Why it was important for George Washington to put down the Whiskey Rebellion?

From Washington's point of view, the use of force to
subdue the insurrection was important for a couple of reasons.  The most evident one was
to settle the threat to federal power.  Washington and Hamilton both believed the
national debt to be a problem and the "sin tax" on whiskey was seen as a good way to
ensure that some revenue could be generated.  With the Constitution just having been
ratified, the idea of the federal government being able to pass a law with the local
governments complying was tested with the Whiskey Rebellion.  The use of force to subdue
it was done in this light.  Washington understood that the infancy stages of the nation
demanded quick and unilateral action to a problem that could swell as the framework for
the new nation was itself new.  With the reality of Shays' Rebellion, and the
destruction it wrought, still fresh in Washington's mind, avoiding this end at all costs
was essential.