The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-08-28 00:00:00, page 1

In C ONGRE S S, Jv Lr ;i.
XJ^OK^ H E Several Aftcmblies efNEw-jER-
M M SEY,%NNSYLVANIA & VIRGINIA,
^ T * having referred to the CongreG a lefo-
M M lution «f the Houle of Commons of
^3OE%«; Great-BriTain, which refMu:.on
is in these words : "Lune,^4o die Feb. 1775.
" The Hoare in a Cominittreun the American
papers. M?ti*n made and question orepoNd.
" THAT it is the opin; n us this Committee,
that when the General Council and AiLmbiy, or
General Court o/ any of his Mdjtfty's provinces, or
colonies in America, shall prep^fe to make provisi
on, according to the condition, cireumflance, or si
tuation of such province or colony, for contributing
their proportion to the common defence, (such pro
portion to be raised under the authority of the Ge
neral Court, or General AUhrnbly cf such province
or colony, and disposable by Parliament) and shall
en E a g e 60 make provision aifo, for the support of
the civil government, and the administration ofiuf
tice in such province or colony, it will be proper if
such proposal Should be approved by his Majafty &
the two Houses of Parliament, and for so long as
fach provision shall be made accordingly, to'farbear
in ref, e& of such province or colony to lay any duty,
tax, or a&ffment, except only such duties as it may
be expedient to watinue to levy or impefe, for the
regulation of commerce ; the net produce of the
dulies lad mentioned, to be carried to the account
of such province or colony refpedively.”
The Congress took the Gid resolution into confider
auon, and are thereupon of opinion,
T:^: & T ^J^i^r of A.^rivu arc entitled to the
Sle and exclusive privilege ®f giving and granting
their own money : that this involves a right of deli
berating whether they will make any gift, for what
purpjfes it shall be made, and what ihall be its a
mmnt ; and that it is a high breach of this pri
vi eg? for any body of men, extraneous to their con
ftiiufois, w prescribe the purposes for which mo
ney Uull be levied on them, to take to themselves
the authority ofjudging of their conditions, circum
stances and iituations, and es determining the a
mount of the contribution to be levied.
That as the colonies peffefs a right of appropriat
ing their gifts,fo are they entitled at all times to en
quire into their application, to fee that they be not
wafted among the venal and corrupt for the purpose
of undermining the civil rights of the givers, nor
yet be diverted to the support of (landing armies,in
confiftent with their freedom and fubve?five of their
quiet. To propose therefore, as this resolution does,
that the monies given by the colonies shall be fubje&
to the disposal of Parliament alone, is to propose
that they (hall relinquish this right of enquiry, and
put it in the power of others to render their gifts ru
inous, in proportion as they are liberal.
That this privilege of giving or of withholding
monies is an important barrier against the under ex
ertion of prerogative, which, if left altogether with
out coatroul, may be cxercifed to our great oppres
sion ; and all history (hews how efficacious is it's in
terceffibn for redress of grievances and re-establish
ment of rights, and hew improvident it would be to
part with so powerful a mediator.
We are of opinion that the proposition contained
in this rcfolution is unreasonable and insidious ; un
reasonable, because, if we declare we accede to it,
we declare without reformation, we will purchase
the favourcf Parliament, not knowing at the fame
time at what price they will please to estimate their
favour: it is irfidiou^becA^fe, individual colonies,
having bid and bidden again, till they find the avi
dity of the fuller too great for all their powers to fa
tbfy ; arc then ce re urn iaty oppofi rien, divided
from Grirfixer colonin whim ths mi+ifter will have
prev^ufly detached by a giant of aaffer terms, er by
an artful proc:LLo Zhen of a definitive answer.
