The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1777-06-02 00:00:00, page 1

The American CRISIS, [No. Ill)
Continued from our lafl).
INDEPENDENCE w& * ^odrine scarce and rare
tru iowaNi tae conciufi in of the year Savant,-
fiva: All oar politics had been founded 01 the
hope# or exp^dviou <f ra*to.^g ih@ matter up---a
hope, which, though general on th# fid# of America,
had „nr entered the h'nd or heart of the Bririlh
court. Tbe.ro hops was cosqueft and cotifcatiot.
Good Heavens ! what volurnu of thaaki does America
owe to Britain ! What infinite obligation to the foul,
that fi Is, with paradoxical v^^cj, the throne ! No
thing but the Sharptft tfc:o of villany, compound
ed with the flioapft diftiUtica of foily,could have pro
duced a meaftruum that wruid have c£&ed a fcpiir>
ation. The coagrofi in S^^tyf^r administered
an abortive medicine to Independence, by prohibit
ing the importation of go-ds, and the Succeeding
Congrof rendering the defe killin,re dangcrou# by
continuing it. Had Inde^adrc# been a tattled lyftem
with Am^ict (u Bhain ^d advance ) the ought to
have doubled her importation, and prohibited in Some
degree her ^xpj ta.ion. Aad this single circnmftaace
is faffiient to acquit Aaaric* before any jury of na
lions us h^vi^g a Coau^wil plan cf Independence in
view; A charge, which had it been true, would
have been honourable,but ii 0 grofily farferihat either
the amazing igno aace, or the wilful dilhmefty, of
th# British court is iff anally proved by it.
The fecund petition 4ki the fi rt produced no an
swer: it was fcaic„ ack ^w.edged to be received $
the British courier# t&jd>:r mined in their vi! any
even 10 ad h&;fuily,od in their rage foconqueft ne
glefyd the aecefcry fubtlerias to* ab tidag it. They
might have divided, diftrad^ ' d played a thoufaad
tricks with us had theybeen ascuroiag& the,were© usl.
This left indignity gave a new fyeihg to Indepen
dence. Taeft who knew th; forages obftinac, cf
the king and the j ibbinf gaab i*g spirit of the court
predicted the fate of the pctidea at Gon 4it wasfiat
from America; for the man buug known, their
measures were easily foefeen. As politicians we
ought not la much to ground our hu, on the rerfon
ableneh of the thing we ilk, as on the reafouabienefa
of the perfsa of wham we ask it: Wad w^u d ex
peft diferedon from a fool, candour from a tyrant, or
juftic^ from a villain 1
As every pr^fpea of accommodation framed now
to fail fi^, men began to think feriawfly on the mat
ter ; and their reason hiring thus ftript of the falfe
hope which had long encompassed it, become reproach
able by fairdebate ; yet &<llthe bulk of the people he
fated; they fa;thd at the novelty if I-dep&n-ece,
without once coafilerirg that cur getting into arms at
firft was a more extraordinary nordhy, and that all
other nation# had gone through the work of Indepen
dence before ns. They doubted, liktwfr, the abili
ty of the continent to Support it, without refining,
that it required the fame force to obtain an accommo
dation by arms as an independence. If the one was
acquirable, the other was the faae ; because, to ac
cemp.iSh either, it was ircffxry that our Strength
Should be too great for Britain to Subdue ; and it was
too unre#fonable to suppose, that with the power of
being maftar#, we fhuld fubmittobe fervants.*
* In this flat, of political suspense the pamphlet Common
SiAlta/rin appearance, and the fuccejs it mot with does net
became me to mention. Dr, Franklin, Mr. Samuel and
'John Adame were feverall, f,ok<n of at the fuppefed au
thor. I bad not at that time, the pleafare either 0, perfon
all, knowing or bring kaown to the two la# Gentlemen.
The favour of Dr. Franklin / friendship liff^ in Eng
land, and m, introduaien to tkie part cf the world mat
through bit patronage. I happened, when aft bool be,, to
pick up a pleading natural biftor, of Virginia, and m, in
clination from that day offering the wefern fide 0, the atlan
tic never left me. In Ohober, Seven, five, Dr. Franklin
proposed giving me fetch materiale at were in bit bande, to
wards con,hating a biflor, tfthe prefnt tranjaaiont, and
famed defiroue of having th, firft volume out b, the next
spring. I bad then formed the outline: of Common Sense,
andfuifad nearl, the fcf part ; and as I fuppefed the
Doaer'e design in getting out a biftor,, vae to open the new
year with a new jpflern, I enpehed to furprize him with a
preduaien on that fubjed much earlier than be thought of;
and without informing him of what I was doing, got it
read, for the press as fafl at I conveniently could, and fat
him befrf ,rah,let that was printed $
MONDAY, foe 2, 177%
CONNECTICUT
AND
WEEKLY
Containing the Freshest ADVICES,
Printed and Published by EBENEZER WATSON, near the GREAT BRIDGE;
The legal neeffi, of being independent, with federal
oellmriumtoMM, 1# pointed out in an elegant maderly
manner,in a charge w the Graudjury far the diltria of
Charleftown, by she Han. William Henry Drayton,
Eiq; Caiei Judice of South-Carolina. This perform
ance, and tun Addrei# of the Convention of New-
Yuk, are pieces, in my humbln opinion, es the firfi
ra-k in America.
