from
History of Providence County, Rhode Island
Edited by Richard M. Bayles.
In two volumes, illustrated. Vol. I.
New York: W. W. Preston & Co., 1891.
pp. 171 - 191. (part 5)
"Meetings were held from time to time, by the Sons of Liberty as well as by
the town, to consider means for more effectually carrying out the popular
sentiment against importing goods upon which the obnoxious duty was
laid. In October, 1769, a town meeting was held to consider action in
regard to an expected arrival of forbidden goods. It would appear that
several merchants of the town, notwithstanding they had subscribed to the
non-importation agreement were now expecting such goods by a vessel soon to
arrive from England. What arguments or means of persuasion were used we
are not told, but these merchants, it is said, cheerfully agreed to deliver
up to a committee of three men appointed by the town meeting, all the
expected dutiable goods, for those men to hold in safe keeping until the
duty tax should be removed.
Seeing the determined opposition of the colonists to the duty on imports,
Parliament repealed the obnoxious acts in part. This encouraged those
whose greed of personal gain was greater than their patriotism to engage in
the importation and traffic in all the goods which had been under the ban
of refusal. By the popular prejudice against these importations such
articles had become somewhat scarce, and among those whose respect for the
principles at stake was small there was a demand, to supply which was a
tempting bait to the cupidity of mercenary dealers. So the charges of
breaking the non-importation agreements were frequently made against the
merchants of this and other cities of the colonies. The promulgation,
discussion and investigation of these charges kept the patriotic spirit
alive with frequent agitations. The non-importation agreements were
revised to meet the conditions of the new modification of the act of
parliament. Thus matters continued for several years."
continued in part 6.