by eye- witnesses of the great fight in that body that Stevens saved the 11th day of April, 1835, for the common schools in Pennsylvania. "Who would not rather do one living deed than have his ashes enshrined in Thaddeus Stevens, ever-burnished gold ? Sirs, I trust that when we come to act on this question, we shall take lofty ground — look be- yond the narrow space which now circumscribes our vision, beyond the passing, fleeting point of time on which we stand — and so cast our votes that the blessing of education 204 A History of Pennsylvania shall be conferred upon every son of Pennsylvania — shall be carried home to the poorest child of the poorest inhab- itant of the meanest hut of your mountains, so that even he may be prepared to act well his part in this land of freemen, and lay on earth a broad and a solid foundation for that endur- ing knowledge which goes on increasing through increasing eternity." Governor Wolf was nominated for a third term ; Governor but was defeated by Joseph Ritner, the anti- Ritner Mason and Whig candidate, who had been his opponent twice before. Rev. H. A. Muhlenberg, another candidate, divided the Democratic vote. "Public Education," the banner under which Gov- ernor Wolf fought his campaign, had much to do with his defeat. But Ritner, although some of his supporters were " no -school -tax" and " no -free -school" men, proved to be an equally staunch friend of the new law. In his annual messages he favored in- creased State aid to the common schools, and had the satisfaction of seeing it raised from $75,000 to $400,000 a year. He was ably supported in his pol- icy by his Secretary of the Commonwealth and Super- intendent of Common Schools, Thomas H. Burro wes. Governor Ritner' s administration was Financial also chargcd with the task of Difficulties making the public works "answer the great object for which they had been originally designed — the oseph Ritner. p^^|^j|g good." This provcd to be a difficult task on account of financial troubles. A vast amount of paper money had been issued while the works were in process of construction. Ritner wanted this kind of monev reduced to within " the The Administration of the Government 205 actual value and amount of its principal." In the panic of 1837 (see any U. S. history) the banks all suspended specie payment, and paper money was the only medium of exchange. Jackson's famous "specie circular" and other measures had forced gold and silver out of circulation. The adoption of a new constitution was the last important Governor Porter event of Governor Kitner's administration. His successor was David R. Porter, who was Governor from 1838 to 1845. The campaign was very heated, and when the election ^^^^^ ^' ^^^*®^- was over the friends of Governor Ritner resolved to make an investigation of alleged frauds. The Legislature which met December 4, 1838, was anti- Masonic and Whig in the Senate ; in the House both parties claimed a majority. Accordingly, two Speakers were elected in the House — Thomas S. Cunningham, of Beaver county, by the anti- Masons and Whigs, and William Hopkins, of Washington county, by the Democrats. Both Speakers occupied seats on the platform, a double-headed organization was effected, and both factions adjourned, to meet the next day. But the anti -Masons and Whigs met again in the afternoon. Some spectators, friends of the Hopkins party, went up to the platform and carried the Speaker pro tern, down into the aisle. Overcome by superior numbers, the Cunningham House then adjourned to what is now the Lochiel Hotel. The Senate also had to adjourn, the Speaker jumping " out ■ of a window twelve feet high, through thorn bushes and over a seven -foot picket fence." 206 A History of Pennsylvania Things now assumed a threatening aspect. A "The Buck- public meeting was held counselling mod- shot War •' eration ; business was suspended for several days ; Governor Ritner called out the militia under General Patterson ; and, had not President Van Buren declined to order them, United States troops from Carlisle would have been on the scene too. The presence of the bayonet enabled the peacemakers to restore quiet. The Senate recognized the Democratic wing of the House as the rightful organization, and what is known as the " Buck-shot War" came to an end. The ammunition for the infantry at this time was buck-shot cartridges. It is said that the Cun- ningham men made some of these cartridges at their headquarters and sent them by a negro to the arsenal, to be used on the mob ; that the negro was caught and compelled to give up his cartridges to the captors, who distributed them among their friends as mementoes. Hence the name " Buck-shot War." The suspension of specie payment continued to Financial disturb busiucss. lu 1842 an act was Troubles passcd by the Legislature compelling banks to resume. Refusal to do so was to be followed by a forfeiture of their charters. Some resumed ; others tried but had to close their doors, while a few refused to obey the law. So depreciated paper money re- mained the currency until the Legislature agreed to fill the State's empty treasury by means of taxation — a measure that had been strongly urged by Wolf. The newspapers of those days all published rates of discount and descrip*;ions of counterfeit notes, and these were consulted by the people when they paid or received paper money. The Administration of the government 207 Governor Porter had occasion to make a defense of the Germans and the German language Governor Porter in one of his veto messages. An act and the Germans had been passed abolishing the printing of the laws in the German language. One -third of the popula- tion was German. In most of the eastern counties, German was the language of daily intercourse, of the schools, and of the newspapers. Governor Porter could, therefore, see nothing unreasonable in publish- ing the laws in the only language those people could understand. A few years later, when a Superinten- dent of Public Printing was established, it was ordered that he should receive bids for both English and German printing, and there was an English and a German State Printer until 1856. The Missouri Compromise had resulted in a gen- eral movement in the North against slavery. ... ^^ "^ Race Riots Abolition societies were formed, newspapers w^ere established, and men and women took the plat- form. In 1833, a convention met at Philadelphia and formed the American Anti- Slavery Society. This agitation brought on riots in Philadelphia between the whites and the blacks. The most serious occurred when Pennsylvania Hall was dedicated, in May, 1838. It had been erected by the Anti -Slavery Society for the free discussion of that cause. All went well until the evening of the third day, when a crowd of roughs threw stones into the windows and hissed and hooted the speakers. The next night a larger body put out the lamps in the neighborhood, broke into the hall, set it on fire, and turned on the gas to assist the flames. The work of destruction was complete ; for nothing but the walls was left of this monument to free speech. 