213. The Whiskey Insurrection, 1794.
213.威士忌叛亂(1794年)
The increasing expenses of the government made new taxes necessary.
日益增長的政府開支使得有必要增加新的稅種,
Among the new taxes was an internal revenue tax on whiskey.
在這些新稅種中有一項是對威士忌酒的財政稅,
It happened that this tax bore heavily on the farmers of western Carolina and western Pennsylvania.
碰巧這項稅給卡羅萊納西部及賓夕法尼亞州西部的農(nóng)民帶來沉重的負擔。
The farmers of those regions could not take their grain to the seaboard because the roads were bad and the distance was great.
這些地區(qū)的農(nóng)民不能將他們的谷物帶到沿海地帶,因為既沒有好的路,而且距離沿海路途遙遠。
So they made it into whiskey, which could be carried to the seaboard and sold at a profit.
因此,他們用谷物釀成威士忌酒,這些酒可以運到沿海地帶賣個好價錢。
The new tax on whiskey would make it more difficult for these western farmers to earn a living and to support their families.
這項威士忌酒稅將使得西部農(nóng)民更加難于維持生計,更加難于供養(yǎng)他們的家庭。
They refused to pay it. They fell upon the tax collectors and drove them away.
他們拒絕繳納威士忌酒稅。這些農(nóng)民攻擊收稅員并將他們趕走。
Washington sent commissioners to explain matters to them.
華盛頓派出專員去對此做出解釋,
But the farmers paid no heed to the commissioners.
但農(nóng)民們不理會這些專員。
The President then called out fifteen thousand militia-men and sent them to western Pennsylvania, under the command of Henry Lee, governor of Virginia.
因此,總統(tǒng)派弗吉尼亞州州長亨利o李為司令,帶領一支五千人的軍隊開往賓夕法尼亞州的西部。
The rebellious farmers yielded without fighting.
叛亂的農(nóng)民沒有做出反抗就屈服了,
Two of the leaders were convicted of treason.
兩個帶頭鬧事的人被宣判為謀反罪。
But Washington pardoned them, and the conflict ended there.
但華盛頓赦免了他們,沖突就此結(jié)束。
The new government had shown its strength, and had compelled people to obey the laws.
新政府已經(jīng)昭示了他的力量,并已經(jīng)迫使人們服從法律,
That in itself was a very great thing to have done.
這本身是一件大事。