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Show EartyDay Prohibition inx Enforcement MlSOk Lxdh r V V, k-tf o Wilkinson t J J- o$ , v i,j Vg; & & Liffle Turtle larm'Wa.r-O-p 7 ' 1 q AVef Celebration of "VfaShindton's Birthda.7 1 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON k LTHOUGH we think of pro-t pro-t hlbitlon enforcement as a SV strictly modern American jO question, yet the fact is that here, as in many other pres- ent-day problems, Is a curi-Jydfi curi-Jydfi ous Instance of "history re-yflB re-yflB peating Itself." The pass-vl' pass-vl' ing of the Volstead act did not bring into being the first prohibition enforcement officer. That title belongs to an Indian chief and he was given his appointment more than 250 years ago I In the middle of the Seventeenth century the Dutch In New Netherland were engaged In a series of wars with the neighboring Indian tribes. Finally a permanent treaty of peace was concluded con-cluded In 1600, the leading signer of which was "Oratamln, sachem of the Eavagen living at Achkinheshacky (Hackensack), who declared himself commissioned by the savages of Tap-paen Tap-paen (Tappan), Rechgawawanc (Manhattan), (Man-hattan), Klchtawance (Kitchawank) and Sintslnck (Sintsink)" to act on their behalf. But this treaty did not end the troubles between the two races, for In 1GG2 Oratamln (whose name Is also spelled Oratam, Oratamy, Oratan and Oraton) complained to the Dutch authorities of the Illicit sale of brandy to his people. As the result of this protest there appeared In the official records of New Netherland this entry : Whereas Oratam, chief of Hacking-haseky, Hacking-haseky, and other savages have com-I com-I plained several times that many selfish l people dare not only to sell brandy to the savages In this city, .but also to carry whole ankers of it Into their j country and peddle it out there, from 1 which, If it Is not prevented In time, j many troubles will arise, therefore, the 1 director general and council of New Netherland, not knowing for the present pres-ent of a better way to stop It, authorize author-ize the said chief together with the Sachem Mattanouch to seize the brandy brought Into their country for sale and those offering to sell it, and bring j them here that they may be punished as an example to others. I The Chiefs Oratam and Mattano are I hereby autiiorized to seize the brandy j brought into their country for sale, j together with those who bring it, and ' conduct them hither, j Done at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland th thirtieth day of March, j 1662 J Evidently the two chiefs were effl-! effl-! clent "prohibition enforcement officers" for there Is no further mention of trouble for fifteen months. But It Is evident, too. that prohibition then, as now, produced bootleggers, for In June, : 1GG3, Oratam and other chiefs again ' appeared before the authorities, com-' com-' plaining that brandy was still being carried among their people. "On being , told that we tried to prevent and hud authorized Oratam to arrest Dutch-) Dutch-) men who came Into their country to peddle brandy." reads the record, "they replied that they were cheated by the : Dutch, who said that the general had given his consent, and showed a let- ter giving permission to sell brnnfty I In their country, also that they had j taken away a large quantity of wam-; wam-; punx whereby the savages were en- tir'ly Impoverished." I Again they were told to arrest the j white men who brought liquor into iaCT , 1 their country and this time they were further authorized to bring their captives cap-tives to New Amsterdam in fetters. As a reward for their enforcement work "We promised that they should have piece of cloth for a coat beside .the brandy which such persons should carry, and he who brought In the first should have two pieces." Of this Incident In-cident one historian says "The piece of cloth can be understood, but one wonders what these temperance advocates ad-vocates did with the brandy; perhaps they sold it back to the Dutch 1" Oratam, however, was not the only chief who was destined to be concerned con-cerned over the liquor question. American Amer-ican history Is full of cases of Indian leaders who saw with alarm what the white man's "firewater" was doing do-ing to their people and who protested, usually In vain, to white authorities to stop the sale of It One of the outstanding out-standing of these was Chief Little Turtle of the Miamis In Indiana, conqueror con-queror of Generals Harmar and St. Clair during the Indian wars after the Revolution. After his defeat by "Mad Anthony" Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Fal-len Timbers, Little Turtle settled down near Fort Wayne, Ind., and devoted his efforts to trying to improve the lot of the Miami tribesmen by teaching them to learn to "walk in the white man's road" and to avoid the pitfalls placed In that road by the white man. During a visit to the East in 1796, Little Turtle visited the yearly conference con-ference of the Society of Friends, at Baltimore, and appealed to thero to use their Influence to stop the transportation trans-portation of liquor to the Indian country. coun-try. Accordingly the Friends addressed a memorial to congress asking that this be done. But nothing seems to have come of it, for in 1802 and 1803, we find him making a personal appeal to the legislatures of Kentucky and Ohio for their aid In suppressing the liquor traffic among his people. Mention of "Mad Anthony" Waj-ne recalls the fact that a regular ration of liquor was considered an Indispensable Indis-pensable part of the soldier's daily fare during the early days of the United Unit-ed States army and In that respect Its use by Wayne's forces during the campaign against the tribes of the Old Northwest was In accordance with the custom of the day. The original manuscript manu-script "Orderly Books" of the western army, commanded first by Wayne and later by Gen. James Wilkinson, are preserved In the library of the United Unit-ed States Military academy at West Tolnt, and In them are some entries which make curious reading In these days of the Eighteenth amendment. For Instance, on July 4, 1702. when headquarters of the expedition were at Pittsburgh. Wayne Issued a general gen-eral order for "a double allowance of spirits to the troops today, being the anniversary of the independence of the United States." On February 21. 