208 A History of Pennsylvania In 1843, a new party appeared in American poli- tics — the Native American— which, among Political Riots Q^Yier things, held that foreigners should not be appointed to office. In Philadelphia the move- ment was attended the next year by disorderly meet- ings, fatal riots, ^nd the burning of houses and churches. In May, Governor Porter ordered General Patterson to restore order with the militia, which he did. But on the following Fourth of July there was a grand Native American procession in Philadelphia. This revived bitter memories, and the rioting began anew, lasting for several days. The city was put under martial law. Troops moved upon the mob with deadly effect ; while, the rioters procured a can- non and fired chains, bolts, spikes and other missiles at the soldiers. The Governor, who had come to Philadelphia in person, now called out additional troops, and was soon able to withdraw the militia and entrust the city again to the mayor. The Legis- lature then passed a law strengthening the govern- ment of the city of Philadelphia, and the riots which had disgraced the city for ten years ceased. According to the Constitution of 1838, the Governor con Id not hold office "longer than six in any term of nine years." Governor Porter, therefore, retired, and was succeeded by his Secretary of the Commonwealth, Francis R. Shunk, who Francis R. Shunk. gervcd ouc term and about six months of a second term. Having become ill. Governor Shunk, July 9, 1848, addressed a pathetic letter from his death-bed to the people of Pennsylvania, and The Administration of the Government 209 resigned his office. He died, deeply lamented, July 30, at Harrisburg, "In taking leave of you under circumstances so solemn, accept my gratitude for the confidence you have reposed in me. My prayer is that peace, virtue, intelligence, and religion may pervade all your borders ; that the free institutions you have inherited from your ancestors may remain unimpaired till the latest posterity ; that the same kind Providence which has al- ready so signally blessed you may conduct you to a still higher state of individual and social happiness ; and when the world shall close upon you, as I feel it soon about to close upon me, that you may enjoy the consolation of the Christian's faith, and be gathered, without a wanderer lost, into the fold of the Great Shepherd above." Governor Shunk was chief executive of Pennsyl- vania during the Mexican war. Presi- . • o The Mexican War dent Polk called for six regiments from this State. In response, ninety companies were formed, making three regiments more than were asked, while only two regiments and several detached companies were mustered into service. These distin- guished themselves by their bravery at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Chepultepec and Mexico. In memory of their valor the State erected a towering monument on Capitol Hill, at Harrisburg. The victories of peace during this administration were equally important. In 1845, the first telegrajjh poles were erected within the State, and a line was opened from Philadelphia to New York. The first movement toward the construc- tion of the Pennsylvania railroad between Harrisburg and Pittsburg took place in the same year. After Governor Shunk' s resignation there was an interregnum until July 26, when the Governor Speaker of the Senate, agreeably to the Johnston Constitution, took the office for the unexpired termc N 210 A History of Pennsylvania The person who thus became acting Governor was William F. Johnston, and he was nick -named " His Accidency." Johnston was also the choice of a small majority at the election for the unexpired term. He belonged to the Whigs, who were in the ascendency in 1848, electing Gen- eral Taylor President. In the North they were opposed to the extension of the slave power. In Pennsylvania the Assembly passed an act prohibiting judges of the State from executing William F. johnstoB ^he fugitive - slavc law of 1793, and forbidding the use of the jails for the detention of fugitive slaves. The privilege of non- residents to keep slaves temporarily in the State was also cancelled. These acts were severely condemned by the Southern States. In 1850, a new fugitive - slave law was passed by The Congress, by which United States com- underground missioucrs wcrc authoHzcd to turn over a negro to anybody who claimed him as an escaped siave. For years the fugitive slave had felt safe when he reached Pennsylvania ; but now he had to flee to Canada. In this he was assisted by an organization known as the "Underground Railroad." The origin of this name may be traced to Columbia, Lancaster county. That town was laid out by descendants of the Quaker John Wright (see p. 78), and they reserved some lots in it for free colored people. It, therefore, became a refuge for runaway slaves. Their masters could track them as far as Columbia, where all traces disappeared ; and it was declared that "there must be an underground idil- The Administration of the Government 211 road" leading out of it. Through the secret assist- ance of the anti- slavery people, the fugitive slaves were sent across Lancaster, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties to West Chester, Philadelphia, Quaker- town and Stroudsburg. To these points the negroes would travel in small parties by night and be con- cealed by friends in cellars, garrets, hay lofts, and other hiding places, till all danger from pursuit had passed. Another line came up from Maryland through Chester county. Some fugitive slaves entered the State by way of Bedford and followed the moun- tains to Potter county, whence they were forwarded to Canada. Erie, too, was a favorite station. Under the law of 1850, the least assistance given to a fugitive slave was punished if it was discovered. A man in Cumberland county was tried in the United States court for giving a few slaves something to eat after a night's rest in his barn. Though not convicted, he had to sell his farm to pay the expense of the trial. In 1851, a serious riot occurred at Christiana, Lan- caster county, one of the stations of the The Riot Underground Railroad. It grew out of an ^* Christiana attempt to arrest three fugitive slaves harbored in the cabin of a negro farm hand named Parker. The owner of the slaves, accompanied by a United States marshal and his posse, appeared early one morning in September. A demand to surrender was answered by a shot from the garret and the blowing of a big dinner horn. As a gang of kidnapers had been about for some time, the neighbors understood the signal as that for serious action. White men and colored men with guns, scythes, and clubs, ran from every direction. The slave -owner was advised to 212 A History of Pennsylvania leave; but he wanted his property, "dead or alive." In the encounter which followed he himself was mor- tally wounded by one of his own slaves. A number of the free colored men were arrested and indicted for treason ; but only one was tried, and he was acquitted. The riot at Christiana caused a profound sensation all over the country. It happened in the midst of the campaign for Governor, and became an issue at the election. Governor Johnston was defeated for a second term Governor by William Bigler, the Democratic candi- Bigi^'- date, who served from 1852 to 1855. The common school system having been extended to every district in the State in 1849, improvements in it could be made more easily and effectually. In his first annual message, Governor Bigler made a strong plea for professional teachers and other needed improvements; and he had the satisfaction of signing a bill creating the office of county superintendent. Provisions for the education of feeble-minded children were also made during his term. The enormous State debt, amount- The state iug iu 1848 to morc than ^^^^ $40,000,000, was reduced by $700,000 during the previous admin- istration by means of a sinking fund. The Governor, therefore, urged the completion of the canal along the North Branch of the Susquehanna — Wiiham Bigier. ^ ^ork that had been neglected for ten or twelve years. The canal was to give an outlet to the boundless coal-fields in that region. Another powerful impulse to the development of the The Administration of the Government 213 State was given by the completion of the Pennsyl- vania railroad, in 1854. The era of great expendi- tures was now about over. Governor Bigler might well congratulate the people on the fact that hence- forth money would flow into the treasury instead of out of it. In the election for Governor in October, 1854, the Whigs . . Governor Pollock and Native Americans elected their candidate, James Pollock, against William Bigler, Democrat, and B. Rush Bradford, Free Soil, by a large • -i. mi- A' J? 1 James Pollock. majority. The question of slavery was disrupting both the Whigs and Democrats throughout the country. Thi« rupture in the old parties, and the immense foreign immigration about the middle of the century, gave a new but brief lease of life to the Native Americans. This party had now come to be called the '^ Know -Nothing Party," from the fact that its members, when questioned about their purposes and principles, would say, "I don't know." In 1857, the Legislature passed an act directing the main line of public works between Phila- The Pubiic delphia and Pittsburg to be sold. The works soid