The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1786-02-20 00:00:00, page 2

[The letter under the ^nature of Martin Quin,
being omitted Jaff week for want of room, has occa
sioned the publication of that and the dialogue in the
gazette of this day.]
Mr. Collins,
By publishing in your very ufeful gazette the following
letter you will much oblige
Four most obedient,
and moJl bumble fervant,'
MARTIN ^UIN.
A letter between two brothers.
My dear brother,
I HAVE been favoured with yours of the tenth of
last month, expressing your domestic felicity, and
containing a few political arrangements, which have
lately taken place in your state. In return for which
I take up the pen to write you a few accidents which
have befallen me since my Jaff to you: travelling a
few weeks ago from Trenton to Brunswick to visit
my youngest daughter, lately married, and carrying
with me an obligation of a thousand pounds, gold or
Silver money, which I designed to present to her in
part of her marriage portion, I was flopped on the
highway near Rocky-Hill by three footpads. The
firft seized my horse by the bridle, and the second
held a cocked pistol to my breast, while the third,
with a bludgeon, felled me from my horse to the
ground. They rifled my pockets of all my cash and
of my obligation, and left me much bruised with the
fall and with feme very severe blows. Recovering
soon, and receiving the assistance of some gentlemen,
who overtook me, I pursued and apprehended the
villains, complained against them before a justice of
the peace, prosecuted them in a court, and in the end
had the fatisfadion of regaining my obligation, and
of feeing them make their exit off a cart tail under
the gallows by the good offices of a hangman. Af
ter an agreeable visit to my daughter, and after pre
senting her with the obligation, I returned home,
concluding with much fatisfadion that New-Jersey
contained three rascals less than formerly. In the
space of a week after my return my neighbour, who
owed me a thousand pounds, gold or Silver money,
on another obligation, which I designed in a few days
to have presented to my eldest daughter, accompa
nied by +wo witnesses, waited upon me with the loan
office paper currency of New-Jersey, and in the pre
sence of the witnesses, tendered me the contents of
my obligation. I refufed to accept the paper money,
and to deliver up the obligation, for the bills were
so depreciated that the whole sum, principal and in
terest, would not have been fufficient in value to have
paid a small debt, which my eldest daughter owed a
baker for twenty loaves of bread purchaled for her
family's use. Being exceedingly offended with the
tender, I prayed a jultice of the peace to issue a war
rant to apprehend my neighbour, that he might an
swer to a criminal acculation for his injustice, as the
three former villains had been compelled to do. The
justice with a great deal of gravity informing me,
that the tender was agreeable to law, and that the
law was founded on great reason, refufed to grant me
any relief. 1 then applied to counsel of great emi
nence, to advise me whether the value of my obli
gation could be recovered against my neighbour.
The counfellor, with much learning, which I could
not understand, informed me, that the tender, being
solemnly made in the presence of witnesses, would
effectually prevent my recovery; that my money was
entirely loft; and that my obligation was rendered a
nullity. I leave you, my dear brother, who know
the distressed Situation of my eldest daughter with
a crippled husband and with a number of helpless
children, to determine whether my family and I have
been most injured by robberies or by tenders.
I am, my dear brother,
Your affectionate
and loving brother,
Ireton Croydcn.
Dated at Trenton, in New-Jersey, the firft day of
January, Anno Domini 1790.
This letter is addressed to Mr. Gulliver Croydon,
at Baltimore, in Maryland.
P. S. My dear brother, do not three rascals who
rob me in one way, to wit, by tenders, as well de
serve to be hanged as three other rascals, who rob
in a different way, to wit, by violence on a publick
road?
Mr. Collins, 1
The publication of the following dialogue in your very
uJeful gazette will oblige,
Your bumble fervent,
MARTIN QUIN.
A DIALOGUE, which took place at Newark in
New-Jersey on the firft day of January, Anno
Domini 1796, between Honesty, Industry, Fruga
lity and Meekness, in company on the one part; and
Knavery, Idleness, Profufion and Insolence on the
other part. A statesman, over-hearing the dialogue,
makes some observations to himfelf.
Knavery. You have our bond, gentlemen', for five
thousand pounds. We have come to pay you.
Honesty. We hope, gentlemen, with as good mo
ney as you received.
Insolence. Yes, with better money. We offer
you the paper money of New-Jersey, which every
whig takes, and which no man refufes except a tory.
