The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-05-19 00:00:00, page 1

C We take this opportunity full cl, to return our thanks
to 40 honorable member of the Continental Congress, who
ha, be^n plsef d to favour as with the American Crfs, No.
3, and with plea/m cramunicate it to our nadirs.
The American CRISIS,. [N>. 111 ]
By the Author of COMMON SENSE.
IN the program of politics as in the common oc
urrances of lift, Ws are eat only apt t forget
the gr and we have travelled over, but f iqaant-
Iy angled to gather up experience is we go We
expend, iff may Io fay, the knowledge fever, day
an the ci cernftaaces that produce it, tad juney 0#
infaarch of new matter and new refinement# : But as
it is plflfant, aad f> etime# ufefal, to look back,
even on the fi ft periods of infancy , and trace the turn#
and wiadingi through which we have paffe-L fr we
may likewise derive may advantages by halting a
while in our political career, and taking a review of
the wondrous complicated labyrinth of little mere
than yeferday.
. Truly, may we sty, hit never did man grow old
in fe ihort a rime ! Ws have crowd'd the bu&nsfsof
an age into the compass of a few moaths, and have been
driven through such a rapid fecceffion of things, that,
for the want ofleifure to think, we unavoidably waft
ed knowledge as we came, and have left nearly as
much behind m as we b ought with us : But the road
is yet rich with the fragment#, and, before we fully
lose tight of them, will repay us far the trouble of
Stopping to pick tu.ra up.
Were a man to be totally deprived of memory, he
Weald be incapable of firming any just opinion ; eve
ry thing about him would seem a chaos; he would
have even his own history to elk from nvery one ; and
by not knowing how the world went on in hi# ab
sence, he would he at a left to know how it ought to
go on when he recovered, or rather, returned to it a
gain. In like manner, though in a less degree, a too
great inattention to pa# occurrences retards and be
wilder, eurjudgment in every thing ; while, on the
contrary, by cjmptriag whet is present, we frequent
ly hit on the true dura&er of both, aad become wife
with very little trouble. It io kisd of countermarch,
by whifh we get int^ the rear of Time, and mark
the movements and meaning of things as we make our
return. There are certain circuraftance#, which, at
the time of their happening, are ki*d f riddles, and
as every riddle is to be followed by its answer, f> those
kind of circumstances will be followed by thsir events,
and those events are alwys th# true folurien. A con
fiderabis fp&ce of rime may apfs between, and uaefs
we continue oar observations from the one to the o
ther, the hafmony efth'em will pass away unnoticed :
Bat the miifjrtune is, that partly from the preffirg
necessity of foaie iaftant things, and partly from the
impatience of ear own tempers, we are f qiratly in
fuck a hurry to make out the meaning of ^v^y thing
ns fift as it happens, that wh thereby sever truly un
derftaad it; & not only start new difficahis? to ourselves
by fa doing, but, as it were, embarrass Providence
in her good dafigns.
I have been civil in slating this fault on a large
scale, fur, as it now fiends, it does not appear to be
levelled against any particular fat of men ; but were
it to be refined a little farther, it might afterward? be
applied to the Tories with a degree f ftrikiag proprie
ty : Those men have been remarkable f>r drawing
sudden Ciaclufcas from Angle fads. The lead ap
parent mishap on our fide, or the least seeming advan
tage oa th# part of the enemy, have determined with
them the fits of a whole campaign. By this hefty
judgment they have converted a retreat into a defeat ;
mistook ge&erallhip for error ; while every little ad
vantage purpoftly given the enemy, either to weaker
Iheir freugth by dividing it, embarraf# their councils
b, multiplying their objsas, or to secure a greater pest
by the ferrender of a left, has been inffantly magnifi
ed into a canpeft. Thus, by quartering ill policy
upon ill principles, th&y have frequently promoted the
©tufa they designed to irjare, find injured that which
Shew intended te promote.
'lt is probable the campaign may open before this
Number comes from theprefu The enemy have long
lain idle and amused themselves with carrying onthe
war by pr^Umtiw only. While they continue
MONDAY, May 19, 1,77:
CONNECTICUT
AND
W E E KLY
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
Printed and Published by EBENEZER WAERON, near the GREAT BRIDGE.
