Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-11-26 00:00:00, page 1

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Philadelphia, October 29, 1776.
THE Publishers of the several weekly NEWS
PAPERS in this, city, are under the difagree
abe necessity of informing their Sublcribers, that the
extraordinary advance in the price of paper, and other
materials in the printing business, has obliged them to
raise the price to FIFiEEN SHILLINGS
per annum; and they hope their Customers will not
take it amiss to find that price charged from and after
the firft day of January next.—Those who should not
incline to have the papers lent after that time, are de
sired to call and discharge their arrears; such as do
not, we shall conclude they agree to the advanced
price, and shall continue to fend them accordingly.—
Persons fubferibing for the papers after this date to be
charged Fifteen Shillings per annum, and to pay
7'3 entrance. HALL and SELLERS.
W. and T. BRADFORD.
TAMES HUMPHREYS.
JOHN DUNLAP.
s,Qfr,s{>t4W^+s'H^^^+^^
TO BE SO L D,
And entered on immediately,
AT RACT ^f very good LAND, containing fix
hundred acres, situate in Baltimore County, Mary
land, sixteen miles from Baltimore Town, on the main
road leading to Frederick Town. There are about one
hundred and fifty acres of the land cleared and under
good fence, in the possession of Mr. Alexander M'Cray,
who (his term being expired) is desirous of taking a
new lease for years. The situation is healthy and the
lands remarkably well wooded, and watered with a num
ber of never-failing springs, forming two runs which
pass different ways through the tra&, and on which may
be made a great quantity of fine meadow. For a view
of the lands apply to said M'Cray, and for terms to the
fubferiber, near Baltimore. The title is indisputable,
and clear of all incumbrances. About fifty acres of fail
crop now in the ground will be fold with the lands.
§ WILLIAM BUCHANAN.
WAS taken up some time since, a Ship's
YAWL, pretty large, with a white bottom,
and a place for a fwivei in her bow. The owner proving
his property and paying charges may have her again, by
applying to JOHN HORMAN, at Kentington. ||
Middletown TownJbip, Cumberland County, Nov 4.
ON MONDAY the 2d day of December
next, will be fold at public vendue, by the sub
scribers, executors of the last will and testament of Ro
bert Callender, of the tewnlhip aforefaid, deceased,
upon the premises—All that valuable plantation and
tra& of about 1200 acres of excellent lime-stone land,
lately adverti fed to be fold at private sale, situate in East
Pennfborough township, in the county aforefaid, about
ten miles eastward of the town of Carlifle, on the great
road leading from Harris's Ferry to the laid town, where
on are ere&ed and built one excellent merchant mill, and
saw mill adjacent, both in very good repair, and nowin
the tenure of Mr. Francis Silver, at one hundred and
forty pounds per annum, on a never failing stream of
water known by the name of Silver's Spring, the head
of which is not one mile distant from the said mills, and
abounds with the fineft of fruit, is in a plentiful country
for wheat and all kinds of grain : The mill- house is built
of lime-stone, two stories high, and has in it two pair of
stones, two boulting-cloths, and hoisting works, the
whole of which go by water. Together with anew two
story stone dwelling-house and large stone barn, now,
with part of the land, in the tenure of Mr. John M'Cur
dy, who keeps a public house of entertainment, for
which business it is most advantageously situated. Al(o
one oilier very large two story stone dwelling-house and
frame barn, with other stables and out-houses, which is,
with another part of the said land, in the tenure of ano
ther perfcn. This tra& may be conveniently divided
into three plantations, each getting a fu fficiency of water
and timber, and ground to turn into meadow, and is by
thole who know it deemed as valuable an estate, accord
ing to the quantity of land, as is now to be fold on the
Continent, and will be fold either together or in separate
tra&s. A clear and indisputable title will be given for
the fame, and credit for part of the purchase-money, on
paying interest for the fame if required, by
FRANCES CALLENDER, Executrix.
WILLIAM NEAL,
WILLIAM IRVINE, (Executors.
