The New-England chronicle — Boston [Mass.], 1776-09-12 00:00:00, page 1

BOSTO N: Printed by POWARS and WILLIS, at their Office oppose the new Court-House, Queen-Street.
To the Inhabitants of the Massachusetts-
Lay.
Genthin,
TH E recovery of the Colony from the
wounds occasioned by the present glori
ous Struggle, and it's future flourishing
condition, should engage our earliest attention.
Nothing will be more likely to promote these
valuable ends, next to the good morals of the
People, than a proper Form of Government,
Securing and perpetuating to every man and his
posterity the full enjoyment of their rights and
privileges, civil and sacred. This will probably
induce numbers to come and incorporate them
selves with us. But as many, through Colonial
prejudices,may object to strangers fettling among
us, alloy me to point out the advantages thereof.
Were these Strangers only to reside among us
till they had acquired fortunes, and then to
remove back to their native country with them
feWes, families and substance, found policy
would dictate their exclusion. Whereas the
Grangers I mean to have admitted, are those
that, groaning under the oppreffiahs, difficul
ties and absurd Government of their own coun
try, fly to this, that they may tnjoy their natu
ral rights, with a design of continuing among
and becoming one with us, through interest and
intermarriages. Such flocking in upon the
Continent, as we may suppose will be the case
Shortly, with riches, health, arts arid feiehecs,
will soon raise it to a more flourishing condition
than it hath ever yet known : and this Colony
will act wifely in endeavouring to feeure its pro
portionof them. Their wealth will supply with
loans, those that, for wantof them, arc not now
able to make the best improvement of their lands
and eftatcs, and it is likely something under the
common interest—their numbers will help con
sume the furpiss produce arising from foch im
provement —their knowledge will assist in for
warding such improvement upon the most ad
vantageous terms—their labour and industry
will be so much gain to the publick Stocks—their
persons and fortunes will lessen the proportion
of taxes paid by the natives—and Should any of
them raerchandife, that will tend to keep down
the price of imported and to rai e the price of
exported commodities. The more merchants,
the smaller the profits upon, and the cheaper
the goods brought from abroad. When the
number if ^re^t, they cannot so easily enter in
rocomb'Rrfons to keepupthe prices. Each fells
as cheap as possible to get custom; andgivesas high
as he can afford for the materials he wants to
export. I imagine more great fortunes in pro
portion were made when the Colony had the few
eft merchants, than hath been done since. Let
Grangers, such as above mentioned, be cordially
received and encouraged ; and waste lands will
be cultivated, cultivated rife considerably in
value, foreign trade be greatly increased, farm
ing in all its branches be increased proportion
abiy, and the Strength of the State be soon
doubled. Every traveller is amazed at the ra
pid progref sthat has been made in fettling of
Penfylvania. To what has i, ben owing? Not
so much to the excellency of its foil, as to the
encouragement that has been given by theState
for all ftrange:s and of every denomination to
fettle among them. As the friend of Liberty,
1 must wifli each Colony the poffeflion of it, in
the highest degree attainable. As the friend of
this Colony. I would willingly contribute to its
uniting in its own particular Form of Govern
ment all the excellencies of the others, while it
avoids their defc&s.
The former Letter turned chiefly upon the
necessity of having the Legislature consist ofmore
than one Branch. I Shall nowproceed to men
tion that the Members of each Should be iade-
THE
NEW-ENGLAND CHRONICLE.
For the NEW-ENGLAND CHRONICLE.
LETTER 11.
(Vol. IX.)
THURSDAY, September 12, 1776.
pendent, neither place-men nor pensioners, or
what is equivalent. The South Carolinians
have refolded (article the 10th) " That if any
Member of the Genera! Assembly or of the le
gislative Council, Shall accept any place of cme
lument, or any commission (except in the Militia)
he Shall vacate his feat, and there Shall thereup
on be a new election, but he Shall, not be dif
qualified from serving, upon being re-elected."
In allowing him to be rc-chofen, they have vir
tually destroyed the advantage aimed at by the
firft part of the Resolve. How few of the British
Commoners, but what are re-chosen, .immedi
ately after having vacated their feats by accept
ing places ? That the like should not exist among
us, the sure way is, to make the person ineligi
ble ; or, if that Should be thought an infringe
ment upon the rights of the Electors, to oblige
him to resign his place of emolument, or his
commission, Should he prefer being in^he Coun
cil or Assembly. The Jerseys have made it one
of their chartered rights (the.2oth) " That the
legislative Department of this Colony, may, as
much as possible, be preferred from all suspicion
of corruption, none ofthe judges of the Supreme
or other courts, Sheriffs, or any other person
or persons possessed of any post of profit under
the Government, , other than Justices of the
Peace, Shall be entitled to a feat in Afllmb'y ;
but that, on his being ele&ed and taking his feat,
his office or post Shall be considered as vacant."