Pennsylvania Railroad Company purchased them for $7,500,000. The canals on the Susquehanna and its branches above the mouth of the Juniata, together with the Delaware division, were sold the following year to the Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company for $3,500,000. These canals, after the railroads had been built, had failed to be a source of revenue to the State. The proceeds of the sale greatly lessened the public debt, and the people were relieved of bur- 214 A History of Pennsylvania densome taxation. The transfer of the canals and railroads to private corporations closed the history of public improvements in the line of transportation. In 1857, a great financial panic occurred in the The Panic United Statcs, and "a wave of bankruptcy of 1857 swept round the civilized world." It was due to speculation, resulting, probably, from the dis- covery of gold in California and Australia. The banks of Pennsylvania, in common with others all over the country, became more or less embarrassed, and had to suspend specie payments. Governor Pollock called an extra session of the Legislature, in order to release the banks from the penalties previ- ously prescribed for suspension, and to give relief to debtors. Through this timely action, ruin and bank- ruptcy were avoided. The year 1857 is also memorable in the history of the State as closing the career of one of her greatest sons — Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, the Arctic explorer. His body lay in state in Indepen- dence Hall, was viewed by thousands of people, and followed to the grave by scientists, statesmen, pro- fessors and students from all over the land. In the midst of the financial disaster came the The Republican Campaign for Governor. William F. Party Organized Packer was uomiuatcd by the Democrats, David Wilmot by the Free Soilers, and Isaac Hazle- hurst by the Americans. The j^ear before, the Repub- lican party had made its appearance as a national organization at Pittsburg, and a few months later nominated its first candidate for President, at Phila- delphia. David Wilmot received the support of the Republicans because the new party was to absorb the Free Soilers. The Democratic candidate was successful. The Administration of the Government 215 « When Governor Packer assumed office in Januarj^, 1858, the currency of the State was Governor Packer still in a disordered condition. But the attention of the people of Pennsylvania, from 1858 to 1861, was riveted on national affairs. Two days after the inauguration of Pennsylvania's only President, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that a slave could be taken into the territories the same as a horse or an ox, and that, therefore, Dred Scott, the Missouri slave, was not a free man. A little later Buchanan, ignoring the vote of the free settlers against it, urged the wniiam f. Packer. admission of Kansas as a slave State. These acts of the government at Washington alienated many of the President's supporters in Pennsylvania, chief of whom was Joho W. Forney. The next affair to add fury to the political fire was the raid of John Brown , one Sunday john Brown-s night in October, 1859, and his execution ^^^^ on the gallows, December 2. Brown had made Cham- bersburg his base of operations for some weeks, and was known there as Dr. Smith, engaged in mining in the State of Maryland. When his sentence of death had been passed, the Abolitionists of the State were filled with indignation. At a meeting in Phila- delphia, on the morning of the hanging, Lucretia Mott — the Quaker Abolitionist — and other speakers ex- pressed their sympathy, under a storm of hisses and groans. Two days later the body of Brown passed through the city, and there was a great clamor from the Abolitionists and the colored people for a view of 216 A History of Pennsylvania it. For fear of violence, a trick was played on the crowd outside the depot. A box, in imitation of a coffin, was solemnly carried out by six men, while the real body was quietly and safely conveyed to the New York ferry. Fresh alarm and anxiety were cre- ated when, in the same month. Governor Wise, of Virginia, requested the southern medical students in Philadelphia to finish their course at Richmond and other cities in the South. The year 1860, from January to December, was The Election givcu to ouc contiuuous agitatlou of of 1860 ^\^Q slavery question, particularly in its bearings on the elections for President and Governor. The Democrats of the State were divided in the choice for President, between Breckenridge and Douglas ; on the candidate for Governor, Henry D. Foster, they were united. The Republicans had a majority for Lincoln, and elected Andrew G. Curtin Governor. Bell, the Union candidate for President, got about 12,000 votes in Pennsj'lvania. When Governor Packer wrote his last message to the Legis- lature, South Carolina had already seceded, and other States were considering the same step. "The advo- cates of secession," said the Governor, "claim that the Union is merely a compact between the several States composing it, and that any one of the States, when aggrieved, maj% at its pleasure, declare it will no longer be a party to the compact. This doctrine is clearly erroneous." The first decided resistance to President Buchanan's First Resistance to Secretary of War, who was a South- the South erner, and quietly strengthened the military posts of the South, came from Pittsburg, The Administration of the Government 217 late in December, 1860. It was learned that 700 tons of arms and ammunition were to be shipped from the arsenal at Lawrenceville, Allegheny county, to New Orleans. Several public meetings were held, and were attended by thousands of people. Reso- lutions were passed that the President should purge his Cabinet of disloyal members, and, as a Pennsyl- vanian, see to it that the Republic suffer no detri- ment as long as it were in his hands. While a committee went to Washington to protest, cannon were conveyed to the wharf and loaded on the steamer. At this critical moment Edwin M. Stanton, Buchanan's Attorney -General, sent a telegram that the order would be countermanded in a few days. On the 15th of January, 1861, began the most memorable administration in the history Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania — that of the "War Gov- ernor,'' Andrew G. Curtin. In his inaugural address, he declared that Pennsylvania would "render a full and determined support of the free institutions of the Union," and pledged himself to defend the Constitu- tion against all its enemies. The Legislature likewise took a firm stand in behalf of the Constitution and the Union. When Lincoln stopped at Harrisburg, February 22d, on his way to Washington, he was enthusi- astically received in the chamber of the Assembly, where the members of both houses had assembled to ^^^^^^ e^. Curtin. greet him and to hear his inspiring oratory. It was after this reception that Lincoln's famous secret ride to Washington was planned at the Jones House 218 A History of Pennsylvania (now the Commonwealth Hotel). He had been in- formed that a plot existed in Baltimore to assas- sinate him on his way through that city. As it had been published far and wide that he was to leave on the Northern Central Railroad early the next morn- ing, Governor Curtin, Secretary Slifer, Senator McClure, and Colonel Scott, of the Pennsylvania Railroad, decided, very much against Mr. Lincoln's wishes, that he should leave Harrisburg that evening and pass, by way of Philadelphia, through Baltimore at an unexpected hour. To deceive the throng out- side the hotel, Governor Curtin called for a carriage and had himself and the President-elect driven in the direction of the Executive Mansion. When near there, a circuitous route was taken to the depot. Lincoln, accompanied by a friend, who was armed with a small arsenal of weapons, hastily took a special train for Philadelphia. Colonel Scott then, with his own hands, cut all the telegraph wires leading out of the city and nervously awaited a cipher despatch that Lincoln was to send when he arrived at Washington. It was a long, anxious night for those who were in the secret. With the dawn of day came these words — " Plums delivered nuts