Dunlap's Pennsylvania packet , The general advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1775-11-13 00:00:00, page 1

PIO
O R,
GENERAL
Extracts from the Votes of the Honourable House
of REPRESENTATIVES. .
FRI D A Y, OR. 27, 1775. A. M.
^Q* s^g COMMITTEE from the meet
^;^ r ^ ingof reprefen-ativesof the peo
™,^°' "„'" P'~ """ Quakers, this day
* 'A Q ^ waited on the House, and being
ff'"ur?#s" "^ admitted, presented an address
, J in behalf of that faciety, which
>Q-+ Jt beingread by one of the commit
tee, they withdrew, and the said address follows
in these words, viz.
Tothe REPRESENTATIVESof the
FREEMEN of the Province ts Penufylvania,
in General Assembly met.
The ADDkEssof the People called QUAKERS,
RefpeßJu'ly Jbeweth,
rrH AT we have with deep concern and as
-1 fliHion considered the fprrowful 'alteration
in the state of this once peaceful province, and the
present conjuncture appearing to us the most cri
tical and important ever known among us, we re
quest our address to you at this time may obtain
your serious, weighty, and deliberate confederation.
We observe by the minutes of your proceed
ings, and the copy of a petition with which you
have favoured us. that several memorials and pe
titions have been presented to you by divers inha
bitants chiefly of the city and liberties of Philadel
phia, the consideration of which hath so weightily
impressed cur minds, that we apprehend we th all
fall ihort of our duty to ourselves, to opr country,
arid to poHerity,if we do not express our concern
on the endeavours used to induce you to enter in
to measures id manifeftly repugnant to the laws
and charter of this province, and which, if enfdrc
c-d, mnft subvert that most essential of all privileg
es, Liberty of Confidence, and we apprehend will
not only encreafe the public diftreifes, but occasion
the grievous fullerings of many csnfcientious peo
ple of divers religious denominations.•
It is well.known, that for above- one hundred
years past we, as a religious society, have declar
ed to the world that we con'd not for conference
fake bear arms, nor be concerned in warlike pre
paragons, either by personal service or by paying
any fines, penalties, or afTeffipents,impofed in con
sideration es our exemption from such services.
That for many.years after becoming a driina
religious society, our anceftots Suffered many
grievous perfections and oppreflion, for adhering
to these our religious principles, which we are con
vinced are founded on the example and express
injunction of Christ our Lord and Lawgiver.
That in expectation of being intirely relieved
from, the divers oppressions, to which they were
fubjeded on this and other accounts, and of en
joying perfect liberty of serving God, and of
walking before him in the way and manner they
believed to be most agreeable to him, our ancestors
were induced to leave their native land, and en
counter the dangers and difficulties of fettling
and improving at their own expence, this, then
a wilderness ; and although they were affiired
that our Honourable Proprietor William Penn was
united with them in religious profeffion and prin
ciples, yet in order to secure this inestimable pri
vilege of Liberty of Confidence to themselves and
their posterity in the fillleft manner they could,
before they came from their native land, they en
teredinto a solemn central wih him for this pur
pose, as appears by the 35th section of laws, agreed
upon in England, the sth day of the 3d montfi,
1682, in the following words, viz.
“ That all persons living in the province, who
“ confefs and acknowledge the one almighty and
" eternal God to be the creator, upholder, and
“ ruler of the world, and that hold themselves
'' obliged in conscience to live peaceably and jaft
" ly in civil society, shall in no wife be molested
'' or prejudiced for their religious persuasion, or
" practice in matters of faith and worship, nor
" shall be compelled at any time to frequent or
" maintain any religious worship, place or ministry
" whatsoever."
This hath ever been underftocd to be the fun
damental part of the constitution of this province
from its firft settlement, and that it was not limit
ed to the a&s of public worship only, in the manner
many, for want of full consideration, would now
interpret it, is very evident from the firft elaufe of
our prelent charter of privileges, viz.
“ Because no people can be truly happy, though
" under the greatest enjoyment of civil liberties,
“ if abridged of the freedom of their consciences,
" as to th?if religious pro'eflLn and worship; and
" almighty God being the only lord of conscience,
" father of lights and spirits, and the author, as
" well as objed, of all divine knowledge, faith,
" and worfoi,,who only doth enlighten the minds,
" and persuade and convince the understandings
"of people; Ido hereby grant and declare that
" no perfan or persons, inhabiting in this province
" or territories, who shall confefs and acknow
" ledge one almighty God, the creator, upholder,
" and ruler of the world, and-profels him or
VOI. V.