To have perfected the article, >be Council also
Should have been inserted, and the paragraph
have run to a feat in Council or ^fonbl'y. The
Virginians have done the bufinTs completely,
by ordaining and declaring, in the begin
ning of their Form of Government, as fol
loweth, " The legislative, executive find judici
ary Departments, Shall be Separate and diftinQ,
so that neither execute the powers properly be
longing to the other ; nor Shall any perlon exer
cise the powers of more than one of them at
the. fame time, except that the Justices of the
county courts Shall be eligible to either House
of Assembly.” This appears to me a most im
portant regulation ; bntclafhes f@ with contrary
cases among durfelvcs, that I am fearful whe
ther it will be adopted. Under royal Gover
nours a clamour was once raised against having
certain characters in the Council, and all such
were gradually left out. If the like are Suffered
under a new modelled Government, it will be
thought that the clamour was needless, and
only the offspring of party to serve a purpose.
Let us be confident, and not referable the
kn avifh Whigs of KiagGeorge the firft's time,
who by a septennial a& prolonged the parlia
ment four years beyond its natural life, which
ought to have expired at the end of three,
thereby Subverted the constitution—and as an
author fays, ' Went farther in impoverishing
and enslaving their fellow fubje&s, than all their
predecessors from the reftorrition.' I humbly
apprehend, that sooner or later we must fol
low, in the main, the example of the Virgini
ans, or rue the consequence. The deviations
that may now exist @ur infantile State, with
out much danger to the present generatibn,will,
if continued, prove extremely prejudicial when
we have attained to maturity, and are become a
rich People. Andlet it ever be remembered, that
it is easier to preventerrors getting into the Con
stitution, than to eradicate them after a long in
dulgence. But would we void the errors al
luded to, and set afidc the arguments used in
support ofthem, we Should pay the persons fill
ingthejudicialand executive Departments rather
generously, than otherwise. Pay well, and Suit
able men will befound that will be content with
Single places, and apply themselves to the pro
per difeharge of the duties thereof. Be nig
gardly, so that your Servants cannot live in cha
racter, and they will either Seek more Services
than they can difeharge, or will by Secret ways
and means supply deficiencies, or will do your
work in a bungling, Slovenly manner, and occa
sion more damage to the publick, than the diffe
rence saved by an injudicious parsimony can
repair. 'Tis beneath the dignity of a State, to
lay its servants under a temptation, either to ne
gleCt the publick that so they may attend to
their own private business, or to commit frauds,
or to receive bribes in the way of presents, that
'they and families may be decently supported,
ahfwerable to their rank. It argues a mean and
contracted foul to attempt it. When your re
wards are fully proportioned to the services ex
pected, fee that you are well Served, put up with
no negle&s, be careful how you admit of cus
toms and perquisites, and puniSh criminals with
exemplary Severity. ,
I have above expressed my desire that the ju
diciary, executive and legislative Departments
might be preserved separate and diftinft. The
governmental Powers being thus divided, the
People are the better Secured in the poffeffiora
oftheir liberties. Each Department hath enough
to employ it, and by confining itfelf to its owm
particular business will perform it with the great
er dispatch and advantage, to the ne final!
emolument of the State ; and being thus fepar
rated, the Guardians of the Public are increas
ed, and dangerous encroachments upon the
Constitution become the less probable. But that
the proposed Pl^n may take place, Jefides ex
cluding the Judges from each Branch of the
Legislature, the Council Should be solely legis
lative, and the executive Power be entrusted
with other individuals. Let then the legislative
Councilcoafift of thirty, as mentioned in the for
mer Letter, upon the supposition of a rotation ;
and, instead of a Governour, let there be &
Council of State, confining of a given number,
with President and vic«-Prefident, who Shall oc
cupy the 'legislative Department. I was for
merly attached to the name of Governour, buc
considering how apt persons, wcaringthatname &
are to imagine, that they have an innate right:
to govern diftin& from what has been commu
nicated, I prefer the word PreJident, as Iris lia
ble to make the Creature vain and domineering.
The Carolinians having constituted the Presi
dent a Branch of the Legislature, appoint that:
the vice-President of the Colony Should be a
Member and President of a Privy Council,which
consists of fix other Members chosen by ballot,
three by the General Assembly, and three by
the legislative Council ; but they provide, that
no Officer of the Army or Navy, in the Service
of the Continent, or of the Colony, Shall be eli
gible. A Member of the General Assembly or
legislative Council dofs not lose his feat by be
ing chosen of the Privy Council, ualefs ele^ed
vice-President ofthe Colony. The Privy Coun
cil is to advise the President and Commander in
chief when required ; but he is not boxnd to
consult them in all cases. New-Jersey hath
vested the Government of that Province in a
Governour, legislative Council and General-As
sembly ; and any three or more of the Coun
cil, are, at all times, a Privy Council. Virgi
nia chooses a Governour or chief Magistrate
annually, who with the advice of a Council of
State exercifesthe executive Powers of Govern- ~
merit according to the laws of the Common-
Wealth, and is not, under any pretence, to
exercise any power or prerogative by virtue of
any law, statute or cuftoni of England. The
Privy Council, or Council of State, consists of
eight Members, chosen by joint ballot of both
Houses of Assembly, either from their owr
Members or the People at large ; their advice
and proceedings are to be entered of record
and Signed by the Members present (to any
part whereof any Member may enter his dis
sent) to be laid before the General Assembly
when called for by them. The Members of this
Council are incapable, duringtheir continuance
in office, of fitting in either House of Aflem
bly.— Two of them are to be removed by joint
(Numb. 411.)