safely" — signifying that all was well. Lincoln always regretted that he had gone to Washington in that way; for it is not believed that any plot to assassinate him had existed. The day after Fort Sumter was evacuated, Presi- The First dcut Lincolu called for 75,000 troops, Penn- Defendera sylvauia's Quota bciug 14,000. Governor Curtin telegraphed the call all over the State, and so quick was the response that five Keystone companies now wear the proud badge of the "First Defenders." The Administration of the Government 219 They were the Ringgold Light Artillery, of Reading; the Logan Guards, of Lewistown ; the Washington Artillery and the National Light Infantry, of Potts- ville; and the Allen Rifles, of Allentown. The Ring- gold company was the first to reach Harrisburg, arriv- ing there the day after the President's call. In the streets of Baltimore the " First Defenders " suffered the taunts, sneers and insults of the same mob that attacked the Sixth Massachusetts the next day. But they never wavered under the constant fire of bricks, clubs, stones and earth. After they had boarded the train for Washington, the mob tried to derail the cars, detach the locomotive and break the machinery. During it all, the Governor of Pennsylvania, with breathless anxiety, listened to the click of the tele- graph at Harrisburg, as it reported step after step of the perilous march through Baltimore. At 7 o'clock on the evening of the 18th the " First Defenders " reported at Washington. Congress afterwards passed a resolution, thanking "the 530 soldiers from Penn- sylvania who passed through the mob at Baltimore and reached Washington on the 18th of April last, for the defence of the National Capital." Recruits now poured into Harrisburg by the thou- sands, overflowing the depots, the streets, and the capitol grounds. A great camp was established, called Camp Curtin, in the northwest suburbs. Before the end of the month twenty -five regiments were formed there and sent to the front, while thirty -more were offered but not accepted. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, Thaddeus Stevens, member of Congress, and Governor Curtin, all favored a much larger army than Lincoln had called for. 220 A History of Pennsylvania On the 15tli of May the Legislature, in extra ThePennsyi- session, Ordered the formation of the fa- vania Reserves nious Pennsylvania Reserves. George A. McCall was appointed major-general, and John F. Reynolds, George G. Meade and O. E. 0. Ord, briga- dier-generals. They numbered 16,000 men, — thirteen regiments of infantry, one of cavalry, and one of artillery, — who were to serve three years. They were to be drilled and equipped, ready for any call that might be made. The wisdom of this measure was seen in July, when the Union forces came rushing back from Bull Run, defeated and disorganized. The President instantly called for the Pennsylvania Reserves. Under the call of " Father Abraham for five hundred thousand more," the Reserves now en- tered upon a career of honor and glory. In 1862, the State was called on to do little except Many Soldiers to f umisli her quota of troops ; but the ^^'^ people in their private capacity did much. Mason and Dixon's Line was the gateway to the South during that year, the Mississippi valley being still in the hands of the Confederates. As the troops passed through our cities and towns on their way to the front, acts of kindness innumerable were shown to them. Train loads were refreshed with sandwiches and coffee. In Philadelphia, throughout the war, the Union and Cooper -shop volunteer refreshment saloons were kept open with free contributions. Nearly a million of soldiers from the North and East, as they passed to and fro, were made happy with something to eat and drink. At one time a fair was held in Logan Square and $1,500,000 raised for the sick and wounded. The Administration of the Government 221 In August, 1862, a State draft, under the direction of the United States, was made. The men Drafts and drafted could furnish substitutes, for whom substitutes as much as $1,500 was paid. A regular business of buying and selling substitutes sprang up at Camp Curtin, and enormous profits were made in the traffic. Substitutes were employed who were incompetent or disloyal, shirking duty in the field and deserting at the first opportunity. In 1863, a second draft was made, but by the direct authority of the United States. On the day appointed for the drafting, the names of all previously enrolled in a certain district, each written on a separate ballot, were placed in a wheel, from which a person blindfolded drew a number of names equal to the quota of the district. Persons drafted could be excused from service on the production of a substitute or the payment of $300. No sooner had the war fairly commenced than it became evident that Pennsylvania would Stuart's Raid be invaded. The first opportunity came to the enemy in the fall of 1862. On the 10th of October, General J. E. B. ("Jeb") Stuart made a cav- alry raid through Franklin county. His troops rode into Chambersburg in the evening, cut off telegraphic communications, ransacked the stores, and terrified the inhabitants all night with the tramp of horses and the rattling of sabers. The next morning they made a raid on a warehouse containing military stores. What they could not pack on their horses, of which 1,200 had been taken on the raid through the county, they destroyed by setting fire to the building. The flames spread to the depot of the railroad and con- sumed it, too. The raiders then beat a hasty retreat to 222 A History of Pennsylvania the Potomac, and thence to Virginia, after causing a loss of about $150,000. Chambersburg was within a night's ride from the Confederate lines all through the war. Pennsylvania was the land of promise to General Lee and the army of northern Virginia. Its rich granaries, great coal-fields, and extensive factories of war supplies were tempting objects for capture and destruction. Lee's defeat at Antietam foiled the first attempt, but did not destroy the desire. His victory at Chancellors ville gave the opportunity to try again. In June, 1863, the border counties of the State, from one end of Mason and Dixon's Line to the other, were threatened with invasion. The Secretary of War, Stanton, tele- graphed to Pittsburg that the gunshops of that city were to be destroyed. Immediately all the great iron plants were closed and the men were kept at work for two weeks, throwing up intrenchments. Though no attack was made as far west as the Monongahela valley, Confederate scouts visited McConnellsburg, Fulton county, and Mt. Union, Huntingdon county. On Monday morning, June 15, a detachment of Lee's army, Jenkins' cavalry, entered Greencastle, and in the evening the streets of Chambersburg again resounded with the clatter of Southern troopers. After scouring Franklin and Fulton counties for horses and provi- sions, the force proceeded to Shippensburg and thence to Carlisle, regaling themselves and baiting their steeds at the expense of the public authorities. Next came General Ewell with the vanguard of Lee's entire army. He arrived at Carlisle on the 27th of June, a few hours after Jenkins. Ewell made a requisition for a large amount of supplies, including even qui- The Administration of the Government 223 nine and chloroform. His force remained at Carlisle until the night of the 30th. They destroyed the rail- road bridge? threatened Harrisburg by making raids in that direction to within a few miles of the city, and caused vast numbers of the population of the Cumberland valley to flee across the Susquehanna, with horses, cattle, and movable things of every description. At Harrisburg there was great consternation. Earthworks and other defenses, known Great as Fort Washington, were erected on the consternation west side of the river. Governor Curtin, on the 26th, hearing of the approach of the invaders, called for 60,000 men to defend the State. Even the veterans of the war of 1812 tendered their services, so great was the necessity of the hour. General W. F. Smith, who was put in command of the volunteers, marched into Carlisle as Ewell marched out. Scarcely had Smith encamped, when a body of Confederate cavalry reap- peared, and, after