Settling an old score between New York and Vermont could become a teachable moment if some Vermont history buffs get their way.
The Vermont Standard’s Kevin Forrest reports:
Back in 1790, Vermont wanted to become the 14th state to join the union.
New York held the key vote.
The Empire State voted yes, but only after a last-minute deal that forced Vermont to pony up thirty thousand dollars.
University of Vermont History Professor Frank Bryan says the more he learned about the incident, the more he saw a wrong that should be righted:
Bryan - It became more and more apparent to us that it was blackmail and that we really oughta do something to see if we couldn’t get some of that money back.
Professor Bryan and State Supreme Court Justice John Dooley will take their case to the public in two upcoming debates.
The forums are sponsored by the Center for Research on Vermont, which promotes the study of Green Mountain State History.
The amount may seem paltry now, but at the time, it was a big deal.
And Professor Bryan got some of his economics professor buddies to calculate the accumulated interest.
Bryan - It could range between one and two billion dollars. And with a state budget of a billion, if we could get a couple billion, we could take a couple of years off.
Bryan also argues that Vermont militias ? fought a lot of New York’s battles against the British.
A nice belated show of gratitude would be to return this questionable payoff.
With interest, of course.
Bryan - For us it’s a lot of money. For New York, it’s a Honda, you know. They got plenty of dough…
But don’t plan on cashing the check yet, Vermont.
Among those arguing the other side will be UVM’s Professor Emeritus Neil Stout.
Stout – The chances of New York paying up are
slim and none and Slim left town.
Stout does admit that the Green Mountain Boys did capture Fort Ticonderoga
But at the time, they were the only forces in the area.
Other than that, he says, Vermont didn’t do that much for New York.
And besides, Stout points out, the thirty grand went toward reparations for New Yorkers who held the rightful claim to land also being claimed by those rogues from New Hampshire.
Stout - There was no question that Vermont had been part of New York and that the claims of New Hampshire were one of Governor Benning Wentworth’s scams—he had plenty of them, I might add.
Professor Stout notes that Vermont did not object at the time.
The money was collected through a statewide property tax.
Stout - Vermont paid it up promptly. It came to about five dollars and half a person in Vermont and probably thought they were getting a pretty good deal. I think they were getting a pretty good deal.
During the upcoming debates, Professor Bryan and Judge Dooley plan to point to incidents in U.S. History in which reparations were used to right a past wrong.
But Professor Stout and his partner, University of Wisconsin Professor John Kaminski, will cite their own precedents.
Texas, for example, granted New Mexico its own recognition in exchange for the forgiveness of a boatload of debt.
Although the exchanges are expected to be lighthearted, don’t think for a minute these titans of Vermont's history take their roles lightly.
Professor Stout:
Stout: It will be fun. I don’t think the opposition has a leg to stand on.
The debates are scheduled to take place in Manchester Nov. 2 and Burlington Nov. 3
No matter who wins, there's no formal effort in process to get New York to pay up.
For NHPR news, this is Kevin Forrest
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