M O N D A Y,
“ themselves obliged to live peaceably under the
“ civil government, shall be in any ca e molested,
" or prejudiced in his or their person or estate, be
“ cause of his or their con/cientious persuasion or
“ practice, nor be compelled to frequent cr main
“ tain any religious worship, place or ministry,
“ contrary to his or their minfl, nor to do or
“ fuffer any other a& or thing contrary to their
“ religious persuasion."
This charter was received by the representatives
of the people, in confirmation of their rights and
privileges, and we desire may ever be considered
and regarded as the most firm compact between
the proprietaries and people of this province ; the
wisdom manifefted therein 'being so conspicuous, as
to en ^ a fl e tl>e attention and approbation ofthe most
judicious and knowing men of our own and other
nations, and especially in the great care taken to
guard against the instability of future human coun
cils, by providing in the most solemn manner in
the last paragraph of this charter, that this most
essential liberty and privilege fnonld be preserved
inviolate, in the following memorable conclusion
ofit, viz. •;
“ But because the happiness of mankind de
" pends so much on enjoying liberty of their con
" feiences as aforefaid, I do hereby solemnly de
." clare, promise and grant for me, my heirs and
" assigns that the firft article of this chat ter re
" lating to liberty of conscience and every part
", and clause therein, according to the true in
" tent and meaning thereof, shall be kept and
" remain without any alteration inviolable forever.
" And laliy, I the said William Penn, proprietary
" and governor of the province of Pennsylvania
" and territories thereunto belonging, for myfelf,
" my heirs and assigns have solemnly declared,
“ granted and confirmed, and do hereby folemn
''• ly declare, grant and confirm that neither I, my
" heirs or assigns, shall procure, or do, any thing
" or things whereby the liberties in this charter
" contained, and expressed, nor any part thereof,
'' shall be infringed or br < ken ; and if any thing.
" shall be procured or done by any perlon.or per
" sons contrary to these prefects, it shall be of no
" force or effect."
On these principles this province was. firft fet
tled, and the blessing of divine Providence figoally
attending the pious care of those entrusted with
the powers of government, soon became p)pu|ousi
and truth, equity and mercy directing their coun
cils they gave proof of their define that the blef
fi^gs they enjoyed should be diffufed to others,
which encouraged great numbers to remove hither
and fettle among them. We cannot therefore but
forrowfully lament, that any should now forget
the equity and justice of their laws and govern
ment, and by prefering their own schemes, over
look the importance of inviolably maintaining and
supporting these principles.
We have a just sense of the value of our religi
gious and civil liberties, and have ever been and
are delirous of preserving them by all such mea
sures as are not incontinent with our Christian pro
feffion and principles; and though we belive it to
be our duty to submit to the powers, which in the
course of divine Providence are set over us, where
there hath been, or is any oppression, or cause of
fuftring, we are engaged with chriftian meekness
and firmnefs to petition and remonstrate against
them, and to endeavour by just reasoning and ar
guments to aflert our rights and privileges, in or
der to obtain relief.
We therefore earnestly entreat you carefully to
guard against any proposal or attempt to deprive
us and others of the full enjoyment of liberty of
conscience, and that the solemn assurance given us
in the charter, that we shall not be obliged "to
" do or fuffer any aft or thing contrary to our red
" gious persuasion," may not be infringed—The
power of judging refpe&ing our sincerity belong
eth only to the Lord of our consciences, and we
hope in a province heretofore remarkable for the
preservation of religious and -civil liberty, the re
presentatives of the people will still be conscien
tiously careful that it may remain inviolate.
We fervently desire the most conciliatory mea
sures for removing the impending calamities and
for restoring peace to the Colonies in general, may
be pursued, and that all such may be avoided as
are likely to widen or perpetuate the breach with
our parent state, or tend to introduce persecution
and Buffering among us.
We are not insensible of the difficulties and
trials which attend your Ration in this .time of
public calamity, and are desirous that divine wis
dom may influence your minds, and guide your
councils, so that your determinations may tend to
the honour of Ggd, the promotion of peace, and
the happiness of the people.
Signed in and on behalf of a meeting ofthe Repre
sentatives of the said people, held at Phila
delphia, the 26th day of the Tenth Month,
!775 # b J
John Pemberton, Clerk.
Ordered, That the foregoing address be refer
red ;o the consideration of the Committee of the
whole Hoafe,
ID U NLA P's
6 ,
Tuefdav, OPober 31, 1775. 4 M.
A petition and rem nftrance from the Commit
tee of the city of Philadelphia was presented to the
House, and follows in these words, viz.
