The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-06-22 00:00:00, page 2

Honorable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council,
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the General Assembly,
IT has afforded me much fatisfaaion to observe, that
though the season of the year rendered your fitting very
inconvenient ; your private concerns, which must have
fettered greatly by. your long and close application in
the late Congress to the affairs of thiscolony, requiring your
presence in the country ; yet, continuing to prefer the pub
lic weal to ease and retirement, you have been busily engaged
in framing such laws as our peculiar circumstances rendered
absolutely necessary to be passed before your adjournment.
Having given my assent to them, I presume you are now de
sirous of a rec.efs.
On my part, a most solemn oath has been taken for the
faithful discharge of my duty; on yours, a solemn assurance
has been given to support me therein. Thus a public com
pact between us stands recorded.. You may rest assured, that
I Ihall keep this oath ever in mind—the constitution shall be
the invariable rule of my conduct—my ears ihall be always
open to the complaints of the injured ; justice in mercy ihall
neither be denied or delayed—Our laws and religion, and
the liberties of America,, ihall be maintained and defended to
the utmost of my power.—l repose the most perfect confidence
in your engagements
And now, Gentlemen, let me intreat, that you will, in
your several parishes and diftri&s, use your influence and au
thority to keep peace and good order, and procure ftri&: ob
servance of, and ready obedience to the law. If any persons
therein are still Grangers to the nature and merits of the dis.
pute between Greatßritain and the colonies, you will explain
it to them fully. ,and teach them, if they are io unfortunate as
not to know, their inherent rights.—Prove to them, that the
privileges of being tried by a jury of the vicinage, ac
quainted with the parties and vfitnefles ; of being taxed only
with their own content, given by their Represen tatives, freely
chosen by,, and sharing the burthen equally with themselves,
not for the aggrandizing a rapacious minister, and his depen
dant favorites, and for corrupting the people, and Subverting
their liberties, but for such wife and salutary purposes, as
they themselves approve ; and of having their internal policy
regulated, only by laws consented to by competent judges of
what is best adapted to their situation and circumflances,
equally bound too by those laws, are 1 n bstim.able, and deri
ved from that constitution which is the birthright of the pooled
man, and the best inheritance of the. molt wealthy.—Relate
to them the various unjust and cruel statutes, which the
British. Parliament, claiming a right to make laws fcr binding
the colonies in all cases whatjoesver, have enabled, and the many
sanguinary measures, which have been, and are daily pursued
and threatened,, to wrest from them those invaluable benefits,,,
and to enforce such an unlimited, and deftrudive claim.—To
the most illiterate it must appear, that no power on earth can,,
of right, deprive them of the hardly earned fruits of their
honed industry, toil and labor—even to hem, the impious
attempt to prevent many thousands from using the means of
subsistence provided for man by the bounty of his Creator,
and to compel them, by famine, to surrender their rights,
will seem to call for divine vengeance,—The endeavors, by
SOUTH-C A ROLI N A, May I.
In the GENERAL ASSEMBLY, April n, 1776.
Ordered, That the Speech this day delivered to both Houses,
by his Excellency the President and Commander in Chief of
this colony, be forthwith printed and made public, as well in
the newspapers as otherwise. By order of the House,
PETER TIMOTHY, Cl. G. A.
312
deceit and bribery, to engage barbarous nations to embrue
their hands in the innocent blood of helpless women and
children, and the attempts, by fair but falfe promises, to
make ignorant domestics subservient to the most wicked pur
poses are ads at which humanity must revolt.
Shew your constituents,. then, the indifpenfible necessity
which there was for elfablifhing some mode of government
in this colony; the benefits of that, which a full and free
representation has established ; and that the content of the
people is the origin, and their happiness the end of govern
ment.—Remove the appreheniions with which honest and
well meaning, but weak and credulous minds, may be alarmed ;
and prevent ill impressions by artful and designing enemies.
Let it be known that this constitution is but temporary
—till an accommodation of the. unhappy differences between
Great-Britain ' and America can be obtained ; and that such
an event is still desired, by men who yet remember former
friendfhips and intimate connexions, though, for defending
their persons and properties, they are stigmatized and treated
as rebels.
Truth, being known, will prevail over artifice and misre
presentation—Conviction must follow its difeovery.—-In such
case, no man, who is worthy of life, liberty or property, will,
or can refufe.tq join with you, in defending them to the lad
extremity—Disdaining every sordid view, and the mean pal
try confederations of private interest and piefent emolument,
when placed in competition with the liberties of .raillions ; and
feeing that there is no,alternative but absolute unconditional
fubmiflion, and the most abject ilaverj, or a defence becoming
men born to freedom, he will not hesitate about the choice—-
Although superior force may, by the permiffior. of heaven,
lay waste our towns, and ravage our country, it can never
eradicate, from the breasts of freemen, those principles which
are engrafted in their very nature —Such men will do their
duty, neither knowing or regarding confidences ; but, Sub
mitting them with humble confidence to the Omnifeient and'
Omnipotent Arbiter ana Director of the fate of empires, and
fruiting that his almighty arm, which has been so signally
Wretched out for our defence, will deliver them in a righteous
cause.
The eyes of Europe, nay of the whole world, ^re on Ame
rica.—The eyes of every other colony are on this, a colony
whole reputation, for generosity and magnanimity, is univer
sally acknowledged. I trust, therefore, it will not be dimi
nished by our future conduct ; that there will be no civil dif
ford here ; and that the only ftrife amongst brethren will be,
who Ihall do most to serve and to save an oppressed and inju
red country.
April ii, 1776. JOHN RUTLEDGE,
Philadelphia, June 8, 1776.
ALL persons indebted to the estate of ALLEN M'LANE,
skinner and breeches maker, late of this ci.y, deceased,
or to the partnership of Allen M'Lane and Son, are desired
to make immediate payment. And all those who have any
demands against said estate, are also desired to bring in their,
accounts Ipeedily,, that they may be adjusted and paid.
SAMUEL M'LANE,. )
ALLEN M'LANE, , Executors.
SAMUEL DUFFIELD, )
SAMUEL M'LANE now carries on the business, in all its
branches, at the usual place in Walnut-street, . He has by
him a quantity of neat buck and doe fans, ditto breeches
and gloves. He hopes, by his care and attention, to merit
the favors of his late father's customers, and all others who
please to call on him.