with ashes came down the Big Sandy Creek. As their owners noticed troops at the mouth of the creek, the boats were quickly put about; but they had been seen, and were followed the next day by the soldiers, who found the boats sunk opposite the house of a Captain Fairfield. Landing, they saw the masts, sails, and oars scattered about, the ashes stored in the house, and, hard by, a swivel gun. The smugglers meanwhile were busy cutting down trees and throwing them into the creek to hinder the return of the troops by water. Learning this, the officer in command broke into the house and made a hasty retreat with the potash and the swivel. Captain Fairfield was not in the county. But his wife promptly complained to the nearest magistrate, who issued a process in civil action. The constable, being afraid to serve it, gathered a posse of thirty men and started with them for the lake shore. There he formed a line and called on the troops to surrender or fight. They chose to fight, charged the posse, scattered it, and took ten prisoners. Not long after, the people of Ellisburg were again thrown into alarm by the appearance of the troops, who came, they said, to take the magistrate who issued the process. This magistrate was Judge Sackett, a man well known in those parts, and the founder of the town which still bears his name. But he was not to be taken, and, having found two citizens to make charges of felony, he issued another warrant and again gave it to the constable to serve. This time the hue and cry was raised, and several hundred men were soon gathered in Ellisburg. To them the constable read the law of hue and cry and the law for arming, and bade them meet armed at sunrise next morning. Eighty came, but the constable, not being sure that he could command armed men until he had himself been opposed by arms, dismissed the:n. Determined not to be deprived of their vengeance, the Ellisburgers now sent out a call to the people of Jefferson County to meet in their turn and take into consideration the legal way of seizing certain felons who had bound and carried off ten citizens while attending to an affair of the law. The meeting was duly held, and some strong resolutions on the subject drawn up. Violence, insolence, and law-breaking were now frequent along the whole border. Five open boats, full of potash, attempted to make the run from Fort Niagara to Canada, and, despite the troops and the Collector, three succeeded. On Salmon river, in Oneida County, the crew of a revenue cutter behaved so insolently that the people rose, seized them, and put them into the jail. At Lewiston twenty men came over from Canada and carried off a quantity of flour by force. They were believed to have gone to Canada for that very purpose. A ship showing no name and carrying no papers was taken off Squam Bay and sent into Charlestown. Those who pretended to know, said she hailed from Newburyport. There the embargo was most hated, and there the shippers and seamen were most active in evading it. On one occasion a sloop full of provisions made her escape from the town. Some officers who attempted to stop her were beaten by the crowd on the wharf and fired at by the sailors on the vessel. Nor was she taken till a cutter armed with troops had chased her for ten hours. On another day nine ships hoisted sail and defiantly started out. Again, a schooner laden with fish put out to sea. A revenue cutter brought her back; but the people again rose, and were with difficulty prevented from destroying the cutter at the wharf. J. B. McMaster: History of the People of the United States, Vol. III, pp. 279-307, passim. D. Appleton and Co., New York, 1892. QUESTIONS How long did it take for the news of the Embargo to travel from Washington to New York? Describe the attempt of the ships to get away before the act was put into effect. How was it possible for ships in the coasting trade to evade the Embargo? What advantage was taken of this? What was the effect of the Embargo on seamen? What means were devised for their relief? How did the Embargo deprive the farmers of the North of a market? Describe the means of smuggling goods into the West Indies and Canada by sea. How were goods smuggled into Canada from Vermont? From New York by way of Lake Champlain? By way of Lake Ontario? Across the Niagara river? XXII THE CAUCUS OF 1824 The framers of the Constitution expected that the electors would be perfectly free in their choice of president and vicepresident; but with the rise of political parties such freedom could scarcely be possible. The leaders of the party, anxious to secure every electoral vote, naturally, by one means or another, pointed out, or nominated as we say, certain persons to be voted for. The Republican party, the party of Jefferson, followed the plan of having these nominations made by a gathering of the party members of Congress. As the Federalists lost ground, a nomination by this caucus was practically equivalent to an election. But opposition arose. In the States, where there had been similar meetings of office holders to determine upon nominations for State offices, conventions of delegates were beginning to be held; and there was a general feeling that the people should themselves have a hand in the nomination of candidates. The Congressional Caucus of 1824, which nominated William H. Crawford for President, was the last; the friends of other candidates protested; and Crawford was not elected. In Jackson's administration the nominating convention came in. The proceedings of the Caucus are here given and also a protest against the system by the Tennessee legislature. (See McLaughlin and Hart, Cyclopædia of American Government, "caucus.") Chamber of the House of Representatives of the United States. February 14, 1824. At a meeting of republican members of Congress, assembled this evening, pursuant to public notice, for the purpose of recommending to the people of the United States suitable persons to be supported at the approaching election, for the offices of president and vice-president of the United States: On motion of Mr. James Barbour, of Virginia Mr. Benjamin Ruggles, a senator from the state of Ohio, was called to the chair, and Mr. Ela Collins, a Representative from the state of New York, was appointed secretary. . . ... "Resolved, That this meeting do now proceed to designate, by ballot, a candidate for president of the United States." Determined in the affirmative. 66 On motion of Mr. Van Buren of New York, it was Resolved, That the Chairman call up the republican members of congress by states, in order to receive their respective ballots." Whereupon the Chairman proceeded to a call, and it appeared the following members were present. . . Mr. Bassett, of Virginia, and Mr. Cambreleng, of New York, were appointed tellers, and, on counting the ballots, it appeared that William H. Crawford had sixty-four votes, John Quincy Adams two votes, Andrew Jackson one vote, and Mr. Dickerson, of New Jersey, then submitted the following resolution, which was agreed to: "Resolved, That this meeting do now proceed to designate, by ballot, a candidate for the office of vice-president of the United States." Mr. Van Buren, of New York, then stated that he was authorized to say that the vice-president having, some time since, determined to retire from public life, did not wish to be regarded by his friends as a candidate for reëlection to that office. On counting the ballots, it appeared that Albert Gallatin, of Pennsylvania, had fifty-seven votes; John Q. Adams, of Massachusetts, one vote; William Eustis, of Massachusetts, one vote; Samuel Smith, of Maryland, one vote; William King, of Maine, one vote; Richard Rush, of Pennsylvania, one vote; Erastus Root, of New York, two votes; John Tod, of Pennsylvania, one vote; and Walter Lowrie, of Pennsylvania, one vote. And, thereupon, Mr. Clark, of New York submitted the following resolution, to wit: Resolved, As the sense of this meeting that William H. Crawford of Georgia, be recommended to the people of the United States as a proper candidate for the office of president, and Albert Gallatin of Pennsylvania for the office of vice-president, of the United States, for four years from the 4th of March, 1825. Resolved, that, in making the foregoing recommendations, the members of this meeting have acted in their individual characters, as citizens; that they have been induced to this measure from a deep and settled conviction of the importance of union among republicans, throughout the United States, and as the best means of collecting and concentrating the feelings and wishes of the people of the union upon this important subject. The question being put upon these resolutions, they were unanimously agreed to. Mr. Holmes of Maine then moved that the proceedings of the meeting be signed by the chairman and secretary, and published, together with an address to the people of the United States, to be prepared by a committee to be appointed for the purpose. On motion, it was ordered that this committee consist of the chairman and secretary of the convention, together with the gentlemen whose names were signed to the notice calling the meeting. On motion, it was further Resolved, That the chairman and secretary inform the gentlemen nominated for the offices of president and vice |