firing, demanded the surrender of the town. This was refused. Then the town was shelled and set on fire ; but the Confederates were needed elsewhere — the battle of Gettysburg had begun. Early's division of EwelPs corps was sent in advance of Lee's army in the direction r^^^ Bridge of Gettysburg, by way of Cashtown. At at wrightsviiie the latter place, this force was divided, Gordon's brigade taking temporary possession of Get- tysburg on the 26th, while Early himself proceeded to York, and occupied that town the next day. As soon as York had learned of the approach of the Confed- erates, the small body of troops stationed there fell 224 A History of Pennsylvania back to Wrightsville. Here a slight skirmish occurred ; but the bridge having been set on fire by the citizens of the town, the enemy could go no farther. At a public meeting, the people of York, on demand of General Early, contributed goods and money to the amount of $35,000. No damage was done to private property ; but the railroad suffered some loss. The most important side -skirmish connected with The Skirmish thc battlc of Gettysburg was the cavalry at Hanover engagement at Hanover, York county, ^ between General Kirkpatrick and General Stuart. The latter had not crossed the Potomac with Lee, and his whereabouts were unknown. On June 30, while General Kirkpatrick' s troopers, dismounted in the streets, were eating a luncheon served by the people of Hanover, Stuart suddenlj^ attacked the rear and threw it into confusion. Moving out into the open country, the Union cavalry formed in line of battle and, after fighting until dark, drove the enemy from their position. The attempts to secure the bridges at Harrisburg Gettysburg- and Wrightsvillc having failed, it became The First Day gvidcut that a battle would have to be fought on the west side of the Susquehanna. So when Lee halted on the diamond at Chambersburg, he turned his tired horse to the right and rode towards Gettysburg instead of Harrisburg. Meade's army had been marching northward, to the east of Lee's, in the general direction of Harrisburg. General Reynolds, second to Meade in command, was on the extreme left with the 1st Corps, closely watching the move- ments of the enemy. At Gettysburg, July 1, he met The Administration of the Government 225 the advance forces, under General Hill, as they were about to enter the town. And now the great battle was on. But it had scarcely begun when the Union army suffered its greatest loss. While General Reynolds was riding forward to select ground for a line of battle, he fell, pierced through the head by a ball from a sharpshooter's rifle. Doubleday, who succeeded him, fought desperately on Seminary Ridge till the hot July sun stood at high noon. General Howard then came up with the 11th Corps. The enemy charged upon him with a tremendous force, threatening to overlap both flanks. He ordered a re- treat, and the two bleed- ing and exhausted corps fled through the streets of Gettysburg to Cemetery Hill. When Meade, who was still some fifteen miles away, and did not arrive till late at night, heard of the death of Reynolds, he ordered General Hancock to leave the 2d Corps and hasten to Gettysburg to assume command of the forces already there. The Union army — 100,000 strong — now came up, one corps after another, and during the night took position (in the form of a fish-hook) on Cemetery Ridge as far back as Round Top on the left and Culp's Hill on the right. Lee's line, similar in form, but much longer, was along Seminary Ridge. His army numbered about 80,000. Reynolds' Mon*iment, on. Seminary Ridge. 226 A History of Pennsylvania The Second Day The second day, until 3 o'clock, was spent by both armies in removing fences, digging rifle-pits, building stone defenses, strength- ening weak points, distributing ammunition, and pro- viding hospitals. About 4 o'clock Lee opened fire on Meade's left. General Sickles was in command thei-e, with the 3d Corps, and by some mistake had taken an isolated position . Instantly both lines in that quarter were a blaze of artillery and musketry. Longstreet's Confederate corps came on like the resistless tide. The Union troops wavered and fell back. Sickles was wounded and carried off the field. Humphreys lost 2,000 of his 5,000 men in getting back to the posi- tion intended to be oc- cupied in the first place. A division of reinforcements sent over from Hancock's corps lost two brigadiers — Zook and Cross. But there was a natural stronghold near by — Little Round Top. By the foresight of General Warren, this was saved to the Union forces, but the blood shed at this point, which included the famous Devil's Den, was most appalling. Had Longstreet taken Round Top, the assaults on the lines next to Cemeterj' Hill could not have been with- Meade's Statue. In FairmoTint Park, Philadelphia. The Administration of the Government 227 stood. As it was, the action there soon ended ; but not before Hancock and the general next in command of the 2d Corps were both wounded. Just as the curtain of night was falling upon the scene of carnage on the left, General The Louisiana Ewell attacked Cemetery Hill, held by tigers Howard's corps. It was here where the Louisiana Tigers made their famous assault. Those desperate fighters came up to the very mouths of the cannon and actually spiked two of the Union guns. At this critical moment a brigade of German troops fell upon the victorious Tigers, and in a hand-to-hand charge drove them down the hillside. It was the Waterloo of the Tigers. Lee had now attacked the whole Union line except the extreme right, held by General Slocum, with the 12th Corps. Here Gen- eral Early, of EwelPs corps, under cover of Where Hancock was wounded. darkness and timber, began a vigorous attack on Gulp's Hill and points beyond, but was bravely 228 A Sistory of Pennsylvania repulsed. However, there was a gap in the Union line, caused by the withdrawal of General Geary to the support of Round Top. Taking advantage of this, the enemy broke through and got within a third of a mile of Meade's headquarters. The break made in Geary's division the evening before naturally caused the battle to be The Third Day "^ renewed in that quarter early m the morn- ing of the third day. Geary, having returned, opened a furious cannonade to dislodge the intruders. Ewell, who had been reinforced by parts of Longstreet's and Hill's corps during the night, responded with fatal effect all along the line of Slocum, even to Cemetery Hill ; but it Avas solid now and well defended. In front of Geary's command, the slain were lying in heaps. At 10 o'clock Ewell fell back, and the. battle of Gettysburg on the right ended. Then there was a pause of three hours — an omi- nous silence, such as sometimes goes Pickett's Charge before a crash of thunder. Lee was massing his artillery of 115 guns opposite Cemetery Hill. Meade saw Avhat was proposed to be done, and prepared for it. At 1 o'clock the signal gun was fired on Seminary Ridge. For two hours an artillery duel raged such as had never shaken the atmosphere of either continent. Trees, rocks, and tombstones were shattered — horses and men were mangled — guns, swords, and cannon were dyed in blood. When it ceased, Pickett's brave Virginians, who had just reached the battle-field, made their famous charge upon the Union center. Nothing in history sur- passes it in heroism and sacrifice. When they neared the coveted hill, seventy iron throats poured grape, The Administration of the Government 229 shell, and canister upon them. Yet on they went, even to the cannon's mouth, and for one brief moment a Confederate flag waved over the Union guns. But Hancock's infantry quickly ad- vanced and recovered the lost ground. The raw troops with whom Pettigrew was to sup- port the charge gave way at the same mo- ment, and Pickett was left alone to contend with the Union forces ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ""^ ^^^ ^^^^i War. now pressing him on every side. The usual sequel of retreat did not follow. Pickett's charge ended in almost total destruction. The field on which he fought had been mown with the scythe of Death. During the time of this last and supreme effort of Lee, there was a general movement against ^j^^ Reserves