Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

SPRINGFIELD, I63G-18S6. 273
Excepting so far as may be necessary to set the Conduct of the Rest of the town
in a faire Light.
A Number of Circumstances Concurred Last March to bring the town Gener-
ally togather at their annual town meeting for the Choice of Town officers &c in
which the Town Chose to make some alteration in their officers which was so
Disagreeable to several Parsons in the first Parish that they endeavored in an Un-
presented manner to Obstruct and hinder the Business of the Meeting by a suffi-
cient Number appearing to Object to almost every Vote when it was indisputable
to every Body present and this not onely in Matters of Importance but also in
the Choice of the Most Inconsiderable officers whereby the List of the Voters
was obliged to be called which Necessarily took iip some Houres and this
was Followed about three Days & a half with the Express and Avowed Design to
git the town to send to the general Court for a Committee to Divide the same a
Measure then and ever sence very Disagreeable to much the greatest part of sd
town and this was continued untill the within a few Hours of Extent of time
allowed by Law to ^lake Choice of Town officers whereby many considered
themselves under a Necessity of Complying to have a Committee. The Petitioners
are very much mistaken in their Kepresentation of a Report made by a Committee
of the town that an Application to the general Court for a Committee to Divide
the same was the Only Expedient to Restore Peace and Prevent Discord and Con-
fusion for we are Informed by a Number of said Committee that no such Report
was made or agreed to by the Major part of them and we are Certain there is no
such Article in their Report as Enter'' 07i the town Record, but their Report was
to Choose a Committee in the Neighboring towns &c.
The town had always avoided applying to the General Court because they
would be Left at Liberty about excepting a report of any Committee about a
Division of the town as they should think eligable or not — and the charge of
Insincerity is utterly groundless and without Foundation and only mentioned as
we Conceive with the Designe of Representing the town in an Unfavourable Light
to your Excellency and Honours. The Petitioners alledge a Vote of the town
that a Division thereof was necessar\- &c but it should be Remembered that there
had been Application before that time by Stony Hill so called and Long Meadow
to be made seperate towns or Districts and they had obtained the towns Consent
thereto these people might vote in that manner from their own particular Circum-
stances others from the Necessity they was then Under as before referred to.
But when the Report was made the town Coukl not Consent to it, and the follow-
ing with others not Mentioned might be their Reasons for Rejecting it (viz) no
allowance was thereby made to the western town which was to be erected for any