The American gazette, or, the Constitutional journal — Salem, Mass., 1776-07-09 00:00:00, page 1

The greatest public calamity we
now feel, is the war with Great-
Britain ; therefore, whatever ena
bles her to prosecute. the war, is a
cause of continuing the evil.,, But
is not the opening a trade to all
parts, except Great-Britain and her
dependencies, the very thing which
enables her still to invadebur coun
try ; or at least, is that without
which Ilie could not have profecut
cd the war to this day r
It is morallfycertain, that had
an embargo b#n'laid on all kinds
of provisions, and none been allow
ed to be exported, except to the
United Provinces, and even this to
be allowed only when and where
there would be no great danger of
their falling into the enemy's hands,'
they must long 'ere now have^been
reduced to the greatest Freights,
and forced back to their own Coun
try for bread, which they could
not have been supplied with, even
there, without flarving their own
inhabitants. Besides, the proper
ty we have loft by the captures of
our vessels is vastly greater than ail
the advantage we have by the trade;
so that the community have been
great losers, though feme indivi
duals have been gainers. Had this
To the Printer of the Ame
rican Gazette, &c.
Mr. Rogers,
Your inserting the following, may
be of Service to the Public.
Tbe greatest Blunder in Ame
rican Politics.
IT is common to buy wit at too
dear a rate. Happy is the man;
happy the administration who can
always forefee the evil so, as to
avoid it. But this is not always to
be expected even from the wisest
and best of men. Humanum est er
rare; human wisdom and fore
fight is and must be imperfect, and
therefore errors must take place in
the wisest human councils : Yet
when the cause of any evil is disco
vered, more than ordinary wisdom
and prudence is not necessary to ex
cite endeavors for its removal.
AMERICAN
CONSTITUTIONAL
V O L. I.
TH E
O R,
TUES D A Y, July 9, 1776.
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trade been injurious only to the
Northern Provinces which have no
provisions to export, and need con
fiderablo from, the Southern, and
whose staple has heretofore been
the fifhery, of which they are
now deprived, the evil, Though
great, especially to the Magaebu
fats-Bay, which has born the bur
den and heat of the day, yet would
be partial and so the more tolera
ble; but it stabs to the vitals of the
cause for which we are all contend
ing. Let us take a brief view of
only ,a very few of the mifehiefs
it produces.—lt impoverishes the
country ;—it inhances the price of
provisions, (1) for the army, which
can be of no advantage to the com
munity, as the fame money must be
refunded, but is a great difadvan
'tage, as it destroys the ballance there
used to be between the farmer and
those in other Employments, (2) for
the Sea-ports who being generally
out of employ, must soon be reduc
ed to poverty by the extraordina
ry price of the necessaries of life,
and the load of taxes which they are
obliged to pay equally with the
Farmer,, while they have little or
no means of procuring even bread
for themselves and their families.
Hence many are moving into the
country in order, to procure a fub
fiftance by farming, and so the Sea
ports are likely soon to.be delert
ed and left an easy prey to British
Prates.—-! . his trade feeds our ene
mies and enables them to prose
cute the war against us, which they
could not have done to this time
had we.not fed them.—lt robs us
of the most uleful ofour men which
of all others are most wanted to
man our vessels of war. What
numbers of these have been taken,
and are now compelled, by more
than savage cruelty, to fight against
us, to butcher , their parents, wives,
children, brethren, sisters, and
friends, and burn their own hou
ses! All of whom (were it not for
this deftrudive trade) might have
been employed on board our ves
sels of war.
1. That our paper currency will
lose its credit if trade be prohibited.
This I own, if true, is of essen
tial weight and must , turn ttie
scale. But a free trade, though in
time, of peace, cannot secure the
credit of a paper currency : For
the currency in all four of the New-
England Provinces, loft its credit
while there was no obftrudion to
the trade. There is a more effec
tual method of securing its credit ;
let the money be called in frequent
ly, and the call for it to pay taxes
will secure its credit effectually %
And it will be easier for the Far
mer especially, to pay five pounds,)
now produce is quick, than it will;
be to pay one when the war fhaß
be over, andp'rovifions low and dulL
When General How and the fleet
left Boflon, it 4 was with great diffi
culty they could procure Teamen
enough to fail the fleet, and de
stroyed several vessels for want of
men to navigate them, though fur
nifhed with many of our captive
failors to assist them. .Had these
been wanting to them, probably
many more of their vessels would
either have^ fallen into our hands
or been destroyed.—Besides, while
this trade is allowed our seamen will
be drawn on board merchant-veG
fels, and our vessels of war left empty.
A Merchant, who hasheep a
great gainer by the trade, lately fold
me, that he thought the trade a
public injury, but as it was; coufc
tenanted by our Superiors the Ccn^
grefs, he did not chufe to set up his
judgment against their's to the de
triment of his own interest. Yet
he wished the trade might be pro
hibited.,
I readily own there are some
considerable inconveniencies would'
arise from this: But they are of
trivial importance, compared with
the evils which attend the trade.
The chief inconveniericies I haye
heard mentioned are thefe.^ " •i
These are a few of the evils ari
sing from the trade. Now what
are the : evils attending a total pro
hibition of it ? t
gazette:
JOURNAL;
NUMB. 4.
TH E