To the Honourable the REPRESENT^TIVES
oj the / REEMENof the Province of Penn
sylvania, „; General Assembly met.
The PETITION and REMONSTRANCE of
the CO?1M1 IT EE ofthe City and Liberties
of Philadelphia,
Most humbly fheiveth,
rHAI your petitioners have seen the copy
of aR address to your Honourable House,
entitled, “ An addrefs.of the people called ta
kers, which, in rhe opinion of your petitioners,
bears an alpe& unfriendly to the liberties of Ame
rica, ana maintains principles deilrußive of all
society and government, and highly reflecting up
on the glorious revolution, which placed the pre
sent Royal Family upon the Britifo throne.
I hough we are firmly persuaded that a majority
0: that society have too much sincerity, candour
and good sense, to be influenced by such principles,
yet our duty to purfelves, to our country, and to
pur posterity, at this alarming crisis, when every
thing dear and valuable is at Hake, constrains us
to tife our utmost endeavours t® prevent the fat il
consequences that might attend your compliance
with the above application. These gentlemen
want to. withdraw their persons and their fortunes
frora the service of their country, at a time when
their country Hands most in need of them.
If the patrons arid friends of liberty focceed in
the present glorious Hruggle, they and their poste
rity will enjoy ^l| the advantages derived from it.
equally with those who procured them, without
contributing a tingle penny, and with fafety to
their persons.—ls the friends of liberty fail, they
will risk no forfeitures, but be entitled by their
behaviour to prote&ion and countenance from the
British Midiftry, and wi',l probably be promoted
to office :— I his they seem to desire and expe&.
Though such Conduct manifeftly tends to defeat
the virtuous and wife measures planned by the
Congress of the 1 hirteen United Colonies, and
appears at the firft blush to be felfifh, ungenerous
and unjutt, yet we begleave to animadvert upon
the arguments they have used, to induce the Ho
nourable House to favour and fuppprt it. The
addre/Tors fay, " 1 hey are of a religious society,
" who for above one hundred years past have
“ declared to the world, that they could not, for
" conscience fake, bear arms, nor be concerned
“ in warlike preparations, either by personal fer
" vice, or by paying any fines, penalties or as
" feffment, imposed in confidera ion of their ex
“ emption from such services." That these prin
ciples are founded “ on the example and express
“ injunction of Christ, our Lord and lawgiver.".
—That “ although they were assured that our
“ Honourable Proprietor William Penn was uni
“ ted with them in religious profeffion and prin
“ ciples," yet their ancestors obtained from him a
charter, by which the enjoyment of these princi
ples is'fecured inviolate for ever—and that they
hold the doctrine of passive obedience and non-ie
fiftance :—Your petitioners will not undertake to
fay how long this society have held such principles,
but they do positively fay, that the scriptures of
the old and new testament must be wrested and
tortured, with more than Jefuitical art, to fur-,
nifh a single argument to support them.—They also
deny, that the clause in the Proprietary charter,
which they cite, is by them truly construed, and
hurably conceive this will be evident, not only
by a due attention to the words themselves, and a
consideration of the Royal charter granted to the
said William Penn, but also from the a& of Assem
bly, intituled, “ The law concerning liberty of
“ conscience."
If the people called Quakers, held these princi
ples “ upwards of an hundred years ago," and
the firft Proprietor of this province the honourable
William Penn, Esq; was "united with them in
“ religious profeffion and principles," which they
expressly alledge, it is very unaccountable to your
petitioners, that the said William Penn should re
ceive a. Charter from King Charles the Second, in
the year 1681, in the i6ih Section of which we
find, “ a power given to him, his heirsand assigns,
“ by themselves or their Captains, or other their
“ Officers, to levy, muster and train all forts of
“ men, of what condition soever, or wheresoever
“ born in thepre viace, for the time being andto
" make war, and to pursue enemies and robbers,
“ as well by lea as by land, even without the li
“ mits of this provice, and, by God's assistance,
“ to vanquish and take them, and being taken,
“ to put them to death, by thelaws of war, or to
" save them, at their pleasure, and to do all and
“ every other thing, which unto the charge and
“ office of a Captain General of an army belong
“ eth, or hath accustomed to belong, as fully and
“ freely as any Captain General of an arm, hath
ever bad the fame."
If allo none but Quakers came over at firft to this
province with the said Proprietor, and the Colony
^^^^
T H E
advertiser.