.their delay our strength encreifee, and were they tn
move to aaion now, it is a circumstantial proof the,
have no reinforcement coming; wherefore in ci her
case, the comparative advantage will be ours. Like
a wounded disabled whale they want only time and
ream to die in ; and though in the agony of their ex
it, it may be unfafe to live within the flapping of their
tail, yet every hour Shortens their date and leffeas
their pewer of mifehief. If any thing happens while
this Number is in the press, it will afford me a fabjia
far the left pages of it. At present I am tired of
waiting ; and as neither the enemy, nor the ft^te es
politics, have jet produced any thing rew, I am
thereby left in the field of general matter undircaad
b, any Striking or particular objed. This crifii, there
fore, will be made up rather of variety than novelty, &
cenfift more cf things ufsful than things wonderful.
The faccefs of the cause, the unien of the people,
and the means of fupperting and securing both, are
points which cannot be too muth attended to. He.
who doubts of 'che former is a defpending coward,
and he who wilfully disturbs the latter is a traitor.
Their ch^rjaers are easily fat, and under thafe Abort
dsfcripiiom I leave them for the prefect.
Ose of & he greatest degree, of fewtimental union
which America ever knew, was in denying the right
of th# Britilh parliament " to bind the colonies in all
cases whatever." The declaration is in its farm an
almighty one, and is the loftieft -Stretch of arbitrary
power that ever one fit of men, or one country claim
edover another. Taxation w„ nothing more thru
the putting the declared right into praaice; and this
failing, recourse was had to arms, a# a means to efta
blilh both the right and the practice, or to answer a
worse purpose which will be mentioned in the course
of this number. And in order to repay themfeives
the expence of an army, and to prefi by their own in.
justice, the Colonie# were, by another law, declared
to be in a slate es @aual rebellion, and of corf quence
all property therein would fill to the conqueror#.
The Colonies, on their part, first, denied the
right; secondly, they fulpended the use of taxable
articles, and petitioned egainft the practice of taxati
on : and these failing, they, thirdly, defended
their property by force, as soon as it was forcibly in
vaded, and in answer to the declaration es rebellion
and non proteaion, published their declaration of In
dependence and right to felf proteaion.
Thsft, in a few words, are the different flag?# of
the quarrel; and the parts are fointimately and neesf
farily coßneded with each other as to admit of n,, far
peratioa. A person, to sfeatri e phrase, ^uft be a
Whig or a Tory in the lump. His f^lirgt, as a man.
raay be wounded ; his charity, as a Chrifiian, may
be moved; but hi; political principles mu* go thru'
all t^e cel's on one fide or the other. He cannot be
a W\ig in this ftege, and a Tory in that, If he fays
he is against the United Independence of the Conti
nent, he is to alintents and parpofes agaieft her in aft
the rest ; because this last comprehends the whole.
And he may just a# well fay, that Britain was right in
declaring us rebels ; right in taxing us; and right in
declaring her " right to bind the colonies in allcafn ivbat
foßtr." It figaifit nothing what neutral ground, <f
his own creating, he may &ilk upen for ffieher, for
ths quarrel in no "#g< es it bath afforded any futh
ground ; and either we or Britain are abfolntely right
er abfalutely wrong through the whole.
Britain, like a gameft^r nearly ruined, hath now
put all her losses into one bet, and is playing a def
perate game fir the total. If Ihe win it, ihe wins from
tat my life ; ffie wins the Continent as the forfeited
property of rebels; the right of taxing those that are
left as reduced fufy&a ; and the power of binding
them as slaves a And th# single die which determines
this unparalleled event is, Whether we support our
Independence or she overturn it. This is coming to
the point at once. Here is the touch flame to try mere
by. He tbzt is not afoporter of the hdtptndset Stated of
Atesrica, in the fame degree that his religious and political
principles would foffir him to fffiort the government of an,
other conntr, of which he called bimfilf afulj«a, is, in
the American fafe of she word, A lORY; e^d the infant
that be endeavors to bring his foryifm into praaice, be be
comes A TRAITOR. The fir# can only be deeded
by a general left, end the lew he h eheedy pfeti&a
fcr the latter.
tHE
O' P^^^^l W
#'^%WW
^U^BE^c.ri
COURANT,
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCER.
Both FOREIGN und DOMESTIC.
