Home / Shonnard, Frederic, and W.W. Spooner. History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900. New York: The New York History Company, 1900. / Passage

History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900

Shonnard, Frederic, and W.W. Spooner. History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900. New York: The New York History Company, 1900. 279 words

The people made a loud huzza, which the late Chief Judge blamed very much, as what he thought not right. Forster replied he took no notice of what the common people did, since Mr. Morns did not put them upon the doing of it. The indentures being sealed, the whole body of Electors waited on their new Representative to his lodgings with trumpets sounding and violins and in a little time took their leave of him, and thus ended the Election to the general playing, satisfaction.

The rallying cries of the two parties, "No Land Tax" and "No Excise," related to a current political issue of some importance. Philipse had opposed the levying of quit-rents on his manor, which his partisans termed a "land tax," and instead of it had advocated the raising of revenue by excise duties. This issue, however, was only an incidental one in the great contest of 1733. Quit-rents had always been exceedingly objectionable to the rural population, and excise duties were almost equally unpopular. As the Philipse and de Lancey party chose to take their stand against the so-called land tax, the Morrisites met them by raising the counter issue of no excise. question of the governor's But in reality it was a contest onandtheas sole such it became a perfect test outrageous abuse of authority, of the disposition and readiness of the people to shake off the fetters of an odious government ami to array themselves for free institutions. There was no mistaking the true nature of the emergency, and the minds of the people were not to be confused by the pretense that it was an ordinary struggle over the opposing doctrines