The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1782-10-02 00:00:00, page 3

As long as I can remember, and that is a great
many vears, a clamour against the support of the
civil officers of government, has been a ftalking
horfe upon which designing and ambitious men have
.endeavoured to ride into feats in the Legifiature.
The old jade is saddled for the field next week, and
it is odds if some old dusty jocky be not then found
astride of him.
For the benefit of all concerned, and that every
preacher may have an opportunity of quoting his
text fairly, let us contrail: an extract from the two
last ads for the support of government under the
former constitution and under the present, including
particularly such officers of the civil lift as are com
mon to both, and are usually the fubjeft of dis
course and comparison.
By the aft palled 6th December 1775, the last un
der the foi mer government, the salaries were',
To the Governor, including house-rent, £ 1260
The Chief-Juftice being diffatisfied with
the salary offered him by the assembly, ap
plied home, and was allowed £. 400 fterl.
equal to £. 666 13 4 currency ; but as the
amenably always offered him double, or more
than double of that given to the Second-Jus
tice of the Supreme-Court, for the fake of
comparison, let us set his salary at 300
To the Second-Jußicc of the Supreme-
Court, 150
To the Third-Justice, 150
To the Attorney-General, 40
To the Treasurer, 80
To the Agent for the Colony, 100
To the Clerk of the Circuits, 20
By the ad for the support of Government, passed
29th December 1781, being the last under the pre
lent constitution, the salaries are,
To the Governor, £. 650
To the Chief-Juftice, 350
To the Second-Justice of the Supreme-
Court, 250
To the Third-Justice, 200
To the Attorney-General, 40
To the Treasurer, 225
To the Clerk of the Circuits, 30
To the Auditor of Accounts, 300
There are sundry other allowances and wages
mentioned in each of the ads, which any person can
readily compare as far as they are similar. In most
@f them the difference is nearly on the fame scale
; in the cases here enumerated. Some there are
v rich cannot be relatively considered because they
a 1 of different natures. The propriety of such
< . only be fettled by a careful examination of their
'ties and expences.
Ihave not included the Superintendant of Pur
ct ifes for the army, because his office was difeon
ti med shortly after the pacing of the ad ; of course
hi salary has long since ceased.
Che office of Auditor of Accounts is created by
tri: war; it is therefore temporary and must cease
v n it, heretofore we could have no use for such an
ehablifhmcnt ; at present there is scarcely a State in
the Union which has not been obliged to resort to it.
We can only enquire, in this instance, whether a
man of any education or abilities can devote his
whole time to the office for less than the stipulated
allowance.
With refped to the Treasurer, it is to be observed
that his salary is in full, and without perquisites.
That not only larger sums of money are now raised
than were formerly, but the depreciation-notes of
the officers and soldiers belonging to the quota of
the State, the certificates given for army-supplies, and
many other things of that nature, greatly multiply
the duties of the office
A min of candour will carry this general principle
with him throughout the whole of the parallel. Set
down and make a catalogue of the requisites ofliv
compare the present prices current with those
of 1775, and you will find that, on a general average,
the present are to the former as 12 to 7. This pro
portion can readily be applied to each particular
case in the foregoing enumeration.
I think I have dated fads coolly, and difprffion
ately. Igo no further than bare fads; kt others
put on the colours and glosses. Ido not fay these
friaries are too small ; 1 do not fay they are too great ;
let any one candidly examine them by the measure
here laid down, and his own good sense will dictate
the proper inference. Semper Idem.
Mr. COLLINS,
By giving the enclosed ^U ERIES a place in jour
next paper, you quill much oblige many of your con-
Jlant readers, and in parthular your obedient bum
ble servant, ^UER IS T.
A few QUERIES submitted to the Free and
Independent ELECTORS in the State of
NEW-JERSEY.
ift. °" '' redound to the honour of this State
U to entrust with so important an appointment
as that of a reprefentatrve in our legislature, a man
of fufpeded character, and who has been found on
trial and experiment either so timid, or so frayed by
felf-intereft, as only to assist in navigating the poli
tical ship in smooth and calm weather, ' (and that
probably more for the fake of his own wages, than
his affection for the vessel) but instantly abandoning
her to the fury of the waves, on the leak appearance
of a dark cloud, or a stormy sea?