NOVEMBER 13th, 1775.
was intended for them, as the Addreffors seem to
intimate, your Petitioners cannot conceive that
any other perlons could be made Captains or Offi
cers, or could be levied, muttered or trained at
that time but tbemfe ves.— Be this as it may,—
your Petitioners beg leave to deliver as their hum
ble opinion, that felf preservation is the firft p ii
ciple of nature, and a duty that every man indif
penfibly owes not only to himfelf, but to the Su
preme Director and Governor of the Urdverfe; who
gave him a Being; and that in a state of polfical
society and government all men, by their original
compad and agreement, arc obliged to unite in de
fending themselves and those of the fame commu
nity against such as shall attempt unlawfully to de
prive them of their just Rights and Liberties ; —
that tho'e who withdraw themselves from this
compa&, cannot be entitled to the protection of
the fociety;—that the fafety of the people is the
supreme law ;— that he -who receives an equal be
nefit, ought to bear an equal burthen; —that the
doctrine of passive obedience and non-refiflance is
incompatible with our Freedom and Happiness,
and Hands condemned by the conduct of the great
Queen Elizabeth, who firft afifted theScoAf, and
then the French, and to the end of her days con
tinued to protect the States, who not only refitt
ed, but shook off the Spanish yoke, and set up a
new form of government; by the conduA of her
Parliaments and Convocations, who gave her fub
hdies for those purposes; by King James the First
his v.hole feign; by King Charles the First, who
in the beginning of his reign protected the Rochd
lers, had supplies from Parliament for that pur
pose, and ordered a faft and prayers to be made
for them ; —and by the glorious Revolution, under
which the said society of jokers, as well as others,
enjoy their present religious and civil Rights ; —
that it is alio against the laws of England, and is
reprobated by two solemn decisions in the Hou'e
of Lords, the firft against DoCtor Manwarin, .in
1628, and the other against DoCtor Sachevill in
17 10, and after the most solemn and fair trids; —
and in a late inftahce by the Hou'e of Commons,
in the case of DoCtor Nowel, and also by the re
peated- Ads of AfLmbly of .this pr wince.—And
your Petitioners cannot avoid thinking that even
the Addreffors of your Honours, though at a dis
tance, and in cafuiftical. reasoning, they may af
feft to exclude all refinance, would yet hearken to
the voice of nature,, when evident ruin, b^b to
themselves and the public, mutt attend a Arid ad
herence to such principles, if there were no other
perfonsin the Community to defend them.
Upon the whole, your Petitioners rest assured,
you wHI exert every power you are poffefied of,
foi the security and happiness of the good people
of this province, and that you will do er/ual juf
tree to all your conftitueni-s, and therefore they
again repeat their request, tharyou will not, at
a time when the united Hrength of North - America
and the ard of every individual, is wanted to pre
serve our common rights, exempt many of the
wea/thieft among, us from co-operating with their
countrymen io fume way or other, for their com
mon fafety.'•
A^d your Petitioners will pray, &c.
Signed by an unanimous order of the Committee,
" GEORGE. CLYMER, Chairman.
A Memorial of the Officers of the military
Association of the city and libertie. ofPhiladel
phia was pretexted to the House, and is as fol
lows, viz.
To the Honourable REPRESENTATIVES
of the Freemen of the province: of PtnnJyQamu,
in General Assembly m:t. .-
The MEMORIAL of the Officers cf the mi
litary Affiliation of the city and liberties cf
Philadelphia,
Humbly jhcaveth,
Til AT your Memorialifts have been fa
voured with a copy of an address said to
be that of the people called Quakers, contain
ing matter of so much importance to th- oppo
sition now so universally gone ir.to, againfimi
niiicrial oppreiiion, that your Memorialifts c ui
not pass it by with fiktic^, though they ;pm
hend that the contents of it cannot mahe the
intended impression on the minds cf men id
enlightened as the Reprefentarives of thi> Pro
vince.—But.as we know by fatal experience,
that papers of apu lie nature, coming fcm a
body of men fappofed by the Ministry tj have
very general influence in the province, have
contributed to draw upon us our present cal
miries, we are contained to rem mlirate a,ab ft
the addreß ; and this with a view not only < f
exprehiLg cur abhorrence of the dedrines con
tained io it, but of jui ifyirg oerfthes from the
groundless aftrfions ihrcwn on us. amerg the
other bodies cf Freemen, who; out of ze; 1 fer
the public service, hav prefe r.ted petitions.?, d
memorials to your Hoicurable II use.—st r e
cannot but fee wih a^oniihmerit, the antiqua
ted and abfud dedrine of passive cledhce j c |d
up in'this age of LLnce; and that before the
re refentative bdy cf this province, wh fe ex
igence as a conibtutionA House of Affcmbly
depends on the contrary to this Harilhopinion.
NUMB. 212.