The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-06-08 00:00:00, page 1

To the WORTHY INHABITANTS of YORK
C O.UNT Y.
My refpeded friends,
AS I find myfelf most injuriously treated by a Resolve
of your County Committee, published in the seve
ral sewfpapers, I must take the liberty to do my
delf justice through the fame channel. As you
were freely pleased to choose me one of your Representatives
in Ahunbi), by so large a majority as near t<wo to one against
the cfpchte ticket, it would give me the greatest concern if
I could believe that the Committee had known and spoken
the sentiments of my conft.tuents in their Resolve, or that
they will think 1 have violated the trust so lately reposed in me
h, them. lam conscious, in my own heart, that 1 intended
nothing but what 1 ccnfideied as my bounden duty to the
good people I represent in the circular letter to some of my
friends. Had 1 aded otherwrfe, or kept back the necessary
information from them, when they were to deliberate upon
c matter of the greatest consequence to them and their poste
rity, 1 think I should then have flood justly chargeable with
" violating the trust reposed in me." The whole affair
pointed at in the Resolve stands thus^ The Committee of
the city of Philadelphia had taken upon them to determine
neo points in their Protest against the authority of that House
of which you have chosen me a member, viz. First, That
the Congress " had abfolwtely enjeined the taking up and
eflabliftring new governments through all the colonies ;"
and, secondly, That they (the said Committee) had a right,
in exclusion of the Assembly, to call a conference of Com
mittees, who were not to deliberate what changes in our go
vernment, or whether any, were necessary; but, taking that
for granted, they were to devise means for choosing a Con
vention to establish a new form.
Now the express words of the Congress are these, viz.
" That the refpe&ive Assemblies, and Conventions, inhere no
«' government, Efficient to the exigencies of their affairs, has been
“ efablifeed, adopt such governments as shall, in the opinion
<< of the Representatives of the people, best conduce to the hap
“ pinefs of their constituents in particular, and America in
“ general." These words, to my best understanding, left the
Assembly of Pennsylvania, who are the undoubted Represen
tatives of the people, to judge what changes, or whether any
might be necessary for the exigences of affairs. Our charter
does also declare that the consent of fix parts in seven of our
Assembly is necessary in this matter. I likewise found it to
be the general sense of the House, confirmed by our own
Delegates, that where Assemblies could actually fit as the
Representatives of the people, the Congress had them ex
prefly in view, in the execution of their Resolve, and did net
point out any particular changes as necessary, except so far
as regards the usual oaths and affirmations, which they con
sidered as handing in the way of our just opposition to the
oppressive measures of the British Parliament ; and the Com
mittee of York might have known that the House has dis
pensed with the oaths, &C. and is absolved from them by the
Crown's declaring them out of its protection. It appeared
farther to me, that no other provinces, that have considered
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
Vol. ll,]
Price only ^wo Coffers.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 1776.
Published every TueJday, Iburfday, and Saturday Evenings.
285
* At the time of writing this, the names to the Remonfrances,
already delivered in from the city and adjacent counties, amounted
to about Six Thousand,
" Refolded unanimously, That the people of this province
" have the fcle and exclusive right of regulating the internal
" government and police of this province." —New-York has •
declared to the fame effect ; and the charter governments of
Connecticut and Rhode-Iffand have made no farther alterations
than refpedrng the oaths, &c. as our Assembly have done.
Upon this state of things, having a love for the charter con
stitution of Penn fylavnia ; considering myfelf as chosen by
you to support it, as far as poffibie, in the present exigency ;
finding that the public service has been, and might dill be, car
ried ora as vigorouily by the Assembly of this province as by
any other public body on the continent, and observing a
Remonstrance to that effect, signing by multitudes * of the
most refpedable names in the city of Philadelphia, and the
neighbouring counties, in opposition to the doctrines in the
Protest of the Committee of that city, I thought it my duty
to fend you copies of those papers, that I might know the
sentiments of the county I represent, in a matter of such con
sequence. Whether I did wrong in this, or shat censure
they may deserve who dared to keep back the needful infor
mation from you, endeavoring to furprize you into precipi
tate measures, which might afterwards be injurious t@ your
best rights, for which you are now contending, and sow the
feeds of difeord, I leave yourselves to determine. I consider
hot on'y my private rights as a Freeman, but my public rights
as a Representative in Assembly, together with your rights
from whom I derive my feat, to be grossly violated in this in
terruptfon of my correspondence with you, and the threats
thrown out to prevent my obtaining your sentiments for the
direction of my condu&. I know the weight of the Com
mittee of the town of York, who firft opened my letters, and
1 hope Ido not over value my own firmnefs of spirit, when I
fay that I neither fear their threats, nor regard their cerafures,
while in the honed difeharge of my duty. 1 wish that they,
who published the Resolves against me, had also published a
copy of the circular letter on which it is founded, that the
world might have judged how far it deferred blame or ap
probation. The following is an exad tcopy of the letter to
Henry Wolfe, viz.
“ The friends of the present constitution of Pennsylvania
'' think it absolutely necessary, at this time, to use their ut
" most endeavours to prevent the attempts that are making
“ in the city of Philadelphia to destroy the Assembly, and
" consequently the charter rights of the province; for which
“ purpose it is thought expedient that as many persons as
“ poffibie should be procured to sign the Address and Re-
the Resolve of Congress, have taken it in the sense of the
Philadelphia Committee; namely, as a positive injunction
for altering their governments, or injuring their charter
rights, farther than the refpe&ive powers of those govern
ments shall think convenient for the public service. The pro
vince of Maryland has exprefly determined on the matter as
follows—
[Num. 216.