2d. Would it not be still more difgraceful to a
country to make a man a captain of a Ihip who, while
a common mariner, and when the vessel which he
was obliged to defend was attacked by pirates,
jumped cut of a cabbin-window, and joined the as
sailants in order to save his venture, while he aban
doned all his fellow-failors to the mercy of the
enemy ?
3d. Is any real whig or true patriot so ignorant
of our constitution, or so inattentive to the welfare
of our Rate, as not to confider that five or fix rotten
members in the legifiature may, from our constituti
on's requiring twenty voices to every aft, so perplex
and obftruf tthe passing the most salutary bill into
a law, as by taking the advantage of a thin house,
finally to compel the majority to agree to their a
mendments, or to have the bill altogether rejected,
and thus in effect to make, to mutilate, or to fruftrate
any law by a tory minority against a whig plurality
of voices ?
4th. As none but the^upreme Being can know the
sincerity ofa man's profeffed repentance, ought not
a sirs.-rate political finner to give us at lead the proof
of a fewer years' reformation and amendment, before
we put such confidence in his cohverfion, as to trull
him again with any post in which he can materially
injure or betray his country ?
sth. What is the predominant politicks of the fa
mily whole head i at best a timid, timeserving wea
ther-cock, and whose better part a profefed tory,
with twenty times the understanding of her hufoand ?
6th. Is it not evident to every judicious observer
that the tories, the torily-affedted, the neutrals, the
mongrels, the political fpcculators, the proteaion
men, the Nicodemites, who are only whigs by night
for fear of the fev> ts Great- Britain, and the politi
cal Gallios who care for none of those things, that all
this motly race ofbeings that have so long laid snug
and perdue while there was any danger or difficulty
to encounter, are now aspiring after polls and offices,
which are and ought to be the remunerating lot and
portion of those who have waded through an ocean
of perils with their lives in their hands, and an hal
ter about their necks? And
7th. Is there hot reason to believe that if ever the
like difficulties should occur, those papillos of the
dark, those camelleons, changelings, weather-cocks,
turn-coats, every-things, no-things, will again en
deavour to fabricate their own separate and personal
fafety with the devil take the LindmoJl, as to all their
virtuous fellow-citizens ?
Distilling CYDER speedily and carefully,
DONE at the fubferiber's ftiTl-houfe in Trenton,
on customary terms. I—Also 1 —Also cafli given for good
cyder fit for distilling, at the rate of eleven shillings
and three-pence for the best, by the barrel.
3w* DAVID COWELL.
olu. nw cart a nngie ray 01auuuionai wildom
into the intellects of the next legifiature, or tend to
the faring of time, and consequently of expence,
for the house to be stunned on every the most frivo
lous occasion with the garrulity of an old woman for
two hours upon a stretch, and nine-tenths of that
time about her own dear-felf and her matchiefs per
fections, and nine-tenths of that nine-tenths employ
ed in the narration of the thing that is not ; and in
recounting the wonders file hath wrought, when in
real truth and modest verity, her ladyship had not
the least participation in the work of which flic aro
gates to hcrfclf the whole glory and applaufc?
9th. Can it be supposed that a man who has no
otner view but that of serving the publick (and no
man deserves to be cholen into the legifiature that
has) would take the pains and trouble, and submit
to the meanness and drudgery of soliciting votes,
as a beggar does an alms ; and in order to procure
them, propagate a number or falfehoods concerning
characters that would Icorn to keep him company;
and ought not the honest pride of every virtuous Jer
leyman to revolt at the tnought of being represented
by a man, who despairing to rife by real merit to the
elevation of others, is resolved by defamation and
obloquy to pull down others to his own dirty and
contemptible level?
loth. Is it not bribery and corruption in a candi
date for representing us as a member of assembly in
the next legifiature, to threaten an elector that un
less he gives him his voice he (the candidate) will,
it he fuccecds in his election, retaliate upon him, and
use his iutereft to turn the elector out of the office
he at present holds by the appointment of the le
gislature ?
iith. Is not a man a blockhead, and of course un
worthy to represent a free and sensible people, who
is continually in the practice of throwing stones not
withitanding his own house is made of glass?
12th. Is that man like to reform the treasury when
in the hands of others, who Jo unfortunately loft the
publick money when in his own ? or can we expect
any check to peculation or exorbitant salaries (ifany
such there arc) from one who Lands recorded upon
the journals of the assembly as guilty of extortion
himfelf? Vide Book 11. page 133, for 1769.
