ng of distrust was strongest among the farmers from the
mountain districts. As Rufus King said, they objected, not so much to
the Constitution as to the men who made it and the men who sang its
praises. They hated lawyers, and were jealous of wealthy merchants.
"These lawyers," said Amos Singletary, "and men of learning, and moneyed
men that talk so finely and gloss over matters so smoothly, to make us
poor illiterate people swallow the pill, expect to get into Congress
themselves. They mean to be managers of the Constitution. They mean to
get all the money into their hands, and then they will swallow up us
little folk, like the great Leviathan, Mr. President; yes, just as the
whale swallowed up Jonah." Here a more liberal-minded farmer, Jonathan
Smith of Lanesborough, rose to reply with references to the Shays
rebellion, which presently called forth cries of "Order!" from some of
the members. Samuel Adams said the gentleman was quite in order,--let
him go on in his own way. "I am a plain man," said Mr. Smith, "and am
not used to speak in public, but I am going to show the effects of
anarchy, that you may see why I wish for good government. Last winter
people took up arms, and then, if you went to speak to them, you had the
musket of death presented to your breast. They would rob you of your
property, threaten to burn your houses, oblige you to be on your guard
night and day. Alarms spread from town to town, families were broken up;
the tender mother would cry, 'Oh, my son is among them! What shall I do
for my child?' Some were taken captive; children taken out of their
schools and carried away.... How dreadful was this! Our distress was so
great that we should have been glad to snatch at anything that looked
like a government.... Now, Mr. President, when I saw this Constitution,
I found that it was a cure for these disorders. I got a copy of it, and
read it over and over.... I did not go to any lawyer, to ask his
opinion; we have no lawyer in our town, and we do well enough without.
My honourable old daddy there [pointing to Mr. Singletary] won't think
that I expect to be a Congressman, and swallow up the liberties of the
people. I never had any post, nor do I want one. But I don't think the
worse of the Constitution because lawyers, and men of learning, and
moneyed men are fond of it. I am not of such a jealous make. They that
are honest men themselves are not apt to suspect other people....
Brother farmers, let us supp