That the fafyeafion es ihi oxurcife of their pre
tended p^wer of taxation being %pr;fely made com
m^furate with the Gontinu?nce of our wife, th#®
must bi perpetual to mafot that so. Whereas no
experience hox fxswn that* p:; of perpetual revenue
fleers a p^rpmai re-urn cf duty er of kind difpe-
Containing the Freshest ADVI CE S,
,\,M ON DA Y, August 2s, 1775;'
CONNEGTICUT
AND
WEE K L' Y
Weare of opinion the proposition is altogether un
fatiffatlury beeaufe it imports only a fafpephon of
the mode, not a renunciation of the pretended right
to tax us : because tec it dex's net propose to repeal
the fevcral adts 01 Parliament lifted for the purposes
of retraining the trade a^ aherihg the form of go
vernment of one of 01 ebonies; ©reading the
boundaries and ch^ngm^ the goverhm^at of Qe
bec ; enlarging the ja.T hc^.n NT^ courts of Ad
teira!ty, ct rice Admiral:,; raking from us rhe
rights of trial by a jury of the rui^ge in cases af
feaifig both if. and property ; irarfportiag us into
bt^er countries to be trisd for criminal 1 ffiemces ;
exempting by mock trial the murderers of edttifa
from punishment ; and quartering foldie^en ns in
times of profound peace. Nor do they renctiace the
power of fn Spending out own legiflaiureL and cf Ic
giflatirg for us themselves in all cafa ^bafarotr. On
tke contrary, to shew the, mean no difcoatraaaace
of injury,they pa<s acts, at the very time of holding
out this proportion, for restraining the commerce &
fineries of the provinces cf New-England, and for
interdicting the trade of other colerues with HI fo
reign ratines and with each other. This proves un
equivacaPy they mean urt to relinquiffi the exercise
of indiferimwata i#giflatwn over us.
U,on the whole, this propofitioa seems to h&v4
been held up to th? world, to deceive it into a belief
that thare was uoLhing ia dispute between us but
th, ^^ cf levying taxes ; and that the Parliament
having new been lo good as to give up this, the colo
nies are uirra&foa&ble if net parfbaiy fatislod :
whereas in truth, our adver furies flill claim a right
of demanding ^i&item, and of taxing as themfelVes
to the full amount cf their demand, if we dp ant
firion. On the contrary, the parliamentirfelf, wife
ly attentive to this observation are in the efthblUln 4
practice of granting their sup,. is from year to year
only.
Desirous and determined as we are ta consider in
the mod difpuffionate view every feemir.g advance
towards a reconciliation made by the Bririlh Parlia
ment, let our brethren,of Britain reject what would
have been th« Sacrifice to men of free Spirits had 0-
ven fair terms been proffered,aa these iniiduous pro
posals were with circumiUricis es inihlt and defi
ance. .A propnlkion to give our c.eaey, accompa
nied with large fleets and armies, seems addressed to
our fears rather than to our fixdom. With what
patience would Batons have received articles of
treaty from any power on ears when berae on the
point of a bayonet by military plenipotentiaries ?
We think the attempt utint^ff. ry to raise u,on
us by force or by threat our pfo ortignable contribu
tions to the common defence, when all keew. and
thezAT/cs ^rkacwledgq we have fully contributed,
whenever called upon to do so in the character of
freemen.
We are of bpinion i; is not just that the colonies
ffiould be required to oblige th<nfelve± to ether con
tributions, while Great-Er^in poffeifu a monopoly
of their trade. This of rjstf f:ys them ueder heavy
contribution. To demand therefore, additional &o.s
in the form of a tux, is t@ demand the dwuhia of
their equal proportion,if w, & to contribute equal
ly with the other parts of Qj/mpire, let us equally
with them erjay free cornet .§ :with the whete
world. 'But while the rifuie ct<ui ourtia-e ihut
to usThe w^o vet &£w. TL :b^j\ : -..> iLWfb^r
all other burdens equally wita thole to whom evary
resource is open ?
,We conceive that the British Parliament has wo
right to intermeddle with oar provifiens for the zup
port of civil government,or adiuniflraiion ofjulbec.
The provisions we have mad^ are such as pieateour
felves, and are agreeable to our own circumkances :
they arfwer the lubhautiai purposes of government
and ofjudice; and other purpefes than these ihould
not be answered. Wedo not mean that our people
shall be burthened with oppressive taxes, to provide
sinecures for the idle sr the wicked,under the colour
of providing for a civil lift. While Parliament pur
sue their plan of civil government within their @wa
j urifdidtion, we alfe hope to pursue oa^s without ui#-
IciLtion.
T H E
¥A^^^ ^i^
both FOREIGN dad DOMESTIC.