Idleness. Hard money cannot be had without
great labour.
Profufion. Faith ! If all demands were paid in
hard fluff, we do not. know who could live now a
days.
Knavery. Take the money.
Meekness. The money offered is depreciated to
fifty for one. We shall be great fufferers, if we take it.
Insolence. If you take it? You cannot help your
felyes. The money has a tender upon it. You shall
take it.
Knavery. Take the money. It is a hard case,
that we Should go away in your debt after we have
come with the money to pay you.
Honesty. We may as well lose the whole as take
only a fiftieth part.
Knavery. If you do not take it we will tender it
to you. Mr. Rodd and Mr. Nodd we delire you to
take notice, that we do now tender to these fellows
five thousand pounds for principal, and fourteen hun
dred pounds for interest, in the loan-office money of
New-Jersey. Deliver us our bond or we will soon
try who of us are the strongest men.
Honesty. We will not take it, nor deliver up the
bond.
Meekness. We desire you to leave us, and to give
us no trouble.
[Statefman to himfelf. What a noise and disturb
ance these people are raising? This behaviour is a
breach of good neighbourhood, and tends much to a
breacli of the peace. To force men to fuffer great
damage by law, where they have not been criminal,
will lessen their refpeft of and obedience to law, and
will in the end dissolve the very bands of fociety.]
Insolence. Do not order us out of the house.
We will knock your teeth down your throat, if you
do not give us better usage and our bond into the
bargain.
Honesty. Pray, have a little patience and hear to
reason. We lent you gold and silver. You gave us
your honour you would pay us good money. You
bought a few years ago a large plantation with it,
and have now fold a few old horses for more than
will pay us. It is unreasonable to afl< us to take it.
frugality. We were many years earning that mo
ney. We laid it up penny by penny. To lose it
now will diftiefs us greatly.
Industry. We worked hard to make that money,
and we have often said, that, if we loft it by tenders,
we would never strike another Stroke.
Meekness. We will not ask you any interest here
after if you will not force the money on us. Or if
you will pay us fifty for one, as the money now goes,
we will take it.
Knavery. Give us up the bond. There can be
no use in money if we cannot pay with it what we
owe. The law obliges us to take this money of other
people for what they owe us.
Profufion. If we fatisfy the law we do not know
who has a right to demand any more of us.
Idleness. The law does not oblige us to pay at
fifty for one.
Insolence. The tender is lawful. The man, that
refufes the money, is an enemy to Congress. If the
law cannot be supported, we are no longer a free peo
ple. Give us up the bond or by the L—d we will
fall to loggerheads with you.
[Statefman to himfelf. What will be the end of
this behaviour. If this worthless money is paid to
one party he will cease from industry; if it is paid by
the other party he will have no occasion far industry.
Without industry there cannot be any wealth either
for the fubjeCt or the government.]
Honefty.' If you break the peace we will take the
law of you.
Insolence. You take the law of us? To stand a
trial at law with you would be giving you a degree
of honour, for which we should never pardon our
selves. Were it not for dirtying our hands with you,
we would roll every one of you in a kennel. Give
up the bond or by G—d we will throttle you.
Knavery, Idleness, Profufion and Insolence speak
aside to one another. They are, gentlemen, a set of
obstinate d—ls. Words do no good. We must use
blows. Let us kick, cuff, beat, cane, throttle and
wound them until they take the money and give up
the bond.
[Knavery, Idleness, Profufion and Insolence fall
most cruelly with fifts and bludgeons upon Honesty,
Industry, Frugality and Meekness, and give them
broken arms, broken legs, broken heads, bruised fa
ces, black eyes and bloody nofes.]
Honesty, Industry, Frugality and Meekness speak
aside to one another. It is better, gentlemen, to take
the money than to have our bones broken, and it is
better to loose our bond than our blood.
Honesty. Pay us the money, and take the bond.
Knavery. Take the money and give us the bond. I
We ask nothing, but what is fair. We knew that af-'
At a meeting of the inhabitants of the county of Glou
cester, the following inftru Ctions were agreed on,
and directed to Elijah Clark, Joseph Cooper, Tho
mas Clark and David Davis, Esquires, counfellor
and representatives for the county of Gloucester.
The inftruftions of the magistracy, and other prin
cipal inhabitants in behalf of the said county.
