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History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

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1786.] DIVIDING THE COUNTY—HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE. 483<br />

tendere, and was f<strong>in</strong>ed 10s. and costs amount<strong>in</strong>g to £1.1.4.<br />

Rather an expensive bit <strong>of</strong> news for that issue <strong>of</strong> the paper,<br />

and not very likely to be repeated. Zenas Parsons was an<br />

<strong>in</strong>nholder <strong>in</strong> Spr<strong>in</strong>gfield, his tavern be<strong>in</strong>g located on what<br />

is now Court-House Square.<br />

still <strong>in</strong> Existence. The uewspaper, born amid the troubles and<br />

discontents <strong>of</strong> those disastrous times, still<br />

survives, now as ever the upholder <strong>of</strong> true and honest government,<br />

and a leader <strong>in</strong> all that makes for morality, re-<br />

ligion and right.<br />

The Newspaper was It was high time that some <strong>in</strong>fluence should<br />

Needed. |-)g brought to bear to counteract the unsound<br />

ideas that were float<strong>in</strong>g through the<br />

community. The newspaper came none too soon, But <strong>its</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong>fluence was not immediate. The movement which gave<br />

impetus to the rebellion, named <strong>from</strong> <strong>its</strong> leader — Daniel<br />

Shays—had already begun. Four years before, the first act<br />

<strong>in</strong> the drama was played at <strong>Northampton</strong>, and so also the<br />

second, that opened the rebellion <strong>in</strong> earnest, appeared upon<br />

the same stage.<br />

The Discontent In-<br />

'Pleases.<br />

Siuce the trouble with Ely, practically very<br />

little had been accomplished to better the<br />

condition <strong>of</strong> affairs. The embers <strong>of</strong> discon-<br />

tent were still smoulder<strong>in</strong>g, with an occasional isolated out-<br />

break, and but a breath was required to cause them to<br />

burst <strong>in</strong>to a general conflagration. Of all the reasons for<br />

dissatisfaction none were so trivial but that some among<br />

the disaffected seized upon and marshalled them before the<br />

public. Whatever had a suspicion <strong>of</strong> evil <strong>in</strong> it was eagerly<br />

caught up and paraded <strong>in</strong> <strong>its</strong> darkest hues. Two classes,<br />

the merchants and the lawyers, who alone seemed to be<br />

even fairly prosperous, w^ere denounced <strong>in</strong> unmeasured<br />

terms. The merchants, accused <strong>of</strong> accumulat<strong>in</strong>g wealth<br />

through the ga<strong>in</strong>s <strong>of</strong> commerce, were arraigned for their<br />

luxurious liv<strong>in</strong>g, and charged with excit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> others a<br />

desire to imitate them, that they might grow richer while<br />

they made the people poorer. But most pronounced among<br />

the grievances to be abated were lawyers. They were hated

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