MATTHIAS SLOUGH, J
N. B. Any person or perlons inclining to view the said
land before the day of sale, will be shewn the boundaries
by applying to Mr. Francis Silver on the premises. f
Michael O'LEARY, who came
into Baltimore last summer, is requeued tn let
Thomas Bennet, at Philadelphia, know where he is
as loon as possible.
VO L. VI.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26th, 1776.
D U N L A P's
The CONSIDERATE FREEMAN. No.III.
To the PEOPL E.
HAVING pointed out the ruinous tendency of
the measures at present purluing, I come to the
objections raised against the plan of government esta
blished by the Convention. Here I would beseech eve
ry man to divest himfelf of prejudice and passion, and
calmly to refled, that it is the general cause, and there
fore his own, which I am pleading.
All men in office, at least with very few exceptions,
are fond of power. And tyranny is a wanton use of
that power to the injury of the people, for whose good
alone it was delegated; but which rulers employ to
promote their own private interest, however oppressive
it may be to these who have entrusted them with it.
The wisdom and goodness of a constitution confifls
in delegating this power in such a manner, that the per
sons entrusted therewith shall find no advantage in the
undue exercise or abuse of it. For however prone to
mifehief and wickedness mankind may be, there are
few who do mifehief for mifehief's fake. When any
public officer trangreffes the bounds of his duty, it is
ever with a view to the advantages he expects to reap
by the transgression. If then he can make no advan
tage by an abuse of his power, or if he has little or
no expectation of escaping with impunity when he does
abuse it, the people have the best security in the world
against mal-adminiftration. This principle is so plain
and certain that the merits of every government ought
to be tried by it ; and they are to be pronounced good
or bad, according as they approach to, or verge from,
this criterion. It is not the number of parts in the
government, but the manner of their conftitu ion, which
denominates it good or bad. By this principle let us
try our new frame of government, and if it can stand a
fair and close examination, I will not hesitate to pro
nounce it good, however others may differ from me in
opinion; if it is not able to bear tip's examination, I
will pronounce it defective in those instances, let who
will gainsay me.
To begin with the legislative part of the plan, which
is or ought to be the highest authority in every State,
and the dernier resort of the people against all kinds of
oppression. I would observe, that it consists of a body
of men, chosen in every part of the State by the free
voice of the people for whom they are to legislate, and %
proportioned on the true principles of representation, so
that every man has a voice in delegating the man who
is to give away his money, or make the laws by which
he is to be bound, and no one man has a greater voice
than another. And being chosen in all parts of the
State, they will be acquainted with the interests of all,
and having their own interest in common with theirs,
it must be their concern to make good laws, unless they
can obtain peculiar advantages to themselves by bad
ones. This they cannot obtain. For having no fbare
in the execution of the laws, the moment the law is
made they are as much under its influence and opera
tion as any of their constituents can be ; and can reap
no other or greater advantages from it than they.*
If they ever make a bad law therefore it must be thro'
ignorance, and the moment they feel its improper one
ration, they will be as anxious as any of their consti
tuents to have it repealed, and being wholly in their
power they will repeal it. A negative might prevent
a repeal as has often been the case; but there is no
such let in the way. Here then is the utmost security
for the making of good laws. And good laws, well
executed, being the happiness of society, they who are
so deeply interested in making good laws will be
equally io in the due execution of them. They will
therefore ever be honest upright guardians of the people,
and will take care that the executive officers do their
duty faithfully, and call them to an account when they
do otherwise.
This is fufficient to shew that the legislative part of
the constitution is well constituted, and so far from hav
ing reason to dread its authority, the people may ever
with fafety confide in it.
If to this we add that three Legislators are annually
* in a late Packet Jome Gentleman re publfhedtbe
sentiments of an Eastern Delegate again# a fing/e legis
lature, but any ore who will compare them 'with the
constitution of our legislature will find, that they can as
justly be applied to account for thephenomenon of Saturn's
Rins as to , u r ffembly.