Meade's army all along the line ; but it and Gregg's was of little consequence elsewhere. On cavairy the left, in front of Little Round Top, the Pennsyl- vania Reserves drove back Hood and McLaws, cap- turing 5,000 stand of arms and taking 300 prisoners. On the right. General Gregg gained a decisive victory over Stuart in a cavalry engagement. The following morning Lee was on the retreat to the Potomac ; but that day and the next were employed by Meade "in succoring the wounded and burying the dead." Gov- ernor Curtin soon afterwards proposed to the Governors of the different States whose regiments took part in the battle, that a cemetery be purchased for the final 230 A History of Pennsylvania burial of the Union dead. The grounds embraced in this cemetery were at first owned by this State, and the expenses of maintaining them borne by the sav- eral States interested. The cemetery was dedicated November 19, 1863, as Abraham Lincoln said on that occasion, to be " a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that the nation might live." In 1872 the United States government succeeded to the ownership and management. The entire battlefield is now the property of the nation, and the position of every military organization which fought upon the field has been marked by monuments, not to decay by the touch of Time. And Gettysburg will be the Mecca of patriots as long as our fair land endures. In 1864, the Confederates once more made a raid The Burning of luto Pennsylvania, and burned Chambers- chambersburg burg. Thcy appeared outside of the town on the evening of the 29th of July, but were delayed in their entrance until daylight of the 30th. They planted two batteries and fired a few shots before the whole column of 3,000 entered. Soon after the occupation, McCausland, the commander, demanded $500,000 in greenbacks or $100,000 in gold, to be paid within half an hour. On refusal, the town was to be burned. He was told that " Chambersburg could not and tvoiild not pay any ransom." Then he had the court-house bell rung for a public meeting; but no one attended. Arrests of prominent citizens were next ordered, and threats were made to carry them to Richmond if they did not pay the ransom. When all this proved to no purpose, he set the town on fire. In a few hours $3,000,000 worth of property was destroj^ed, 3,000 people were left homeless and The Administration of the Government 231 many of them penniless, and for miles around the country was crowded with terror-stricken refugees. Chambersburg was the only town totally destroyed, within the limits of the Union States. At the close of the war, Governor Curtin, in a special message to the Legislature, said Pennsylvania's that "the resources of Pennsylvania, Battle Flags whether in men or money, have neither been withheld nor squandered." The State furnished, all told, 270 regiments and several unattached companies, number- ing 387,284 men. Every regiment was supplied with a battle-flag, emblazoned with the number of the regiment and the coat -of -arms of the Commonwealth. The Reserves and other early regiments were provided with flags bearing additional inscriptions of battles of the Revolution, the war of 1812, and the Mexican war, participated in by Pennsylvania regiments of the same number. These flags were presented by Governor Curtin in person. Most of them have since been returned to the State, some tattered and torn and stained with blood. They constitute an in- teresting relic, and are preserved in the Executive Building of the Capitol at Harrisburg. When the Pennsylvania regiments were drawn up to receive their battle -flags. Governor The sowiers' Curtin always pledged the State to sus- orphans tain, clothe and educate the children of those who had families. So when, in 1863, Colonel Thomas A. Scott, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, donated $50,000 for bounties to volunteers, it was decided to use that fund in another way; namely, to establish schools for soldiers' orphans. A number of schools willing to take pupils were 232 A History of Pennsylvania selected in various parts of the State, and by 1865 266 soldiers' orphans were enrolled in them. Through this measure, Pennsylvania erected a monument to her soldiers that is more enduring than the granite columns that have been raised on the battlefields. At the election for a successor to the great "War Governor," John W. Geary, the Repub- lican candidate, received a majority of 17,000 votes over Hiester Clymer, the Democratic candidate. Gearj^ was Gov- ernor for two terms — from 1867 to 1873. The whole country, but more especially the North, prospered greatly John w. Geary. ^f^gj, ^jj^ ^^^ Pennsylvania, with its vast material resources, enjoyed unusual business activity. However, there was one section in the State to which the ravages of the war were a decided drawback. It embraced the so-called " border counties" — York, Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, and Perry. These suffered greatly on account of the depredations that had been committed in the course of the various invasions. When the Legislature ^as appealed to for aid, it passed an act in 1868 by which the claims for damages were satisfied in some degree. The national government has likewise made reparation for many losses, and is still appealed to for the settlement of others. Aside from " the saw -dust war," — a disturbance in Governor WilHamsport, in 1871, requiring the pres- Hartranft q^qq ^f ^\^q military, — the Commonwealth enjoyed peace and tranquillity until 1872. That year the Liberal Republicans (see any U. S. his- tory) nominated Horace Greeley, editor of the New The Administration of the Government 233 York Tribune, against President Grant, who was the regular Republican candidate for a second term. The Democrats had practically no candidate, but indorsed Greeley. The canvass throughout the country was marked by intense partisan feeling which affected the campaign for Governor. The Re- publican nominee was General John F. Hartranft ; the Democratic, Charles R. Buckalew. A number of prom- inent Republicans in Pennsylvania joined the ranks of the Liberals and supported Buckalew for Governor. After a great political battle, Har- tranft was elected. At this election, J«i^^ f. Hartranft. the Prohibitionists for the first time presented a candidate — S. B. Chase — for Governor. He received 1,259 votes. The great financial crisis of 1873 marked the end of the prosperous times that followed The Financial the war. It was precipitated upon the ^"^'^ °^ ^^^^ country from Philadelphia, by the failure of Jay Cooke & Co., who were forced to close the doors of their banking-house on the 18th of September. Before night, "runs" were made on the other banks of the city, and in a few days a number of them had to suspend. These failures began the long train of business and labor difficulties that made the next few years so dark to trade and industry. Early the next year a railroad strike occurred at Susquehanna, because the New York and Erie road did not make monthly payments promptly. Troops had to be sent by the Governor to restore order. About this time, too, disturbances in the coal regions began to be serious. 