The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-19 00:00:00, page 1

Puff. Dont be angry, John, I'll tell you what made me
fay so. You know that Lord Ho^we cannot succeed, unless the
Whigs are kept in play by us—Now twenty men under a re
gular government are superior to one hundred in the present
confufed state of the country —Dont you fee that a govern
ment is like to take place —That we lose all power, that the
Whigs will carry their point, they will grow Stronger and
Wronger, all power will be in their hands—The government,
by which we ruled, will be gone for ever—Had they only al
lowed a Legislative Council, wefhould one day have recovered
ocrfelves, for you fee, J^, that where ever two bodies of men
are conne&ed in making the laws, the rich fep, which is al
ways the smallest in number, will get all into their hands at
latt. They will be for ever quarrelling, and they thatcan hold
it out longest will prevail—Dont you remember the constant
quarrelling between the Senate and people of Rome, and how
,it ended?
John. Yes, very well, in tyranny. ; and would you wish that ?
Puff. You fool you, dont you know that a tyrant cant rule
without the assistance of the rich—With their assistance he can
.jule the people, but not without them—So you fee we lose
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
Orator PUFF and JOHN his friend, over a
bottle of Madeira.
YOU know I always consult you as my Oracle,
and now I am under the necessity of applying
to you, to explain your own works?
Puff. Which do you mean, John ?
John. The dialogue between you and Peter Easy. Pray,
Mr. Puff, how happens it that you are so unlike yourfelf in
the conversation with Peter ? I thought you so intelligible a
man that people could understand you—But there you are at
the roof of the hcufe, and then jump into the cellar, and make
a ftiange bothering and pothering of the Frame of Government.
I have always heard you fay, that a good cause was best de
fended by fair argument, and that our friends loft themselves
last spring by attempting to defend it when the argument was
against them
Puff. Very true, John, very true ; but, John, dont you ob
serve, I use no argument at all—No argument is better than
a bad one, John ; mind that. If a man has a cause and it not a
good one, he must use other means than reasoning to defend it;
mind that, John. Lord Shaftfbury fays no body can bear to
be laughed at, therefore ridicule and burlesque are irresistible,
where you have no better—Bluster, and'bellow, and swear and
laugh at a man, when you have nothing rational to fay, and
you put him out of countenance at once.
John. Well! but I dont quite understand the necessity of
all this, why cant you reason fairly with them, Mr. Puff —
Sure you were always esteemed a match for any body in the
town —But I confefs I dont know what service writing can do
at present ; let Lord Howe make a little head way, and then
we can talk plainly, and need not mince the matter.
Puff. Ah, John, you are no politician, notwithttanding all
my labour to make you one.
John. Troth, 1 am done of your wisest folks, but I am sure
I'm as true to the cause as any of you.
Vol. 11.]
Price Three Coffers. Published every Tuesday, Pburfday, and Saturday Evenings.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1776.
521
little by tyranny —Good or bad, virtuous or vicious, we must
be employed ; but if such a government as is now established
should take place, we will by and by be obliged to live the
lives of Puritanical faints before we fill any place in it—This
damnedfan felicity of their's will make us simple freemen—lt
all arose from so many plain country folks being in the Con
vention—ln Jerjey there is a diftinftion—Gentlemen have a
House to themselves, and your common farmers one to them
selves—And observe the gentlemen have fewer men and
greater power, John, so there matters are right; but here you
must have a countryman with his flapped hat and greasy lea
ther breeches pricked up at your fide. But I gave them a
broadside, which will do them no service, besides the men of
fortune among themJelvcs are now turning. They fee that
they wont be able to rule the roast, and, like good and true
sons of power, they will submit to tyranny, to secure a share,
rather than enjoy a land of liberty with only the chance for it
which their, virtue will give them—l'll din the word check in
their ears until I alarm the jealousies of the weak and igno
rant, and corrupt the wealthy by the Legislative Council, and
then all will be well again. Let us only get them to help us
now, we will manage them by and by—See what their inde
pendance will do for them, if we can gall them for once.
John. Well, but would not a Legfetive Council be a real
check against tyranny ?
Puff. Pohl Dont you fee it vtont—Great- Britain has two
such checks, and yet what advantage ?—The only real use
of it is to keep all power in the hands of a few great men,
while the people seem to have a ffiare in it—You fee the King
and two Houses of Parliament were always quarrelling until
the Crown swallowed them up in corruption.—This has ever
been the case where there has been the diftindtion of two
bodies in the legislature. Think you that the House of Com
mons would have declared war against America, corrupt as they
are, had it not been at the irrigation of the King. The peo
ple of Great-Britain got all from America, which one people
could get from another, viz. the monopoly of their trade for
nothing. A fair representation of these people would never
spend seven or eight millions a year cf their own fobfiance to
rob themselves of near as much more in the loss of trade—No,
no ; a legislature that is composed of the people only, and
that can grant no special favours to the particular members
that compose it, will ever study the people's interest—See the
very Convention has declared that no places of profit ought to
be established—This is the fruit of a tingle legislature com
posed of farmers, The. They fay no tax should be laid but
what appears clearly cf more utilty to the public when col
le&ed, than if it remained in the pockets of the people—
Thus we are to have nothing unless we work for it—They al
lowed themselves only eight Shillings a dayfor living abroad
in the time of harvest, with horse hire and all—This would
not afford us a meridian—This is the way we are to be ruled
—ls we have a dozen of sons, no places of profit for them
to fill, aand so our fortunes must be equally divided among
ithem, and then if one has not a million of money, in the fe
<cond generation he will not be above the level of a fortunate
.mechanic —This, John, will never do.
[Num. 273.