rticulate class
consisting largely of the governing and commercial elements--would
probably have accepted such a usurpation of authority. But with their
lack of experience it is not surprising that the delegates to Congress
did not appreciate the necessity of such radical action and so were
unwilling to take the responsibility for it. They counted upon the
goodwill and support of their constituents, which simmered down to a
reliance upon voluntary grants from the States in response to appeals
from Congress. These desultory grants proved to be so unsatisfactory
that, in 1781, even before the Articles of Confederation had been
ratified, Congress asked for a grant of additional power to levy a duty
of five per cent ad valorem upon all goods imported into the United
States, the revenue from which was to be applied to the discharge of
the principal and interest on debts "contracted... for supporting
the present war." Twelve States agreed, but Rhode Island, after some
hesitation, finally rejected the measure in November, 1782.

The Articles of Confederation authorized a system of requisitions
apportioned among the "several States in proportion to the value of all
land within each State." But, as there was no power vested in Congress
to force the States to comply, the situation was in no way improved when
the Articles were ratified and put into operation. In fact, matters grew
worse as Congress itself steadily lost ground in popular estimation,
until it had become little better than a laughing-stock, and with the
ending of the war its requests were more honored in the breach than in
the observance. In 1782 Congress asked for $8,000,000 and the following
year for $2,000,000 more, but by the end of 1783 less than $1,500,000
had been paid in.

In the same year, 1783, Congress made another attempt to remedy the
financial situation by proposing the so-called Revenue Amendment,
according to which a specific duty was to be laid upon certain articles
and a general duty of five per cent ad valorem upon all other goods,
to be in operation for twenty-five years. In addition to this it was
proposed that for the same period of time $1,500,000 annually should
be raised by requisitions, and the definite amount for each State was
specified until "the rule of the Confederation" could be carried into
practice: It was then proposed that the article providing for the
proportion of requisitions should be changed so as to be based not upon
land v