13th. Is any man fit to represent the free citizens
of New-Jersey who annually receives the interest of
the principal of several thousand pounds sterling in
the English funds ? of which faft, should any person
be in doubt, he may, by applying at the house of
an honest old Quaker on the north-weft corner of
Front and Wainut-ftreets in Philadelphia, be fully
fatisfied that so it is. QU ERIS T.
Sept. 30, 1782.
BY HIS EXCELLENCY
William Livingston, Esquire,
Governor, Captain-General and Commander in
Chief in and over the State of New-Jersey, and
the Territories thereunto belonging, Chancellor
and Ordinary in the fame.
PROCLAMATION.
WHEREAS by the blessing of Almighty God
upon the persevering exertions of the United
States against the barbarous attempts of Great-
Fritain to subjugate them to her tyranny and des
potism, our contest for liberty and the unalienable
rights of human nature hath been crowned with
the most signal success, and these States are become
a sovereign aqd independent nation. AND where
as it hath not only pleased the great and omnipo
tent disposer of all events at an early period in the
present war so to influence the royal heart ofhis Most
Ehriftian Majesty (the protestor of the rights of
mankind) as to induce him to espouse our righte
ous cause by becoming our friend and ally, and by
his powerful aid and magnanimous conduct to give
both strength and luftre to our memorable conflict ;
but hath by his overruling providence lately dispos
ed their High Mightinesses the States General of
the United Netherlands to receive and acknow
ledge, in due from, the Minister Plenipotentiary of
the United States of America appointed to relide
in that nation, the intelligence of which has been
officially communicated to this State, an event
which enlarges the balls of our independence, and
leads to an immediate connexion with a powerful
republick, whose alliance a variety of circumßan
ces render extremely desirable.
I have therefore thought fit, by and with the
advice of the Honourable the Privy Council of
this State, hereby to announce and cause the fame
to be made known to the good people of this State,
to the intent that they may officially and in so
lemn manner be notified of the amity subsisting be
tween the two nations; and may, on all proper occa
sions, manifeft to the fubjeds of the States General
every due mark of friendfhip and refped, and give
them all fuccour, aid and assistance agreeablygQ the
law of nations refpe&ing sovereign powers in ami:V.
Given under my hand and seal at arms, in
Trenton, the 28th day of September, in
the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven
Hundred and Eighty-two, and in the fe
' venth year of American independence.
WIL. LIVINGSTUN.
By His Excellency's Command,
Bowes Reed, Sec'ry.
GOD SAVE THE PEOPLE.
TRENTON, Oaobcr 2.
We hear that Sir Guy Carleton has called it all
the fco.iting parties of Indians which had been sent
out by his predecessors on our western frontiers,
which has set aside an expedition that was forming,
.and which would otherwise, in a short time, have
taken place.
The Massachusetts state (loop has lately arrived at
Boston, after a fuccefsful cruise ; the took four prizes,
two of which were privateers. A prize snow from
Barbadoes, bound to Halifax, laden with rum and
sugar, is also arrived at Boston, taken by the priva
teer fchooncr Scammcl, Captain Stoddard, of that
port.
Lately died at Providence, very fuddehly, the
Ilon. Nicholas Cooke, Esq. late governor of the
state of Rhode-Bland.
Tuesday next is the day appointed by the consti
tution for the annual general election throughout
this state.
The state papers and political pieces handed to
us unexpededly for this day's publication, has
obliged us again to omit, till next week, many arti
cles of i telligence.
The French frigate l'Aigle, Captain la Touche,
which was lately run aground at the Capes of De
laware, and taken possession of by the enemy, after
being scuttled, has been got off, and is arrived at
New-York.
f The associators of the township of Trenton will
please to take notice, that an adjourned meeting is
to be held at the court-house on Saturday next, the
fifth instant, at two o'clock in the atternoon, for
the ptirpofes mentioned in a late advertisement.
STRAYED from the subscriber in Upper-Make
fiell townfliip, Bucks county, about a month
ago, a black horse, about fourteen hands and one
half high, trots and paces, has a remarkable dint in
the flefli on the near fide of his neck-bone. Who
ever fccures Lid horse that the owner may have him
again fliall have Four Dollars Reward, and reason
able charges, if brought home to
JAMES M'MAGTERS.
Sept. 16, 1782. 3w |