Gentlemen,
AS we have chosen and delegated to you the im
portant trust of giving a fandion to laws by
which we are to be governed, we have an undoubted
right to inftruft you in the difeharge of this trust;
more especially in matters familiar and fully within
our information and capacities to judge of, which the
consequences of eftablifliing bills of credit, in lieu of
specie, we suppose to be: and as a measure of this
kind was before the assembly at the last fitting, the op
position you then gave it, meets with our fulleft ap
probation ; for the following reasons, viz.
I. Because, as the price of every kind of labour is
hign, and country produce bears a generous price,
and generally commands the cash ; the scarcity of mo
ney cannot be so great as is pretended.
2. Because increasing our circulating medium in this
way will be a means of continuing that luxury and
dissipation, which the superabundance of it heretofore
hath introduced, to the great damage of our country,
relaxing the industry and frugality of its inhabitants,
corrupting their manners, and involving them in debt
beyond what hath heretofore been known, and are the
causes that give birth to the present clamour for mo
ney ; and which, if obtained, instead of extricating
from these difficulties, will only serve to continue ha
bits which brought them on.
3. Because it will enable the merchants to drain
away our hard money to buy foreign frippery, that we
are better without than with; discourage our own
manufactures, and continue the heavy balance of trade
against us.
4. Because, if our own manufactures were fufficient
ly encouraged, and our trade properly regulated, we
should have no more occasion of this fubititute than
the most oppulent powers of Europe; which desirable
effects will be greatly retarded by making paper money.
5. Because this expedient, under our independent
state, without any superior controul or check, ought
never to be used but upon the most pressing and abso
lute necessity, and general concurrence of the citizens.
Otherwise it will be recurred unto upon every supposed
emergency, whereby the inundation of evils will again be
let in upon us which we have so lately experienced.
6. Because it is wealth obtained by industry only
that can truly enrich a nation: riches procured by
ways of idleness, are only imaginary: they naturally
tend to enervate, enfeeble, and produce real poverty ;
by leading in the neglect of industry and providing
for ourselves, reduces into a state of dependance up
on others for the real necessaries of life—witnefs Spain
and Holland. The industry of Holland hath raised
her to be a numerous, rich and powerful nation, be
yond any other of equal size in the known world:
Spain's gold and silver hath reduced her from being
the firft power in Europe, to her present situation.
7. Because the declaration of Congress—" That the
acquiring, poflefling and protecting property, are the
certain, natural, inherent, unalienable rights of the
citizens"—is a principle interwoven into the conftitu
tious of these United States; therefore in the words
of a late celebrated author, " any law of a particular
assembly, which makes that a legal tender in pay
ments, which is not equal in value to the property re
ceived, is a violation of this principle," —consequently
not within the spirit of our free constitution, and the
trust delegated.
For these reasons we desire you to give this measure,
big with so many mifehiefs, every possible opposition.
But foould your endeavours prove ineffectual to pre
vent a law taking place for the emission of bills of
credit, that you then oppose their being a legal ten
der. And should that a!fo be carried against you,
that you then insist upon having a clause in the law,
to exempt Gloucester county from having any part of
the bills so emitted to be let out on loan, and that
they fliall not be a legal tender in said county.
To conclude, gentlemen, we, your conflituents, have
ter a little conversation we should fettle and part like
gentlemen.
Memorandum. The loan-office money of New-
Jersey with a tender depreciated to fifty for one was
paid and the bond was delivered up.
[Statefman to himfelf. I o pay at less than value
is such an injustice as must in the end sooner or later
be attended with ruinous consequences to any govern
ment. Such injustice shall not be permitted in my
state. I will pass against tenders on paper a law as
unalterable as the law of the Medes and Persians.
I do now by this edift most solemnly ordain, that all
tenders on paper through my dominions be forthwith
repealed, and that not any tender shall hereafter for
ever through my dominions be imposed on paper.
This edift is ordained to continue for-ever without a
possibility of repeal.]
Memorandum. No sooner had the statesman pas
sed this edift, than Justice, in a form divinely fair,
descending from the regions of bliss, alighted at his
foot; and imparting her heavenly bleffiug and a bea
tifying kiss to this her favourite son, and having re
sounded with her loud trumpet to the four quarters of
the world, that this blessed edict should remain irrevo
cable until the catastrophe of nature should dissolve all
earthly empires, (he took her returning flight to the ce
lestial manlions, followed by the applauding acclama
tions of all the sons of integrity.