The principal canfe# why independence he# neg
bin fa universally fepported as it ought, are,fear and
indolence, and the ceufes why it ha# been oppoied, are;
avarteo, downright villain,, and hi, of porfaal power.
There 1# not inch a b<ing in America a# a ter,' from
cvnfciunce. Ssoeftett defeat or ether is inetrwoven
in the cuarafter of all thofi, be they men or women,
who can look with patience on the brutality, luxury
and debauchery of the Britilh court, and the violati
on# of their army here. A woman'# virtue mud fit
n 7 lightly on her who cm even hint a favourable
fenamsat in their behAf. It is rtmukibh that the
whole race of proftitum in Niw-York were tariff, ;
and the fcheme# for fupportiag the tory caufa, in this
city, for which fevers! are now in jail, and one hanged,
were concerted and carried on in common baudy-hou
fas, assisted by thofg who kept them.
Tae conneaien between vice and rairofi is a fit
abjea for satire, but when the faire i# a fed, it cute
with the irrafiftable power of a diamond. If a Quaker
in defence es hirjud right#, hi# property and taechef
tity of his houfs, takes upa mufa% he is expelled the
meeting ; but the prefant king of England, who sedu
ced and tock into keeping a sister of their society, is
reverenced and fupporced with repeated teffimonies,
while the friendly noodle from wkom ffie was taken,
(and who i# mow in this city) continue# a drudge in
the ferric# of hi# rival, a# if proud es being cuckolded
by a creature called a king.
Our fappart and faccefs depend on such a variety cf
men and circumdence#, that ever, one, who dee# but
wilh well is of fame nfe ; There are men who have a
draege awkwardnef# to aims, yet have heart# to rilk
every milling in the cause, or in fepport of theft who
have better tslksti for defending it. Nature, in the
arrangement of mankind, he# fitted feme for ever,
service in lift : Were all hldi#r„ all would Harve and
go naked, and were none foldings, all would be fime.
As difaffiaien. to independence is the badge of a tory,
fa affiaion to it is the m&k of a whig ; s^ th, dif
ferent fervice# of the whig# dewa from thsfii who no
bly contribute every thing, to these who have nothing
10 render but their wishes, tend all to the fame tantra.
Their caution, at this time, no exceedingly mifpla~
ted ; forif they were able to defend their property and
mrinma their rights by a?mi, the, mhquiAtly ware
able to defend end fapport their independence ; and
in proportion a# these rain saw the neceffiry and right
n*f# of #h< mt*fu>a, they honedly and openly declared
and adopted it, and the part they have aded Since,
have done #<m honour, and fully eftabUShed their
c^rtd^L Er or in opinion has this peculiar advan
tage with it, that the fortmoff point of the contrary
ground may at any time be reached by a Sudden exer
tion cf a thought ; and it frequently happens in fen
timmai differ#rest that fma Striking circuraftance, or
Lute facials fafen, quickly conceived, will tfs& in
an instant what neither argument nor example could
produce in an ap.
I had it impossible in the small compaf# I am limited
to, to trace out the progief# which [^d#pend#nce ha#
made on the mind# cf the different cl&ffu of men, and
the several realcas by which they were moved. With
fo^e, it was a piffiunate abhorrence against the king
of England and ho ministry, a# a fat of fivage# and
bum ; and these men, governed by the agony of a
wounded mind, were fur truli^g every thing to hope
and Heaven and bidding (.torn at once. .With
other# it was a growing cuavi&ion that the scheme of
the British court was to create, ferment and drive on
a quarrel for the fake of confiAated plunder : M^nof
this cad ripened into inceptadeuce in proportion a#
the evidence encreafed. Whiie a third elafi, conceiv
ing it was the tree inhered of America, internally and
externally, to be her own ma%, gave iheit fupp&rt to
independence, rtep by dap, „ no, ftm h& abume# t#
maintain it enlarge. With many it was a compound
of all thus reafen# ; while those who were too ceii^u#
to be reached by either, remained, and dill remain
tones.
