The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-06-11 00:00:00, page 1

The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST,
To Mr. JAMEb RANKIN, one of the Representatives
for the county of Y^K, in the province of Pennsylva
nia. ~ , ,
IN the Pennsylvania Evening Post, No. 216, you have ad
dieiieu the worthy inhabitants of the county of York,
and attempt d nou niy to excuse but tojuiufy your con
duct in endeavouring to procure ligners to the iniidious,
poifomus and aeltruttive paper caiiea the Remould ance.—l
4h*il, through the fame channe , appeal to the understandings
of thole worthy men (whole jult rights you have Shewed a
firor inclination to betray, though you win moil certainly be
disappointed) whether you are a truly watchman? Whether
you are difpoled to Ipeak truth, or are intitled to any confi
dence from a free and lenhble people in future? In your
publication you fay, the Committee of the city of Philadelphia
had taken uj ,on them to determine two points in their Protest
against the authority of the Houle of which you were <hofen
a inember, viz. First, That the Congiefs “ had absolutely
enjoined the taking up and ellablKhing ne^ governments
through 4/7 the colonies," and, Secondly, " shat they (the
Paid Committee) had a right, in exclusion of the Assembly, to
call a conference of Committees, who were to deliberate what
charges in our government, or whetner any, were heceiiary ;
bu<, taking that for granted, they weie to devile mean) for
cheofing a Convention to eftabliih a new form.
Charity inclines me to view every man in the most favour
able 1 ght, and therefore 1 have fuppoled (as I have no ac
quaintance with you, nor have ever Seen you) that forme of
those under whose banner j^ nave inlilted, and who ^^r
culfomed to misrepresent n, nave wrote this a d.en or
u, otherwise I mail th: g^yon a bold man to publish in the
newspapers in the city oftb^ adelphia, “ that tne Committee
of the city of Philadelp da ^ taken upon them to determine
two points in their Protest, : ^hen it is notorious to every m^n,
who has teen the Protest a can read, or was present on the
20th of May, and could h< % that the Proteit was then signed
by order of divers inhabitants of this province, in behalf of
themselves and others, and not by the Committee of the ci y. 1 am
told y. u law the numbers ; you muff a' leak have heard that
they could not be many Efs than five thousand.
In the next paragraph you quote partially the refifr of
Congress of the 15th of May; and assert “ that it t the
general sense of the Houle, confirmed by your &wn Dehga^
that where AlLmblies could actually lit as the Reprerental
of the people, the Congress had them exprelsly in view, in
the execution of their resolve, and did not point outariy par
ticular changes as necessary, exceptfa far as regards the a^a!
oaths and affirmations, which they coufiuered as handing in
the way of ou+ just opposition to the oppressive mpalui L of die
British Parliament." I fay you have quoted the said resolve
partially, and with an intention to deceive, for in the pre
amble to that resolve are these words, " and it is necessary
that the exercise of every kins of authority under the said
crown should be tota ly jupprefed, and all the powers if govern
ment exerted under the ar horary of d'^ people of the coerces,
for the preservation of internal peace, virtue and good, ;'
&. Now if this part of the resolve is attended to, wtJ, ^
Price onty Two Coffers.. Pußlii^^ every Tuejday, IburJday, and Saturday Evenings.
Vol. 11.]
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1776.
289
being absolved from your allegiance preserve internal peace,
viitue aud good order in Pennsylvania ? If all authority under
the crown ought to be totally suppressed, by what authority
can the Judges, Justices of the Peace, and other officers in Penn
sylvania, execute the laws ? Is it not to be taken for granted
that a new government is necessary to be ettablifhed ? You a e
called upon to aniwer these questions. I flatter myfelf that your
Hoafe of Assembly (as you are pleased to call it, though you
know that no Representative can by law vote in the Houjepf
4fembly, or fit there during any debate, after the Speaker is
cnoien, until he shall make and fubferibe the declar aliens of
allegiance, &c.) do not apprehend, that they can continue the
exerciie of all powers of government, legislative, executive
and judicial, and that no new government is necessary, though
it may be the with of Mr. Rankin. You have next cited
some proceedings of the Convention of Maryland, and asserted
that Aew-York, Connecticut and Rhode-Ifland have made no
farther alterations than resetting the oaths, &c. as your AG
fembly have done. What you fay r@fpe&ing the Convention
of Maryland is true, and it is denied by qone, " that the
people of every province have the yi^ and exclusive right of
regulating the internal government and police thereof ;" but
yo r u should have mentioned that the Convention of Maryland
has relolv.ed that the .prayer for keerfs to tee British King
against all his enemies, &c. should be no longer read by the
clergy of that province, and that your Assembly have not done
the fame. But what you have said refpefting New-York,
Connecticut and Rhode-lflard, is notoriously untrue, for the
former proposed a method for efablif;ing a new government ;
Connecticut denies all authority under the crown, and Rhodes
Island, by a most solemn a& of the Gov. Council and Assembly
thereof, has anticipated the Congress resolve in all its parts,
and has no more connexion with the British King and Parlia
ment than with the empire of China. You next have recourse
to the charter constitution of Pennsylvania, for which you ex
press your love —l would hope you do not allude to the 20th
lection, which declares that no taxes shall be imposed on the
people without their content, or by ahi of Parliament in Eng
land. Poor man ! Can you imagine you can frighten freemen,
poffefled of the least Ihare of understanding, into the servile
condition you with to place them, by bellowing, the charter,
the constitution, is in danger. We know that a full and
fair representation of this province, and the suppression of all
authori y under the King of Britain, are the only changes de
sired, and that the charter and laws of the province in every
other refpe& will remain inviolate.
You seem exceeding angry that you cannot obtain the fen-
Aments of your constituents for the direction of your conduct,
and with the Committee of your county for having prevented
your letters reaching "them for that purpose; and you have
^iven a specimen of your candid desire of colleaing the un
6iaf:d sense of the good people of the county of York/ in
the letter to Henry Wolfe, which you have published at
length. You fay “ the friends of the present constitution
or Pennsylvania think it absolutely necessary, at this time, to
afe their w%fendeavors," &c. and afierwa ds, “ as many per
lons ^pojAw should be procured to fi&n the Address and P.emon^
[Num. 217.