Whiskey Rebellion Day

I intended to post the following on the 16th, but I neglected to do so. In past years I have published this as a letter to the editor in a few papers, but this year I didn't. I did email it around rather widely, and I printed a number of copies on some nice card stock and passed around with small bottles of Jack Daniels--just call me the Whiskey Fairy. :)


Whiskey Rebellion Day --- July 16th

In 1794 the farmers of Western Pennsylvania rose up at the imposition of a tax on whiskey. Moon-shining was the only way to get their produce to market in the East without spoilage. Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, ordered the registration of all stills and imposed a tax of 25% of the value of the whiskey that could be produced by the stills.

The farmers surrounded the plantation of tax collector John Neville and advised him to leave the county. He refused, and ordered his troops to fire, killing Oliver Miller in what was the first shot in the rebellion. The farmers then returned fire. It was only 24 years since King George's troops had fired on Americans in Boston. The next day James McFarlane was killed, having been told Neville's soldiers wished to parley. That ended any hope of peaceful resolution, and the locals burned down Neville's plantation as federal troops aided his escape.

The government responded (as you would expect) with more force. Washington marched on the "rebels" with over 15,000 troops (more than he'd ever managed to field against the British). After a few more months (during which time some of Neville's cohorts were tarred and feathered) the farmers realized they could not withstand the government troops, and faded into the hills. Thomas Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State over the use of military force and Hamilton's unconstitutional abuse of power.

On July 16th, drink a toast to those who knew how to deal with corruption and greed in government, and remember Oliver Miller and James McFarlane, the first two American patriots killed by their own government.


Mike Ruff