The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1778-06-10 00:00:00, page 1

GOVERNMENT is undoubtedly institut
ed for the good of the people. And
among the vast variety of forms which
take place in the world, that govern
ment is best by which the greatest hap
piness of the people, in consistency with
the greatest liberty, is promoted. The greatest hap
piness of a people is protection in their persons and
property, and the free enjoyment of the greatest
number of privileges consistent with the comfortable
cxiftence of society. This latter is real liberty, viz.
The free enjoyment of the most privileges possible,
consistent with a state of society.
Man is a sociable creature ; and better be under
the worlt kind of government, better be in the molt
absolute slavery, than in a state of entire foUtude ; but
better not to have cxifted at all, than to live in either
of those circumstances. — Anchorites and Hermits may
fay what they will, but mankind cannot continue to
exist without society, or without government: Yea,
these enemies of human felicity ever found some so
cial connection necessary to their own wretched
existence.
As 1 think proper, through the channel of this
ufeful Gazette, to give, with all deference and refpeift,
some hints to those in authority, so I ihall with free
dom. make some observations for the use of my fel
low-citizens that are under it.
I. As liberty, liberty ! has been the great cry for
some years, I with all to underhand wherein it really
conlifts. Liberty is indeed the greatest possible earth
ly blessing men can enjoy. It implies hi itevery tem
poral good. Too much cannot be said in its praises.
The climax of eulogium cannot tranfeend the truth.
The boldest pencil cannot equal, nor the fineft flatter,
the original. Yet remember, liberty is as really dif
ferent from licentiousness as it is from slavery ; and
ficent'nuc^fc io 9%e^ ~,>tG« t vault's tv worm out the
former, that it may introduce the latter. It is like
hypoerify ; this is the semblance of religion, and that
of liberty ; and however specious both are in their
firft appearances and high pretences, they will not
bear the touchstone of examination, and are equally
pernicious and deftrudive where-cver they are indulg
ed and prevail. A true religion, when it has fa
voured any part of mankind, is firft corrupted by
hypocrisy, and then entirely subverted by flagitious
iniquity: So liberty is generally firft corrupted by
licentiousness, and then totally exterminated by fla
▼ery. As we abhor the latter, let us carefully watch
againft' its delusive, inchantipg and diabolical fore
runner —And for this purpofc, let usconfider where
in real liberty consists, and faithfully adhere to it, and
pra aris et focis contend for it. What some whimsi
cal philosophers have termed natural liberty or abso
lute freedom, is a mere chimera. There is no such
thing, nor possibly can be. For by natural or abfo-
Eute freedom every man has a right to every tiling;
But common property is a foleci/m., and destroys the
very idea of property. And to suppose that absolute
liberty gives every man a right to enjoy whatever he
ran acquire by power, is leaving neither right nor li
berty m the world only to the Samson, who happens
•to be the strongest. Wherefore what involves such
glaring absurdities is never worth supposing, much
less wafting time to reason about it. —But " true civil
liberty consists in a people's making their own laws,
and creating their own magistrates, by representatives
freely and frequently chosen from among and by
themselves, and living in due obedience, homage and
iefpeQ to this their own authority." I defy the uni
verse to produce a more perfect idea of liberty than
this.—This is the purest, this is the highest liberty
that can take place in any nation or community.
Here the people chufe a body of representatives Jrce
fo without compulsion or undue influence ; and fre
quently, that is a wife and rational frequency, such
as may not be burdensome to the electors, nor allow
time to intoxicate with power the elected. And the
molt perfect period yet devised for elections is once
every year. These representatives being the crea
tures of the people, ever accountable to, and may
be displaced and disgraced by them, cannot but in
tend and aim at the highest interest of the commu
nity in all the laws they make : Therefore the laws
must be the most difinterelted and best. It is true
these representatives, however wife and good, are
liable to mistake; and hence may sometimes enaeft
laws, which upon trial, arte not for the kappinefs of
the society ; but as soon as experience and decent
remonstrances and petitions difeover the fad, they
will immediately rescind or alter the fame. If they
do not, the people are to reject such legislators as
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
Friendly HINTS TO SUBJECTS, or those
[Vol. I.]
under Authority.
