The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-09-19 00:00:00, page 1

The SCOURG E, No. VI.
London, Saturday March 4.
TothePUBLIC.
NOtwithfanding all the threats and
dangers of a prosecution, held forth
to the booksellers and venders, and to the
publisher of this paper, lad week, by (he
despicable tools of ministry, in order to
prevent the circulation and stop the sale of
the SCOURGE : C. Thompson adores the
friends to public liberty and their court,
try, that it will be continued with the
fame Spirit, in defiance of every exerti
on of lawless power, whilst his pious Majes
ty, against the intetefts of the nation, the
fafety and rights of the people, (hall obsti
nately determine to keep the present mft
creants in office, and whilst councils of
blood are held at St. Jamels, and a palace
is only tteflaughter-bouje of mankind.,:
The authors of the Scourge, unawed by,
the threats of power, or the frowns of a
tyrant, are determined, at the rifle of every
thing they liold dear, to refeue their coun
try and fellow fubje&s from that ruin and
bondage with which they, are threatened §
their unremitting endeavors (hall never
geafe, till they have dragged the enemies
and traitors of both, from behind the
throne of tyranny into open day light, that
they may receive from the hands of the
people, the reward which is justly due
to their monstrous wickedness, although
their blood alone cannot expiate their guilt,
the houses where their crimes were firft
conceived, (hculd be levelled with the
ground, and their estates and tretfure,
the price and means of the public ruin,
given to the public. ,
Regardless of the danger, the authors
will not be afraid to call every tyrant, trai
tor, and villain in the kingdom by his
proper name ; they are net quite so
mean, slavish and effeminate, which is
but too much the faffiion of the times, as
to suppress or disguise the honest and
manly language of scorn and resentments.
against crimes that merit the execration
of all good and virtuous men; it is be
neath the spirit of an Englishman, and
they will not so far degrade the national
character, as to compliment any tyrant
with the foft epithets of a pious, humane
and virtuous prince, while he is a&mg di
ametrically opposite to all laws divine
and human, by destroying the peace and
bappinefs of mankind. What can be
more difgraceful to a FREE PEOPLE
in-a-free country, than for public writers
to address those who subvert the laws,
and plan the ruin of kingdoms, in the Toft
language of elegance andeafe, when they
deserve the faurge of satire, and the man
ly rage '' Indignation. That would be
preparing the people at once for the tri
umphant entrance of SLAVERY, and
TU ES DA Y, Septam ber 19, 1786, THE- ,NOMblsß^i/.
CONNECTItUTCOURANT,
WEEKLY INT'E L LIO ENCE&
HARTFO RDt Primtid by HUDSON AMD GOOD WI N, miar the Great-Bridge;
for a quiet submission to all the illegal
violences of cruelty and despotism.
- Without FREEDOM of SPEECH and
WRITING, there can be no fueb thing as
PUBLIC LIBERTY ; ^TYRANTS
and TRAITORS %^z to be exposed for the
PUBLIC GOOD.. "
Freedom of speech and public writings
is the birthright of every man, a sacred
and most invaluable privilege, so essential
and necessary to the happiness of a FREE
PEOPLE, that the security of property,
and the preservation of liberty,muft stand
orfall with it. ; Whoever, like the pre
sent king and his.minifters, would under
mine an equal, limited and free govern
ment, and destroy the natural rights of
mankind, muff begin by. Olbd^iag free
dom of speech and public writing (this
was attempted in the.fecund year of this
blessed reign, against the authors, printers
and publishers of. the Monitor, North Bri
ton, &c.) which that hoary traitor MANS
FIELD (who has more than once on his
krtes drank damnation to the present fa
mily on the throve) calls the licentioufneft
of the press, because he and his master
wish to do public mifehief without hear
ing of it, confeious that it has been a ter
ror to tyrants, traitors and oppreffirs--.lt is
the only method of exposing the tyranny
and despotism of kings in all its hideous
Shapes and forms, and guarding the peo- t
ple against the villainous designs of theit
rulers, who but too often under the spe
cious pretence of anting for the public
I good, are only Peeking a power to oppress;
and enslave them?. It is the only method
of holding up to public contempt and in
dignation, bad minivers & corrupt judges,
that they may meet a punishment equal to
their crimes. It is the only channel
through which thepeople can know, whe
ther the money they pay for the support
of the state, and the defence.cf the king-.
dom, Is properly applied to the several
uses for which it was granted, er whe
ther it was not la/ilhly squandered away,
and divided amqngft a parcel of mifereants
and worthless trators, for the most base
and rumour, pupofes. It is by. this
ratals they know, whether new demands
made, and new takes and burthens laid
upon them are fall or unjust, whether it
is only to feed aed enrich a few slate
leeches, who live on the. vitals of their
country, and to apport a horrid system
of corruption art tyranny, the brie of
kingdoms, and he deftrudion of public
virtue and pubic liberty. It is by ner
vous, manly, pwlic difquifitions' on the
policy of nations, that the people are
made acquaintec with the rife, progress,
and Rate of enpires; and the causes
which bring on the decline and ruin of
kingdoms ; and thus they are enabled to
preserve themselves from the fame dif
grace,,nfamy and fall ': and to guard
against the arbitrary and baneful deGgnS
cf those they ha,e entrusted with power.
It was intirely owing to the bold and
fp rited writings in the time of Charles
the firft, and to the rustic virtue of our
aneeftofs, that, that execrable hypocrite
and tyrant (though called by his creatures
pious ahtygood) was deservedly brought
to the block ; and this nation preserved
from a most ignominious date of Ravery
and ruin planned and defined by that in
fernal nionfter, 1 .
:The last glorious, revolution, had never
been bro't about, by'thc patriots of this
country, and the m^nly declarations of
tile immortal king William ; if y^mes the
second could have fto,t the freedom of the
press and public writings, he might then
have carried o&Uis black and cloudy de
'^nS againf/ie religion, laws, and con
ftifution of the kingdom, with fafety ;
till he had aceoniplifhed his ends, and till
the nation was past all redemption from
popery and bondage, > Whoever therefore
is an enemy to the liberty of the press, and
to the. freedom of public ' writings, couched
in the boldest and ftfongeft terms, even
against ,kings ; as, well as other inferior
magistrates, when they abuse the powih^
defied in them, and .defray the people
they Should protest and defend, both in
their life, liberty and property, is an ene
my to God and man ; for the Almighty
never made a tyrant to enfave and butch
er the human race, whom he in his great
wrfdom and goodness made happy and free.
, l will be bold to fay, that the people of
England would have felt the chains intend
ed for them by the present king and his
miraifers, long before this, had not their
eyes been opened, by the public Writers,
and the noble opposition theif tyranny
and villainy met with from a fina.il, but
virtuous band of true patriot) in both
houses of parliament. Their monfrous
and wild power begun to (hew itfelf, soon.
after his, mulish majesty came to the crown,
and the, artful Scotch tutors Bute and
Mansfield' had .usurped the reins of go-,
vernment.. Every printer who dared to
publish the most mild and gentle firi&ure£
on the proceedings, of parliament, altho'
they materially concerned every man in.
the kingdom, were immediately dragged
in the most arbitrary manner to the bar cf
the house of lords or commons before a
tribe of venal prostituted saves, who had
betrayed, their truss and were themselves
both parties, aecofers, and judges in the
fame cause; many werefae^, and others
both fined and imprifened. This was Arik
ing at the root of what lord Mansfield has
long been trying to destroy, and which