The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1781-01-09 00:00:00, page 1

The CRTSIS EXTRAORDINARY.
By the Author of Common Sense.
(Oji the Subje& of TAXATION.)
IT is impossible to fit down and thinkYerioufly
on the affairs of America, but the original
principles on which she refilled, and the glow
and ardor they inspired, will occur like the unde
faced remembrance of a lovely feene. To trace
over in imagination the purity of the cause, the
voluntary facrifices made to support it, and all
the various turnings of the war in its defence, is
at once both paying and receiving refyja. The
principles deserve to be remembered, and to re
member them rightly is repossessing them. In
this indulgence of generous recollection we be
come gainers by what we seem to give, and the
more we bellow the richer we become.
So extensively right was t^e ground on which
America proceeded, that it not only took in every
just and liberal sentiment which could impress
the heart, but made it the direct interest ofevery
class and order of men to defend the country:
The war, on the part of Britain, was originally a
war of covetoufnefsC The sordid and ' not the
splendid passions gave it being. The fertile fields
and prosperous infancy of America appeared to
her as mines for tributary wealth. She viewed
the hive, and disregarding the industry that had
inriched it, thirsted for the honey. But in the pre
tent stage of her affairs, the violence of temper
is added to the rage of avarice; and therefore,"
that which at the firft fettin^ out proceeded from
purity of principle and public interest, is now
Heightened by all the obligations of necessity ; fef
if requires but little knowledge of human, nature
to difeern what would be the consequence, were
America again reduced to the fubjectiori of Bri
tain. Uncontrouled power, in the hands of art
incensed, imperious and rapacious conqueror, is
an engine of dreadful execution ; and woe be to
that country over which it can be exercifcd. The
names of Whig and Tory would then be funk in
the general term of Rebel, and the oppreihon, 1
whatever it might be, would, with very few.in
ftances of exception, light equally on all.
Britain did not go to war with America for the
fake of dominion, because die was then in posses
sions neither was it for the extension of trade and
commerce* , because The had monopolized the
whole and the country had yielded to it ; neither
was it to extinguish what^/fo might call rebellion,
because before (he began no resistance existed.
It could then be from no other motive than ava
rice, or a design of establishing, in the firft in
fiance, the fame taxes in America as are paid in
England (which, as I shall presently show, are a
bove eleven times heavier than the taxes we now
pay for the present year 1780) or, in the f^cond
instance, to confifeate the whole property of A
merica, in case of resistance and conquelt, of the
latter of which ihe had then no doubt.
I (hall now proceed to show what the taxes in
England are, and what the yearly expence of the
prelent war is to her—What the takes of this
country amount to, and what the annual expence
of defending it effectually will be to us ; and shall
endeavor concisely to point out the cause of our
difficulties, and the advantages on one fide, or the
consequences on the other, in case we do, or do
not, put ourfelvesin an effectual date of defence.
I mean to be open, candid and Sincere. I fee a
, CT ;, r prAl ^nck to ^.^l ^ . r ..„. t— c^ft+g^ h ,”r.
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER.
HERTFORD : Printed by HU DS O N and GOOD WI N, near the Great Bridge.
T U E S D A Y, January 9, 1781.
try, a murmuring because tie wards ndt carried
on with more vigour, and my intention is to ihow
as shortly as polhbfe both the reason and the re
medy. ,
The number of fouls in England (exclusive of
Scotland and Ireland) is feyen millions *, and the
number of fouls in America is three millions.
The amount of the taxes in England' (exclusive
of Scotland and Ireland) was, before the present
war commenced/ eleven millions fix hundred and
forty two thodfand fix hundred and fifty three
pounds fUrling, which on an average is no less a
sum than one pound thirteen Shillings and three
pence sterling per head per annum n^en, women,
and children ; besides county taxes, taxes for the
funport of the poor, and a tenth of all the produce
ofthe earth for the funbort of the bishops and
clergy ft Nearly five millions of this sum went
annually to pay the interest of the national debt
contracted by former wafg and the remaining
sum of fix millions fix hundred and forty two
thousand fix hundred pounds was applied to defray
flit yearly expence of government, the + peace tfta
blifhmen< of the army and navy, placemen, pen
fionersy &c; coiifeqpently the whole of her enor
mous taxes being thd's appropriated, flie bad no
thing to spare out of them towards defraying the
expences of the present war or any other, jet
had flie not been in debt at the beginning of the
war as we were not,' arid like us had only a land
and nbt a naval war to carry on, her then reve
nue of eleven millions and a half pounds sterling
would defray all her annual expences of war and
government within each year. # ,
But this not being the case with her, she is
obliged to borrow about ten million pounds ster
ling yearly, to prosecute the war ihe is now en
gaged in (this year she borrowed twelve) and
* This is taking the higheit number that the
people of England have been or can be rated at.
f The following is taken from'Dr. Price's fta'te
of the .taxes of England, pages 96, 97, 98.