234 A History of Pennsylvania The first strike of any consequence occurred in the anthracite section in 1868, for an eight -hour day. It was not successful, but it resulted in a compact organization of the miners. In 1871, the State militia had to be sent to Scranton on account of a strike against reduction of wages. It was settled by ar- bitration, — the first noteworthy example of this mode of settlement in the United States. Other strikes of minor importance occurred ; but on January 1, 1875, the miners of the Lehigh and Schuylkill regions went out on what became known as the " long strike." It lasted until July, and ended in the unconditional surrender of the miners. It was generally peaceable ; but at one time the Governor had to send the militia to quell disorder. On July 4, 1874, ground was broken in Phila- city Hall and the dclphia for the Centennial Exhibition Centennial buildiugs, aud thc comer-stonc of the City Hall was laid. The latter is the largest public building in America, built of white marble, in the renaissance style. The main tower, 547 feet high, surmounted by a statue of William Penn, 36 feet high and facing northeast in the direction of the famous elm, is the highest in the world. The building contains some 500 rooms, and has a floor area of 14% acres. It has alreadj- cost about $22,000,000, and is not completed. The Centennial Exhibition, which was to commemorate the Declara- tion of Independence, had made such progress by July 4, 1875, that the colossal figure of Columbia, on Memorial Hall, was unveiled on that day. For Memorial Hall, the State and Philadelphia appropri- ated the money ; otherwise the Centennial was an The Administration of the Government 235 enterprise of the whole country. About 180 buildings were erected on the grounds. The five great build- ings were the Main Exhibition Building, Machinery Hall, Memorial Hall, Agricultural Hall and Horticul- City Hall, Philadelphia. tural Hall. The States of the Union each had a build- ing ; and so had the United States, the foreign govern- ments and some enterprising individuals. The four great days were the opening day, May 10 ; Indepen- dence Day, July 4 ; Pennsylvania Day, September 28 ; and closing day, November 10. The Fourth of July had brought to Philadelphia a large number of people from all over the United States, but Pennsylvania Day was the most memorable to this State ; for on 236 A History of Pennsylvania that day 275,000 of its people surged through the grounds of the Exhibition. The highest attendance before that had been 99,000. The closing day oc- The Centennial Exhibition. curred under the gloom of a bitter Presidential contest in the United States, and, excepting the magnificent pyrotechnic display in the evening, was uneventful. President Grant gave the signal for closing the Exhi- bition, and instantly the great Corliss engine in Machinery Hall ceased to move. The year 1877 is noted for the most extensive The Railroad aiid dcstructivc Hots that ever broke out Riots jj^ Pennsylvania. They grew out of the great railroad strike inaugurated throughout the United States on the 14th of July. At Pittsburg some two thousand freight cars were destroyed, many railroad buildings laid in ashes, and miles of tracks torn up. The sheriff was helpless against the lawless mob who took advantage of the strike and engaged in plunder and destruction. Governor Hartranft was en route on a visit to the Pacific coast, and had to return. On the 22d of July, before reaching home, The Administration of the Government 237 he telegraphed an order calling* out the National Guard. But the armed mob was not to be dispersed by the State troops, and United States troops had to be brought upon the scene before quiet could be restored. The disturbance at Pittsburg was the signal for disorder at other points. At Philadelphia and Harrisburg it was nipped in the bud. At Reading the railroad bridge across the Schuylkill was burned, and the National Guard came into fatal collision with a body of strikers in the streets. A company of United States troops were encamped there until, late in the fall. At Scranton and Wilkes -Barre passenger trains were fired at as they passed through, and the tracks greased to stop them. In this section the miners, too, went on a strike, but the military prevented any destruction of property such as characterized the strike at Reading and Pittsburg. At the election for Governor in 1878 there were four candidates — Henry M. Hoyt, Repub- A n -r-r T^.i T^ fx 1 Govcmor Hoyt lican ; Andrew H. Dill, Democrat ; Samuel R. Mason, Greenback ; and Franklin H. Lane, Prohi- bition. The Republican candidate was elected. Tn January, 1879, the first Legislature holding a biennial session met. The industries were still suffering from hard times, but there were signs of returning prosperity present. Gov- ernor Hoyt, in his inaugural, reminded the people that they spent more than they earned, that the extravagance of the rich is not the gain of the ^-^^^Hoyt. poor, that waste and profusion are not for the good of trade. Then, too, frequent assassinations and 238 A History of Pennsylvania other outrages were committed on justices, con- stables and mining bosses in the anthracite regions. To expose these lawless deeds and bring the criminals to justice, detectives had to be em- ployed. Plots and counter -plots were laid and a feeling of great uneasiness prevailed. Governor Har- tranft, in his last message, advocated arbitration and conciliation as a better policy than repression to restore tranquillity. The State had paid annually for eight years $100,000 for the suppression of labor troubles. The Legislature of 1879 ordered an investigation of Important two sham mcdical colleges in Philadelphia, Measures which sold diplomas to applicants without a knowledge of medicine. It authorized another peni- tentiary, which two years later became the Hunting- don Reformatory. It reorganized the National Guard, which was made to consist of 8,220 officers and enlisted men in a single division — three brigades, three batteries of artillery, the battalion of State Fen- cibles, and two independent companies. In 1881, an effort was made by the Legislature to have the remains of William Penn removed from the graveyard at Jor- dan's meeting-house, in Buckinghamshire, England, and interred in Philadelphia. The heirs of Penn objected ; but the absence of his bones did not mar the bi- centennial celebration of his arrival in the good ship Welcome. The affair was begun at Chester, on Monday, October 23, 1882. Some characters rep- resenting William Penn and his colonists landed at the foot of Penn street, where they were received by Lieutenant Markham and a group of Quakers, Swedes The Administration of the Government 239 and Indians, appropriately costumed. At midnight two hundred strokes of the State House bell announced the beginning of "landing day" in Phila- delphia. Fully 500,000 strangers were in the city to see the Welcome come up the Delaware, about 9 o'clock in the morning. The landing was made at the foot of Dock street, according to tradition. A procession was formed, and at the grand stand Governor Hoyt greeted Penn and his suite. The founder then made an address, to which Sachem Tam- anend, of the Delawares, made a reply. The proces- sion, which included more than 20,000 men in line, and required four and a half hours in passing, was very unique. It showed the gradual progress made during the two centuries of the State's existence. The festivities continued until Friday. At the election in 1882, there were five candidates for Governor; viz., Robert E. Pattison, Governor Democrat ; James A. Beaver, Republican ; Pattison John Stewart, Independent Republican ; Thomas A. Armstrong, Greenback - Labor ; and Alfred C. Pettit, Prohibition. As Governor Hoyt said in his last mes- sage, "the people determined upon a change," for the Democratic candidate was elected. Following the example of President Jefferson, Mr. Pattison would not ride in a carriage from the depot at Harrisburg, but walked to ^ ^^ the hotel at the time of his inauguration. In his messages, too, he advocated economy in the public service, recommending various reforms intended to lessen expenses. 