fMI
ribrc'/tare
isUMBEii@§:
COURANT,
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCES
Both FOREIGN and DOMESTIC.
though with oirfmnt degrees cf merit art #bi : %
Th, larger we make the circle, the mer^ we ffi4l
h&imo^ff!, end the dionger we fall t*. A wr want
to shut cui is dif-ffiaign, and that occludes, w ricd
accept from tach other such duties as „ arobL fic
td to baftvr. A aa^ew system of pol ties, like a nat
iow ijftim of religion, is celcuaito tn} to feur ths
temper, and live at variance with mark u4f
Al we want to know in America is fimpi, this,
whois for independence and who is not ? &fe whe are
for it will Support it, and the remainder will nndeubfc
edly fee the reafonableaafs of their paying the charges,
while theft who opp^fe er fwk to bet,a, it,
rank expea the more rigid fate if the jail and the
gibbet. There is a kind es bafterh geienfity, which
y being extended to all men, is & fatal to faciei), @m
one hand, a# the want es true genexcfij is on &
other. A lax manner of admin&iag jeftice, fiif#l,
termed moderation, ha, a tendency both to cripim
public virtue, and promote the growth es public evils.
Had the late C&mmitm if Safety taken cognizance
es the raft teibmeny of the Qjikers, and proceeded
ngaiaft inch delinquents as were concerned therein,
they had, probably, prevented the ttehfmble plana
which have been concerted finch. When one villain
is feffered to escape, it eacouragite another to proceed,
either from a h&pe of escaping likewise, o £ an appre
henfien that we care net puarih. L koi been a mat
ter ex general fir prize, that no notice was taken cftag
incenu@y publication cf ^ Quaker, cf the zo.» o f
Mevember left. ApubLeatioM evidently inie&aea to
promote feditma and treason, and raconrage <h s
my, who Wire then within a day's march of thu city o
tn proceed on and poffafs it. X here prufeni & fa
der with a memorial, which was raid before tie Board
es Safety a few day# after the testimony appeared.
Not a member es that board, that I cuaveriL with,
but expreffod th# higher ceroft non of the perverted
principle# and conduit of the Quaker junto, and that
the board would take the manor up ; Metwithtading
which, it was faff&ed to pefs away unnoticed, to the
encouragement of new ad# of ueaica, the general
danger of the cause, and the disgrace es the State.
To the HoncVrabli the COUNCIL 0, SAFETY
of the State of Pennfyivania.
At a meeting of a reputable number of the inhabitant! of
tbe cit, of Philadelphia, imprtfed with a proper j^fe of
the justice es the cause which this continent is engaged
in, and animated with a generow fervor for fyporti^
the jame, it was rfelved, that the following be laid be
fore the Board es Safa, i
"tyE profefs libs arity es fentimynt to all men ; w i t fe
this diftia&iCT on),, that thole who de „, deserve
it, would become wife udfak 10 deserve it. We held
the pare de&rine of universal liberty of corfaience
and conceive it our duty to endeavour to secure that
sacred right to others, as well as to defend it for our .
Gives; for we undertake not to judge cf the religions
re&tude of tenets, but leave the whole matter to him
who made us.
" We perfeeute no man, neither will we abet in the
perfacution es any man for religion fake ; &ur eem „
mon relation to ethers being that of fallow citizens
and fellow fubjs&s of one civil community ; and in
this line es coxneaien we hold out the right hand of
fellowship to ail men. But we Should conceive our
felvea to be unworthy members of the Free and lade
pendent States cf America, were we unconcernedly to
fee or feffer any treafenable wound, public or private^
direaiy or indiredly, to be given ngainft the peace
and salty of the fame. We enquire not into the rank
of the offenders, nor their religious persuasion ; we
have no buhnefs with either, our part being gal, tel
find them out, and exhibit them to justice.
" A printed paper, dated the noth of December,
and figged " 7'6# Pemberton," whom we fnppafe to
be an inhabitant of this city, has lately been dispersed
abroad, a copy of which accompanies this. Had ike
framers and publishers of that paper conceived it their
duty to exhort the youths and others, of their society,
to a patient fubmiffien under the present trying vifita
rations, axd humbly to wait the event of Heaven t>^
wards them, they had therein Shewn a chriStian tem
per, and we had been silent ; but the anger and poli
tical virulence with which their inftinftierg are giv
en, and the abaft with #hich they stigmatize albanka
of men, not thinking like ikemfelvei, leave no doubt
on ent minds from what fytii their publication pro-.