1700. at Greenville. General Wilkinson ordered or-dered that the snhliers were to be allowed to "draw an extra gill of whisky" with which to celebrate Washington's Wash-ington's birthday. The same extra allowance al-lowance was authorized for the celebration cele-bration of St- Patrick's day on March 17, although It was accompanied by a warning that "the brigadier-general will have no riot or drunkenness." I GerLWlkiTrLSPr-oKibiHon.',Ordei' I Facsimiles of Manuscripts, Courtesy I United States Military Academy, West 1 Point. 1 The nest year, however, when headquarters head-quarters were at Detroit, the use of liquor by the soldiers was causing so much trouble that Wilkinson was forced to issue an order prohibiting its sale to them. I Within the last year or so the state of Michigan has received widespread publicity because of Its famous "life-for-a-plnt" liquor law, especially when several women were convicted under that law. And these convictions were another example of "history repeating Itself," for the first conviction and punishment of a woman liquor seller was the result of Wilkinson's order of July 12, 1797. The woman was Lydla Connor, described as a "follower of the army," in the report of the court martial at which she and two men were tried. All three were found guilty but only the woman was punished. What her punishment was Is recorded thus in the orderly books: The court finds the prisoner guilty of the charge exhibited against her, and sentences her. under the General Order of the 12th. Instant, and the 23rd. Article of the 13th. Section of the rules and articles of war, to be drummed with a bottle suspended about her neck, with the Rogues March, together to-gether with William Mitchell, a prisoner pris-oner convicted of the like offense, her right hand tied to his left, through the Citadel In front of the troops, paraded, thence through tha streets of the town, thence to and around the front of the Barracks of the soldiery in Fort Lernault, thence out of the fort to and along the main street, and out of the west or southwest gate of the town not to return therein or within the lines and fortifications of the troops of the United States, on penalty of receiving Buch punishment as may be inflicted upon her, by sentence sen-tence of a court martial. When these sentences were presented pre-sented to General Wilkinson, he acted upon them thus. "The sentence passed upon Lydla Connor, a notorious offender, of-fender, t is to be carried into execution execu-tion at six o'clock this afternoon. However highly merited, he remits so much of the sentence passed upon Mitchell as relates to drumming and he flatters himself that this instance of his clemency may not be misapprehended, misap-prehended, as no further Indulgence must be expected." In the case of Frazer, the other man, Wilkinson was even more lenient probably prob-ably because Frazer was very proml-nent proml-nent In the little town of Detroit, and by dealing lightly with him the general may have hoped to curry favor with the citizens. This Wilkinson was not an admirable character, It will be remembered, for later In his career while commander-in-chief of the American Amer-ican army, he was guilty of what closely bordered upon treason, more so even than Aaron Burr, upon whom the greater odium of the conspiracy with the Spaniards in the Southwest fell. So there Is reason for reading In a cynical frame of mind the following unctuous words: With respect to William Frazer, the commander-in-chief will observe that, as he can never be indifferent to the feelings of any person, should the transgression have originated in misapprehension, mis-apprehension, he regrets tha occasion; otherwise, he hopes tha process may be received as evidence of the impartiality impar-tiality of his administration, and of the duty of the court, and that it will have the effect to prevent a repetition of the offense which cannot be permitted permit-ted or pardoned. The measures of the general since ha took command of the post have been directed by motives of public utility, and the effects are visible to all. Acting above personal consideration considera-tion he abhors every emotion of a vindictive spirit and disdains the principles of a narrow and insidious policy bound by tle solemn obligations obliga-tions of public trust, and personal honor, ha wl sedulously gunrd the interests in-terests confided to his charge And It will be a source of pleasure to him. should he. In the discharge of hip duty, give satisfaction to citizens and cliens, but this Is a secondary object The first Is the promotion of the national interests and the approbation of his superiors The commandT-ln-chlf Is here to render public service, not to court popularity, or subserve the accommodation ac-commodation of individuals. |