The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-02-27 00:00:00, page 1

In C ON GRES S, February 26, 1776.,
RESOLVED, That no vessel loaded for
Great-Britain, Ireland, or the British Weft-
Indies, be'permitted to fail until the far
ther order of this Congress ; and that it be recom
mended to the different Committees of Infpedion
and Observation, to fee that this, Resolution be
carried into execution.
Ordered to be publifhed.'
Extrad from the minutes,
CCARLES THOMSON, Secretary.
By the Great and General Court of the Colony of
Massachusetts-Bay.
A PROCLAMATION.
THE frailty of human nature, the wants of individuals,
and the numerous dangers which surround them,
through the course of life, have in all ages, and in every
country, impelled them to form societies, and establish go
vernments.
As the happiness of the people is the sole end of government,
fe the consent of the people is the only foundation ®f it, in
reason, morality, and the natural fitnefs of things. And
therefore every ad of government, every exercise of sove
reignty, against, or without, the consent of the people, is
injustice, usurpation, and tyranny.
It is a maxim that in every government, there must exist
somewhere, a supreme, sovereign, absolute, and uncontroul
able power: But this power resides always in the body of
the people ; and it never was, or can be delegated to one
man, or a few; the great Creator having never given to
men a right to vest others with authority over them, unlimited
either in duration or degree.
When Kings, ministers, governors, or legislators, therefore,
instead of exercising the powers intruded with them accord
ing to the principles, forms and proportions, dated by the
constitution, and edablifhed by the original compad, pro
stitute those powers to the purposes of oppression ; —to sub
vert, indead of supporting a free constitution ;—to destroy,
indead of preserving the lives, liberties and properties of
the people ; —they are no longer to be deemed magistrates
vested with a sacred character, but become public enemies,
and ought to be refined.
The administration of Great-Britain, despising equally
thejuftice, humanity and magnanimity of their ancestors;
and the rights, liberties and courage of AMERICANS,
have, for a course of years, laboured to edablifh a fove
feignty in America, not founded in the consent of the people,
bv , the mere will of persons a thousand leagues frora us,
wh4 we know not, and have endeavoured to eftablilh this
sovereignty over us, against our consent, in all cases what
soever.
The Colonies, during this period, have recurred to every
peaceable resource in a free constitution by petitions and re-
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But as our enemies have proceeded to such barbarous ex
tremities, commencing hoftililies upon the good people of this
colony, and with unprecedented malice exerting their power
to spread the calamities of fire, sword and famine through the
land, and no reasonable profpe& remains of a speedy recon
ciliation with Great-Britain, the Congress have resolved:
" That no obedience being due to the aft of Parliament
for altering the charter of the colony of Massachusetts-Bay,
nor to a Governor or Lieutenant-Governor, who will not ob
serve the directions of, but endeavour to subvert that charter,
the Governor agd lieutenant-Governor of that colony are
to be considered as absent, and their offices vacant. And as
there is no council there, and inconveniences arising from the
suspension of the powers of government are intolerable, espe
cially at a time when General Gage hath actually levied war,
and is carrying on hostilities against his Majesty's peaceable
and loyal fubjeds of that colony ; that, in order to conform
as near as may be to the spirit and substance of the charter,
it be recommended to the Provincial Convention, to write
letters to the inhabitants of the several places which are inti
tled to representation in assembly, requesting them to choose
such representatives ; and that the Assembly, when chosen,
do cleft councilors ; and that such Assembly and Council ex
ercise the powers of government, until a Governor of his
Majesty's appointment will consent to govern the colony ac
cording to its charter."
In pursuance of which advice, the good people of this co
lony have chosen a full and free representation of themselves,
who, being convened in Assembly hare elected a council ;
who, as the executive branch of government, have consti
tuted necessary officers through the colony. The prefect ge
neration, therefore, may be congratulated qr the acquire#
monstrances, to obtain justice ; which has been not only denied
to them, but they have been treated with unexampled indig
nity and contempt; and at length, open war of the most atro
cious, cruel and sanguinary kind, has been commenced again*
them. To this, an open, manly and fuccefsful resistance has
hitherto been made, THIRTEEN Colonies are now firmly
united in the conduct of this most just and necessary war, un
der the wife Councils of their Congress.
It is the will of Providence, for wife, righteous, and gra
cious ends, that this Colony Ihould have been singled out, by
the enemies of America, as the firft object both of their envy
and their revenge; and after having been made the fubjeft of
several merciless and vindictive statutes, one of which was in
tended to subvert our constitution by charter, is made the feat
of war.
No effectual resistance to the system of tyranny prepared for
us, could be made without either instant recourse to arras, or
a temporary suspension of the ordinary powers of government;
and tribunals of justice. To the last of which evils, in hopes
of a speedy reconciliation with Great-Britain, upon equitable
terms, the Congress advised US to submit :—And mankind
has seen a phenomenon without example in the political
world, a large and populous Colony, subsisting in great de
cency and order, for more than a year, under such a suspen
sion of government.
[Num. 172.