WEDNESDAY, June io, 1778.
traitors, and ele& others more faithful and honest in
their places. These representatives are also to create
magistrates or executors of the laws, and these, al
lowing for human imperfection, will always be the
wisest and best men in the community. Now, can
there be greater liberty than living in such a state,
than living in obedience to such laws, and conduct
ing with all refpeft to such majesty and authority ?
This is your felicity, my fellow-citizens—You live
in the freeft government possible— You enjoy the
purest, the highest liberty. Wherefore do nothing
thro' ignorance, caprice, perverseness or injustice
that may stain the beauty, or diminish the glory of
this fabric. Let it be your constant endeavour to
comfort and support your honourable representatives
in their laborious business, and strengthen the hands
of your magistrates, and all in executive authority.
Confidcr the laws are made by yourselves, the ex
ecutors of the laws are chosen by and from among
yourselves. Both the laws and administration are
ftriCHy and intimately your own. Therefore, to be
carping at, and abusing with gross epithets such
rulers, to be slandering and traducing the magistrates,
to be finding fault with and driving to evade the laws,
argue understandings too weak, and hearts too wick
ed for the enjoyment of liberty. Such wretches are
like the devils who despised the liberty of heaven,
and preferred the chains of eternal darkriels : So these
chufe the clanking chains of slavery, and prefer the
galling yoke of bondage to the fair inheritance of
precious freedom. Allow me to entreat you, my
fellow-citizens, to beware that none of you be so loft
to reason and humanity, as to be found among such
a black, such a slavish and infernal herd. Recoiled:
an ancient book, which I with was more read by my
countrymen, that paints in the most odious colours,
" those presumptuous, felf-vvilled and filthy dream
ing creatures who despise government, and speak evil
of dignities."
11. Indulge trie, "iwy'CTn'ißtryflfreri, WHIIL' 1 bei'eecTi'
you not to begrudge your rulers some final! posts of
profit, whereby they may do bmething, in common
with others, for the advantage cf their families. Re
member your representatives and justices serve their
country for very inadequate wages, to the no final!
detriment of their private affairs; and when there
are any places a little lucrative, on whom can they
be conferred with equal propriety as on them. And
yet I have heard some murmuring and grumbling,
" that the representatives fliared places of profit
among themselves, and if there was any lucrative post
it was sure to be bellowed upon some officer of the
state." —But let fubje^s be fair and just, while they
cry out for justice and impartiality in their rulers.
It is not true, by any means, that our representatives
monopolize the profitable posts ; and do, for the fake
of propriety, allow them who serve the publick for
almost nothing, an equal share of those places. One
thing I have remarked, that persons who do the least
for the pubhek service, are generally finding the most
fault in the chimney-corner with their representa
tives, their magistrates, the laws and administration.
They are begrudging the faithful and generous pa
triot every place of profit and honour, and waste
their time in slandering, reproaching and doing mif
chief, because that they, mean fouls, who never did
a noble and disinterested aiffion in their lives, do not
receive ail preferment and emolument. Confider,
my countrymen, that as our rulers receive by no
means a fufficient reward for their service, that as
they spend their time and money and serve their
country for what is next to nothing, it is but rea
sonable, proper and fit that they should share more
profitable places among them than they do. They
are the wisest and best men in the community : This
we must acknowledge, or suppose ourselves fools for
chufing them. And if they were not our represen
tatives, we would look upon them the proper per
sons for those honourable posts. Shall we then, be
cause their patriotic zeal disposes them to serve their
country to their own private damage, be found be
grudging them a few of those places ?—Yea, let us
rather encourage them, by assuring them it is their
duty, and it will give pleasure to their confluents,
that they should take a larger share of them.
Perhaps some may think the writer of this is a
ruler, or connected with those in authority. But be
assured he is not. I never had any post of honour
myfelf, nor do I ever expert any. I never had any
relative or friend in office, either in the old govern
ment or the new. I am an old obfeure exempt, to
whom propriety has left no other way of fanning
the precious patriotic fire, but by friendly advice to
rulers and ruled, with this feeble, though well-in
tended pen.