It is unnatural and impoli ic to admit men wh^
wan'd refit up cur Independence to have any fh*<e in
our legifisti n, either as ele&ors er repre -ratatives ;
because the fapport es eur Independence rests in & great
sacafure en th&.vigour and purity of eur pub i; bo
dies. Would Britain, evea im time of peace, much
leG in war, fiff^r an e^aitu to be carrf c iy merc
who pnfTfid themselves not to b^ he r fttj*aaser
allow such to fit in parliament ? C rtainl, >ol
But there arc a certain fpeci#s of Tories with whom
cbsfcieaceoi principle hath Rothimg e do, and who
are so from avarice only. Scme<f ^a firft fixtures in
the Continent, era the part of rhe Whigs, are faked
on theiff&e of car prefect measures. A^d lhall difaf
fe&ion only be regarded with ficurity ? Can any thiag
be a greater inducement to a miserly man, than the
h®pe of making his mamaoß fife ? Aid though tho
fchrao be fraught with every charter el frily, Jet,
so long as he foppofes, that by doing nr hiag mate
rially criminal agaiaft Ameris* on one part, and t,
dxpieffirg his private difispprobition against Indepen
dence, asa palliative with the ^nsm, an the other
part, he flands thereby in a ^f- line between both,
while, I fay, this ground be fifcred to rimair, craft
arid the spirit of avarice will pein! it out; and men
will not be wanting to £ 1 up this mofi contemptible of
all characters.
These men, affiarcid to own the sordid cause from
whence their difafiaion fpringe, add thereby mean
ness to meanness, by endeavoring to Shelter min
felves under the m&ft es hypo^fy ; that i#, they had
rather be thought to be Tories frem feme hind of princi
ple, than Tories by having no principle at all. hut till
such time as they can ihow f me reel reefer.; natural,
political or confei^ntions, oa which their obj aions to
Independence are founded, we are not obliged to give
them credit far teingTorm es the fiift ftasop, but muff
fat them down ar Tories of the last.
In the Second Number of the Crifts I endeavored to
ffiow the impoffibitity ei the,enemy making any com
queftef America; that nothing was waning on one
part bn patience and pe?fev&tance,g and that, with
these virtues, cur fuccefi, as far as human {peculation
could discern, seemed as certain as fate. Betas there
are maty among at, who, influenced by others, have
reguladygone back from ths principles they onto
held, in proportion as we have gave forward ; and as
it is ths unfortunate lot cf man* a good man to jh^
within the neighbor hood cf dis ff &d cues ; I ffiall
therefore, for the fke of confirming the cne a^d re
covering the ether, endeavor, in the space of a pages
or two, to go over feme of the larding ;rhciples in
fappert of Independence. It is a rauch phafsr.tei aft
to prevent vice than to puaiffi it; and however our
tampers may be gratified by rtfcßtment, er cur na
tional expences eased by forfeited effaces, harman,
and friendship is nevertheless ike happiest condition a
couutr) can be bhft with
The principal arguments in fuppert of Is dependence
may bs comprehended order the four following heads,
Firft,— The natural right es the Continent to In
dependence.
Secondly,--.Her ip tvrest in being independent.
Thirdly,..-The necessity *==-And
Fourthly, —The moral advaa tegesirifing then f cm,
I The natural right of the Cuniiavnt to In.,
dependence, is a point which never yet was called in
qieftion. L will not even admit of a debate. To
deny such a right, would be a kiad ofatkeifm agrinft
matte e: A#d the brft answer to such an obj^aian
wou'd bi, " 'lbe feel hath said iu bis heart, Shire is no
God."
11. TMe Interest of the Continent in bring id
dependent is h point as clearly right as the former.
America, by her own internal indufiry, and unknown
go all the powers of Europe, wet at the beginning cf
the difpete, arrived at a pitch of greatness, trade
and population, beyond which it was the interest cf
Britain not to frff^r herto pass, left ffi< fhoeld grow
too powerful to be kept fubdidinate. She began te
view this country with the fame unvafy malicious eye,
with which & covetous guardian would visw his ward
whose eftata ha lad b#en enriching himftlf by far
twenty years, axd fawhira just arriving at manhood.
And America ewes no more te Britain for her prefect
maturity, than h~ ward would to his guardian for
beieg twenty eae ^t^rof 8g& Trimt America hath