" An account of the money drawn, from the
public by taxes annually, being the medium of
three years before the year 1776.
Amount of customs in England, £, 2,528,27;
Amount of the excise in England, 4,049,892
Land tax at 3 s,:- - - 1,300,000
Land tax at 1 s. in the pound, - 450,000
Salt duties, _ _ - 218,739
Duties on ftamps,eards, dice, advert
tifements, bonds, leafed, inden
tures, ,newspapers, almanacks, &c. 280,788
Duties on lioufes and windows, 385,369
Post office, seizures, wine licences,
hackney coaches, &c.' - 250,000
Annual profit from lotteries, - 150,000
Expence of collecting the excises in
England, ', - - - 297,887
Expence of collecting the customs
, in England, - - ' 468,703
LTereP of loans on the land tax at as.
expences of collection, militia,&c. # 250,000
Perquisites, &c/to cUftom house offi
cers, &c. supposed - - - 250,000
Expence of collecting the salt duties
in England ibd. 1-2 per cent. „ - 2'7,000
Bounties on fifh exported, . - 18,000
Expence of collecting the duties on
Hamps,cards,advertifements, &c.
5 and 1-4 per cent. - ° - 18,000
Tn+nl frr A,io Xrfo
lay on new.taxes to djfebarge the interest ; and
allowing that the present war has cost her only
fifty millions sterling, the interest thereon at five
per cent, will be two millions and an half, there
fore the amount of her taxes now muff be four
teen millions, which ch an average is no less
than forty,(hillings sterling per head, men, wo
men and children throughout the nation. Now
as this expence of fifty millions was borrowed on
the hopes of conquering ranerica, and as it was
avarice which firft induced her to commence the
war, how truly wretched aad deplorable would
the condition of this, country_be, were she, by her
own remissness, to fuller an enemy of such a dis
position, and so circumstanced, to reduce her to
fubjeaiorr., :
, I now proceed to the revenues of America.
I have alreadvjtatcd the number of fouls in
America to be tlffc million!,' and by a calcula
tion I have made, 'which I have every reason to
believe is fufliciently right, the whole expence
of the war, and the Support of the several go
vernments, may be defrayed for two million
pounds sterling, annually; which on an average
is thirteen Killings and four pence per head;
men, women and children, and the peace esta
blishment at the end of the war,' will be but three
quarters of a million/or five shillings sterling
per head. Now throwing our of the question
every thing of honor; principle, happiness, free
dom, and reputation in the world, and, taking it
upon the simple ground of interest, I put the
follow ing cafe.'
Suppole Britain was to conquer .America, and
as conquerors was to lay her binder no other conJ
ditidns than to pay thp fame proportions toward
her annual revenue which the people of England
pay ; our (hare in that case, would be fix milli
on pounds sterling yearly ; can it then be a ques
tion, whether it is belt to raise two millions to
defend the country, and govern it ourfelves,'
and only three quarters of a million afterwards;
or pay fix millions.to have it conquered, and let
the enemy govern it.', ,
Can it be supposed that conquerors would
cliufe to put themselves in a worse condition than
what they granted to the conquered. In. Eng,
land, the tax on rum is five (hillings and one
penny sterling per gallon, which is one tilver dol
lar and fourteen coppers;' Now would it not ' be
laughable to imagine, that after the expense they
have been at, they would let either whig or tory
in America drink- it cheaper than' thenffelves.
Coffee which is so considerable an article of Con
sumption and support here,'is there loaded with
a duty, which makes the price 'between five and
fix (hillings sterling a pound, and a penalty of
fifty pounds sterling on any person detected in
roaming it in his own house. There is scarce an
article of life you can eat, drink, wear, or enjoy,
that is not there loaded with a tax ; even the light
from heaven is only permited to (nine into their
dwellings by paying eighteen pence sterling per
window annually ; and the humblest drink of
life, fmallseer, cannot there be purchased with
out a tax of nearly two coppers a gallon, besides
a heavy tax upon the malt, and another on the
hops before it is brewed, 'exclufive of a land tax
on the earth which produces them. In short, the
condition of that country in point of taxation is
so oppressive, the number of her poor so great,
and the extravagance and rapaciousness of the
court so enormous, that were they to effect a con
niieh of America, it is then oniv that th^ diffroQ #
frJ.mbrohA# U I^X5 .
(No. 833.)