HI. There are three forts of people among us, my
THE
fellow-citizens, that should be observed with a watch
ful eye, and with great caution elected to, or ho
noured with, any places of trust or profit. The firft
is the tories, who have always been inimical, and
evidently with the Englifb plunderers in heart and
affection, not only those who have fled their country
and openly joined the enemy ; but also the baser fort,
(if possible) who have stayed at home, and have no
other attachment to their country but the slender
obligation of a state-oath, which they took against
the grain, merely to save their property. The
second fort are those who took, what was called, pro
tection, when the enemy invaded our State ; especi
ally those who were not in the enemy's hands, but:
went from a distance to surrender, like unprincipled,
villains, their plighted faith, their honour, their
amor patriae, or the love of their country, and to crave
protection and fell themselves and posterity for slaves-
These are a company of such weak, timid, covetous,
felfifh, cowardly, unprincipled and every way mean
spirited wretches, that they are absolutely unfit to be
trusted with any place in government. They will
surely fell their country and their honour in the day
of trial, when they judge it will fubferve their in
terest. The third fort are those who have refufed
commissions under the State. They apprehended, if
they accepted commissions, they would hereby ren
der themselves obnoxious to the enemy; therefore,
come of justice and their country what would, they
determined to aft in the line of personal fafety.
Many of all these classes I know will be ambitious
of and thirsting after commissions, when peace is esta
blished ; yet not a man of them ever ought to have it
in his power to refufe or embrace the honours of hi^
country again. They have evidenced themselves too
much of the poltroon species to be trusted.
IV. Ever remember the brave, the faithful and ac
tive friends of the country ; those who dared openly
to espouse its cause in the worst of times ; —who no
ptu&Q r«ifuak. their £nnilies
and their all, and rushed into the field of danger, and
gloriously repelled the foe. These are men that have
been tried ; —they haye proved themselves friends to
their country ; —in them we may fafely and fully
confide. Wherefore, let us ever aim to reward those
men with refpeCtand honour. As they have done
great honour to their country, let their country ever
honour them with legislative and executive power.
An ELECTOR.
Most gracious Sovereign,
WE, your Majesty's most faithful and loyal fub
jeCts, the Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, and
Commons of the city of London, assembled in Com
mon Council; attached by principle to your royal
house ; to your person by the truest affection ; to the
honour and prosperity of your government; by all
that can interest and be dear to the heart of man ; in
the deplorable situation of this once powerful and
flourilhing country, we aik, with the most profound
humility, permission to throw ourselves at your Ma
jesty's feet, and to make known the vows and senti
ments of a faithful and afflicted people.
When firft alarmed with this civil war, your loyal
city of London, seconded by the sentiments of man,
other refpe&able bodies of your kingdom, and b,
those of your wisest and best fubjeds, humbly be
feeched you to avert the impending evil : the forefight
of all the calamities that it has already produced, was
but too well founded, and the evils still more serious.
with which, to all appearance, we shall soon be over
whelmed.
Your faithful people had, on this occasion, the mis
fortune of receiving from your Majesty an answer,
which they attributed to the imperfect manner in which
they fear, at that time, to have expressed their submis
sive and refpedful sentiments; not manifesting the
gracious disposition of your Majesty, or esteeming it
conformable to the sacred refpe& that the people bear
to their Sovereign. To their zeal unalterable for his
true glory, they retired in fad and refpedful filenee,
patiently expecting that Providence would change the
face of affairs, and return to us the favour and protec
tion of your Majesty ; when experience should have
placed in its true light, the well founded nature of
their fears, and the fatal tendency of those councils
that have milled the nation. It is certain that your
Majesty and many of your fubje^s have been milled
and deceived. There has been no pains spared to hide
LONDO N, March 17, 1,78.
Friday laji the Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, the Sheriffs,
with about fifty Members of the Common Council of
the city of London, event to the Palace of St. James's,
and had the honour of presenting to the King their
humble Address and Petition, ephich was conceived
in these words :
[Numb. 28.]