Number 5^
COURA N Tj
HARTFORD
INTELLIGENCER.
comply with it. This leaves us witboathgy t&^ .
we can call property. Bu fc , wh.t isof nw^ i'^por-.
tance, and what in this propofol they kep out of
f<ht, as if no s u ch point was now in con tell between
us, they claim a right to alter our charters & eftabliffi
laws, and leave us without any security forcar lived।
or liberties. The pro,ofitoQ> fetrns also to have
been calculated more particularly to Iml into a fatal
security our well attested fellow fubje&'en the other
fid, tae water, till time ihonld be given for the 0-
peration of those arms which a Britilh arinifler pro
nouucad weuid iaiantaneoufly tedace the cQardi,
foils cf America to unreserved fubariffion. igt when
the world relies,lew inadequate t* jartice for, tiwa
vaunted terms ; when it attends to the rapid and
bold succession of injuries, which,during a ccurfe
of eleven years, have been aimed at thlfi colonies ,
when it reviews the pacific and refpe&fal ex,oftula
tions which during the whole time, were the sole
arms we opposed to them ; when it obfer^s that
our complaints wens either net heard at all, &r were
aufwered with new and accumulated injury ; when
it r&egbea^ that the M^ifler Kimfelfua an early co
caiou declared " ikat be <%l& never treat 'with "rime.
rtc&, till be had e>%»r her te bisJQ," and Oar an a.
vowed parulax es ilaihry has more lately deboth.
eld against us the ureadfui lertrnce ' delexdo ^? C^^
tua,: that this, was dee* ia & p^efenrs .u a BrL
tilh fs<af€, andbeihg uarepieved by them, mas ib<
taken tv be their featihrent, (e^cia!!, as f, p <r .
pole has already in pa t been ^arneu into tx^rufon^
by therr Lr^araynt of godon and burnir., of Charlefi
tewa ;) wh^u it<c^tid<n th,# great arcißw^in^ ^Th
vr^-L th:; «vl mvudfod gs, >,d ths cLew %<
&f cruelty wit;; which there commenced and pick
cured hetihtiet ; when these thir^r, we fay, I'6
laid together a>e%£tcAtivefy cenfidered, can the
world be deceived into an opinion that we me unfta
fungible, or cm it hesitate to believe with ns, that ,
nothing bat cur own exertions may defeat the mi
niilerial lenience of death or abject febrafioa.
g' &r<i>r of th C&nrrrJ's,
JOHN HANCOCK, Frtfhnt.
Philadelphia, ^'u/y 51, 1775.
PHrLADkfPHiA? Afyft 16.
To the Kin g's of Excello MAJ& STV.
Mfgracicns SoVERkiGN,
W; E your Majesty's mod fkithfel fahj&offfirf
co&iesoi NewHarapffiire, MaiTachufet^
lay, Rhode-lltod and Providence Plantations,€o6-
nt&cut, Newark, New Jersey, PtHsfylvani^
the Counties of Newcastle,. Kent and Suffer, on
Delaware, Maryland, % irginia, North- Carolina, &
So.th CarNw-a, in behalf es oarfelves, and the in
habitants ot these colonies, rfm deputed MS to rafter
sent them in General Cengrws, entreat yeur Mfyf
ty'3 gr^cio^ attention to this car humble petition
The union between oar mother country and
there reloaic, and the energy of mild and jaff go=
verna^nr, przde^d benefits so remarkably irapor
tan r , san afforded such as affarance of their perma
nency and escreafe, that the wonder and fevy of o-
Ger Badons were exceed, while they beheld Greats
Emara rihep te a power, the mox extraordinary
the work had ever kawwa.
Her rivals cbfoviag,thdt there was no prebobiK.
tv es this happy cenueaion being broken by civil
dii.nciia*.aad apprehending its future effects, if
left any longer &&dJ@a?Wd, reirdwed to prevent her
receiving such couunual and formidable accessions #
ofweahh ^nd Urangth, by checking the growth of
those fettlementb,fiuui which they were to be <te
livid.
In the prosecution es this attempt, events so un
favourable to tie difign t^ok place, thatevwy friend
to the interek of Great- Britain and these colonies,
enterraiaed pleating and reasonable expectations es
feeing a^ additional force and extaation immediate
ly ^iv^a te the @pßatifo cf the union hitherto ex
perienced, by an enlargement of the dominions cf
the crown, had the removal of ancient and warlike
enemies to a greater distance.
At the coamfien therefore es the late war, the
RO^ glorious and advantageous that ever had been
earned on by British arms, your loyal ceienifo,hfr