240 A History of Pennsylvania On the day fixed by the Legislature for adjourn- A Long Extra ment, June 6, 1883, the Governor called Session ^^ extra session to meet the following day. The object was to redistrict the State into senatorial and representative districts, in obedience to the Constitution, Article II., section 18 ; also to make a new apportionment in congressional and judicial districts. The Legislature had failed to do this work at the regular session, because the two houses, being of different political complexion, could not agree. The extra session continued until December 6. Bills were introduced to meet the purpose of the call; but only the one rearranging the judicial districts became a law. The others failed on account of political dis- agreements. The expense incurred was heavy and caused much dissatisfaction. The members were paid ten dollars per diem. To avoid a recurrence of so great an expense through an extra session, the law was changed in 1885. The compensation for both the regular and extra sessions now is a fixed amount, — $1,500 for the regular and $500 for the extra, regardless of the length. Other important legislation at the session of 1885 was creating corporations for the production, conveyance and distribution of nat- ural gas; requesting the Governor to designate a day as Arbor Day; and requiring in the common schools the study of physiology and hygiene, with special reference to the effects of alcoholic drinks, stimulants and narcotics. The question of temperance received attention in Temperance and othcr dircctious also about this time. Prohibition ^g g^j^iy j^g ;^g72^ Pennsylvania put a local option law upon the statute books, but it The Administration of the Government 241 was repealed soon afterwards. With the sudden growth of the Prohibition party in the Presiden- tial campaign of 1884, there came a demand for legis- lation to restrict, and even to prohibit, the liquor traffic. There were at the time 7,000 licensed drink- ing places in Philadelphia alone. In obedience to a loud call from all over the State, the Legislature in 1887 passed the so-called "high license" bill, which fixed the fees for the right to sell liquor at retail as high as $500 and $300 in cities, and proportionately high in boroughs and townships. At the same time, an amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquor as a bev- erage, was proposed. This proposition having been agreed to also by the next Legislature, an election was held June 18, 1889, for the purpose of ratifying or rejecting the amendment. A very spirited campaign ensued ; but the amendment was lost by a vote of 484,644 to 296,617, the vote by counties being 3S against it and 28 for it. Later on, the "high license" act was amended so as to increase the amount in cities of first and second class. At the election for Governor in 1886 there were four candidates, as follows : James A. ^^^ g^^^^ Beaver, Republican ; Chauncey F. Black, Assumes Democrat; Charles S. Wolf, Prohibition; ^ew Duties and Robert J. Houston, Greenback. The Republican candidate was successful. The Legislature in 1887 did what it had been asked to do by Governor Patti- son when he called the extra session in 1883. The State was apportioned into twenty -eight congressional districts, and representative districts were provided for 204 members of the House. At this session, too. 242 A History of Pennsylvania James A. Beaver. the appropriation for common schools was increased from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000; the dissemination of vile literature was declared to be a misdemeanor; the "eastern standard" time was made the standard throughout the Commonwealth ; the culture of trees was encouraged and their wilful destruction prohibited ; and hospitals were established for persons injured in the coal fields. It is seen from the nature of these laws that the State assumed new duties and responsibilities about this time, doing things that used to be done by the people in their private capacity or were not done at all. The employment of women and children in factories was regulated and provision made for their safety, while the fish in the streams and the game in the forest were protected against ruthless destruction. Another example of the The Johnstown growiug iutcrCSt Fi°°'i of the State in its people was furnished bj^ the floods of 1889. On May 31 the regions of the West 3 Branch of the Susquehanna, the Juniata, and Conemaugh rivers were visited by floods which had no parallel in history. Many villages, towns and cities on the eastern slope of the AUeghanies were, for a time, rendered utterly helpless. John Baker. On the western The Administration of the Government 243 slope, Johnstown and its neighboring towns were almost obliterated. Three thousand lives were lost' in the Conemaugh valley, more quickly than the story of the disaster can be told. The cause of this terrible loss The Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge and the Wreckage above It. of life was the breaking of a dam covering 600 acres of land and calculated to hold 500,000,000 cubic feet of water. It was situated on the South Fork, two miles south of the junction with the Conemaugh and ten miles east of Johnstown. On the afternoon of May 31 it rose slowly until it poured over the top. Then some old leakages became larger, the breast broke, and the water rushed forth like a demon. John Baker, the Paul Revere of the occasion, rode a race with it for a while and saved many people; but the death -dealing wave, now laden with trees, houses, wreckage and human beings, defied steam whistles and telegraphic instruments. It ploughed through South Fork, Mineral Point, Franklin, East Conemaugh, Woodvale, Conemaugh, Johnstown, Kernville, Mill- 244 A History of Pennsylvania ville, and Cambria. It was late in the afternoon, and the night that followed was one of unutterable agony. Morning dawned upon a scene that beggared descrip- tion; and when the people learned what had happened at Johnstown, they extended aid and sympathy as unparalleled as the catastrophe itself. Relief commit- tees were organized in Philadelphia and Pittsburg to furnish aid and to help bury the dead. Governor Beaver appointed a Flood Relief Commission to dis- tribute a fund that had swelled to more than $1,000,000. The State Board of Health was early on the ground to enforce the sanitary laws, and the military came there to preserve order. To pay the State's expenses, generous men of means advanced the money till the Legislature would reimburse them. There never was a more beautiful example of public and private charity in all history. At the election for Governor in 1890, there were Governor again four candidates : Robert E. Pattison, Pattison Democrat ; George W. Delamater, Repub- lican ; John D. Gill, Prohibition ; and T. P. Rynder, Labor. Mr. Pattison was elected for a second term. Under the Constitution of 1873, a person holding the office of Governor is not eligible for the next suc- ceeding term. Probably the most important act of the Legislature of 1891 was the passage of the "Ballot Reform Law." The voter was not sufficiently free and independent in casting his ballot, and the cry for purer elections was heard all over the Commonwealth. The law passed is known as the Australian system, the nature of which is that it preserves to a man freedom and secrecy in the discharge of his duty as an elector. The Administration of the Government 245 The years 1891 and 1892 are memorable on account of great labor troubles. On the _ Labor Troubles 2d of April, 1891, the sheriff of West- moreland county telegraphed to the Governor that seven persons had been killed and twenty -one wounded at Moorewood, and that he was unable to suppress the disorder. Two regiments of the National Guard were sent there, and order was at once restored. The following year, on July 6, the sheriff of Alle- gheny county telegraphed to Harrisburg that a colli- sion with fatal results had occurred at Homestead between striking workingmen and armed deputies and watchmen, and that he was unable to cope with the rioters. The cause of the strike was that the Car- negie Steel Company attempted to reduce the wages of some of its employes, who numbered about 4,000 men. Those who refused to accept the new scale of wages were locked out, and then the trouble began. One act followed another until the men locked out had practical possession of the works. The company now brought a force of Pinkerton detectives from Chicago to protect its own property. When these arrived in barges from Pittsburg, they were attacked as they attempted to land and a serious riot ensued, in which the Pinkertons got the worst. About a dozen lives were lost and scores of persons were wounded. When the National Guard arrived, the town was well-nigh under the reign of mob law; but a two -weeks' presence of the Second and Third Bri- gades restored order. The Homestead riot and other labor troubles caused much agitation in and out of the Legislature for several years in favor of a board of arbitration to settle all labor difficulties in the State. 246 A History of Pennsylvania At the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, , . in 1893, the Legislature spent $300,000 Pennsylvania ' ° at the to show the products of farm and tac- World'sFair ^^^^^ ^-^^ ^^^ ^.|j^ ^^.^ ^^