Many of his listeners didn’t understand much about the tax system and had accepted it as something immutable that had been and always would be imposed on them, but it was obvious that they appreciated a man like Husband pointing out its unfairness. He now continued with something they could understand better and was a sore point with every farmer.

“Also, not many of us have hard money, and we deserve the right to pay fees and taxes in farm produce, as we always have. The legal officials and money changers always twist the value of currency to our disadvantage, and we figure that this amounts to a twenty-percent extra levy on us when we have to trade what we produce for gold or silver coins before we pay our debts. The further we are from the coast, the more it costs us to buy money to pay taxes and fees to our own government.

“If we get just a little behind in anything we owe, more and more of our crops, livestock, and then farms are being taken without due process, or sold by the sheriff, often in secret and way below market value. And we notice that almost all of this property winds up in the hands of the very local officials who are charged with protecting our rights. In some cases, the proceeds of our confiscated property are not even applied to our debts!”

An early scattering of applause was hushed when Husband raised his hand, indicating to the audience that he was not through with this point.

“We also see that licenses to operate new mills, contracts to build roads and bridges, and permits to run ferries all go to members of the crowd who run the courthouse and manipulate the outcome of elections. These same officials control the nominating and electoral procedures, and use bribery and intimidation when necessary to get elected themselves as assemblymen—and even as vestrymen in our churches!”

Ethan found himself joining in the pent-up applause and cheers that resounded in the mill house. Henry was watching him, with a slight smile on his face.

Husband continued, “Although this is the final point I want to make, it is one of the most important, both for our protection and especially for those who live further west along the frontier. We want our own militia members to have a right to choose their officers, and we demand that they get out of their barracks in the east and stay out here where they belong, to protect us from bandits and from the infernal Indians.”

This last remark brought a thunderous and sustained response, with every man in the room joining in the applause—except for Edmund Fanning.

Husband was now completely at ease, and he turned to the governor’s aide and asked, “Mr. Fanning, would you like to make a comment?”

“Yes, I would. You can be sure that the governor will have a full report on the meeting.”