on of the country, and went far
toward calling into existence the needful popular sentiment in favour of
an overruling central government.

[Sidenote: Agitation in southern and middle states.]

The disorders assumed very different forms in the different states, and
brought out a great diversity of opinion as to the causes of the
distress and the efficacy of the proposed remedies. Only two states out
of the thirteen--Connecticut and Delaware--escaped the infection, but,
on the other hand, it was only in seven states that the paper money
party prevailed in the legislatures. North Carolina issued a large
amount of paper, and, in order to get it into circulation as quickly as
possible, the state government proceeded to buy tobacco with it, paying
double the specie value of the tobacco. As a natural consequence, the
paper dollar instantly fell to seventy cents, and went on declining. In
South Carolina an issue was tried somewhat more cautiously, but the
planters soon refused to take the paper at its face value. Coercive
measures were then attempted. Planters and merchants were urged to sign
a pledge not to discriminate between paper and gold, and if any one
dared refuse the fanatics forthwith attempted to make it hot for him. A
kind of "Kuklux" society was organized at Charleston, known as the "Hint
Club." Its purpose was to hint to such people that they had better look
out. If they did not mend their ways, it was unnecessary to inform them
more explicitly what they might expect. Houses were combustible then as
now, and the use of firearms was well understood. In Georgia the
legislature itself attempted coercion. Paper money was made a legal
tender in spite of strong opposition, and a law was passed prohibiting
any planter or merchant from exporting any produce without taking
affidavit that he had never refused to receive this scrip at its full
face value. But somehow people found that the more it was sought to keep
up the paper by dint of threats and forcing acts, the faster its value
fell. Virginia had issued bills of credit during the campaign of 1781,
but it was enacted at the same time that they should not be a legal
tender after the next January. The influence of Washington, Madison, and
Mason was effectively brought to bear in favour of sound currency, and
the people of Virginia were but slightly affected by the craze of 1786.
In the autumn of that year a proposition from two counties for an issue
of paper was defeat