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THE
ADVERTISER.
elective, and so can be removed as often as their con
stituents discover that they are not equal to the talk of
legislation; and that, after they have Served four years,
iftheir constituents think them worthy of such long
continuance, they must give place to a new sett, and in
the mean time mix with the mass of the people, and
feel at their leisure the effeds of the laws which they
have made. This will be a frefhinducement to keep
them right ; and they will ever after be a check upon
those who succeed them, being acquainted with the
business, and of course able to dete& and expose every
improper st e p which they take. Hom can men Jo cir
cumflanced wilfully err ? These are fufficient to keep
any legislature right. But suppose these iofufficier%
there are still further securities. The doors ofthe
House of Assembly are to be open, the votes published
weekly, and the printing presses free to expose every
deviation. These will forever secure the rights ard
privileges of the people. But if something is still a
wanting, you have that which will yield more fafety
than any thing besides. You have 'the perusal, and
consequent approbation of every law before it binds
you ; so that you must consent to be slaves before you
can be made such. By this means the whole State be
comes its own council, and every freeman in it is a
counsellor, and the negative lies in the whole body
politic, and not in a few grandees. A council as much
to be preferred to the legislative council of these gen
tlemen, as the wisdom and virtue of the whole State is
to be preferred to that of twenty or thirty of our gen^
try. If this council should become ambitions and ty
rannical, it must exercise its projects on itfeif; but an
upper house, house of lords, or legislative council, con
futing of a small number o' grandees, can at any time
gratify their ambition and third for power at the ex
pence of the people. I challenge the universe to (hew
me any other checks to the encroachments and abuses of
power equal to these. lam sure those who are so violent
against the new form have hitherto proposed none
such. But pardon me, it is not more or better checks
they aim at; for they have prepared inftru&icms to get
some of the best removed cut of the way. Tl^y
don't want their condud to be too nicely enquired into.
I here is one other security, which the rrefent cor
rupt state cf government throughout the world Toews
to be necessary, provided in your frame of government.
Every seventh year, you are to elect a few honest men
to inlped into the state of your laws, to examine the
accounts of your public officers, fee whether they have
done their duty faithfully ; whether they have applied
your money to the purposes for which you granted it,
and whether theyhave pocketed any of it or not. This
is what these gentlemen seem to dread, as the devils do
the day of final retribution. Fer in a paper addressed to
the inhabitants of the city and liberties, signed Samuel
Howell, it is Riled the political inquisition. An inqui
sition, which honest men can never dread ; but ^ hi c h
villains ought always to tremble at the thought of. Hn
inquisition as necessary to keep your rulers from em
bezzling your money, or employing it to corrupt your
virtue, and undermine your liberties, as an Assembly is
to make your laws.. What wouldnot th® virtuous part
of the people of Britain give for such a council? How
many millions would it annually save to the nation,
which are mow squandered away upon placemen, pen
boners, contra&ors, and the venal herd of government
emissaries ? But men, who love power, hate to have
their condu& enquired into; how they can address you
to have such a barrier against the encroachments of power
removed out ofthe way, or appeal to heaven for the puri
ty of their intentions, in the fame breath in which they
condemn the Council ofCenfors, he best ran tell who fees
the inmost recesses of the heart, and reads the thoughts,
and who will certainly call those to account here
after who abuse the talents he has bellowed upon them.
N. B. They must be earnestly bent on power, who
will not wait for one seven years, and who will fe:
their names to papers, wherein the hi,eft censure 15
passed upon the best security of the people—while a
Council of Cenlors is preserved, as directed in the last
feftion ofthe plan of government, it will be impossible
for these in power to abuse their trust or embezzle
your money ; but alas! this is 2 dangerous innovation
in government, and gentlemen won't have i~. !he
Council of Censors must by all means he destroyed,
that gentlemen may have full room to govern you as
shall best suit then indefinite wisdoms and honours.
NUMB. 266.