Provisions Quotes
In the early colony of Liberia each man was supposed to work 2 days a week for the community in exchange for public stores. Ashmun was the agent of the colonial society that provided funds to get the colony started, but he became a political issue. While many of the whites of the Colonial Society were abolitionists, many others were not and just wanted to get rid of free Blacks. Ashman however was an outspoken foe of the slave trade and the latter group, in retaliation for his public attacks on the slave trade, withdrew their ‘confidence” in him and refused to honor his bank drafts or even to provide funds for his subsistence and remuneration. The colony was thus in chaos, and a number of men went on a work strike in protest of the political fight in the society affecting them. To prevent complete chaos and maintain some unity and discipline in the colony, Ashmun issued this order. Things calmed down in the colony but the society continues its politicking with different views on slavery the cause of the strife.
This is exactly what happened in Scotland, and accounts for the large number of Scottish emigrants who populated many countries of the world.
He later provided a copy to Hezekiah Niles, February 5, 1819 which is the source of the quotation since Henry never mentioned it.
At the time, the Chamber of Commerce represented the small and medium business which were being decimated by the large businesses and their monopolies. A century later, the Chamber became a creature of the large business and their money and by 2010, the Chamber had virtually become the representative of the large businesses outside of the high technology field and had become a campaigning arm of the Republican Party, In 1880 however, they called public attention to the abuses of the large corporate monopolies.
Gates had been assigned to take over command of the Southern Department which was a total mess with no provisions or money. He took over from General Lincoln {49731} who had failed for lack of resources and support and then Gates’s career was almost destroyed by the same problem.
