The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-08-15 00:00:00, page 1

' From a British Publication.
The S C O U R G E:
Number I.
SATURDAY, January 20, 1780.
Notwithstanding too many
of our countrymen are degenerated
into all the vileness of abjed fyeophancy
and a flayifh fubmidUn to lawlffi power ;
yet we are determined, however hazard,
ous it may be, not to remain, unconcerned
fpedators of the ruin, of our country.
We have lived to fee our rights arid liber
ties,- and the sacred conftitutipn of the
empire, most daringly.l w v.a ded, byt
we will not live to fee them destroyed,;
the wounds by which.they fall ffia.ll firfl;
reach our hearts, and the crimson, torrents
of our blood be ihed as a libation on the
pile of expiring freedom.; He who can
tamely fee a corrupt ungrateful tyrant
and his minions, wantonly,deftroy the
natural rights of mankind, the property
and the blood of thousands of his friends,
and fellow-fubje&s, only tq survive thei<
miserable fate, and be the next victim to
his cruelty and lud, must be a wretch in
deed I he can have no claim to the pro
tection of heaven, nor to the rewards of
good men.,
THE AUTHORS.
NINE-TENTHS of the English riati
on will, we are persuaded agr^e with
us that there never was a set of men at the
head of affairs in any kingdom upon earth,
who deferyed dot only to be scourged, but
to be punished (without even the form of
a trial) so much as the present most aban
doned ministers, with which the King, in
his,great wisdom has been pleased to curfe'
thisnation ; and with persevering obfli
nacy, peculiar to himfelf, is determined to
continue in power, notwithstanding they
have destroyed more than one half the
empire, (hed oceans of blood, and wafted
millions of treasure ; and he has done it
in direst opposition to the prayer and ad
vice of more than too thirds of the peo
ple. It must be confeffed there is some
thing great and magnanimous in it, it is
anting the imperial tyrant with a witness,
and at once bidding defiance to reason
and common sense, to justice and humani
ty,' and to all laws divine and human ;
but what have they to do with the will
of a King in this country, when he and
his minions can traiteroufly bribe the re
presentatives of the people with the pub
lic -money, and turn them like a nose of
wax to their own purpose?
Ifthefe are facts, and we dare, we defy
the most bare faced, impudent miniflerial
hireling to deny the truth of them, what
man who calls himfelf an Englishman, but
TQE3DAV, AuGUST 5 ^^ THE , NUMBER 812.:
CONNECTICUT COURANT,
AND TX.« , f'
WEEKLt I NTEL LiE'NC E R.
HARTFORD: Printed fy HUD SON, akd GOODW IN, mzar the Great-Bridge.'
what ETCH detest arid abhor such a united
band of traitors to their country, and
join with us in holding th^m up. to pub
lic contempt, and to.thejuft resentment of
an infuliedJplun&Ra, and almost ruined
nation.,, This is no time for fulfome
complinherits .and adulation, the spirit cf
the people must & roused, they must be
made acquainted with their own strength,
theirown. power, and with the dignity of
human nature ; and these must be exert'd
with refold,ion and firmnefs against the
defpptrc and blucly deigns of that cor
rupt, base, and wicked confederacy,, fup
porfed and encouraged by the. King at
Buckingham House, against the laws, liber
ties and properties of the people, to the
abioiute deftruaion of the date and king
dom. #
ft is. not only th^ duty of the people,
but it is ftri&ly lawful and just to qppofe
and defeat the present system of govern
ment, which evidently tends to the utter
subversion of the tights and liberties, and
the very small remains of property they
have left, from the ap grasping hand of
those merciic£s plunderers, those state
Fetches, who would drain from them
their last shilling to answer their diabolical
purposes. By the law. of .God- and of
nature, every man has a right to de
fend himfelf against the abuse, cf any pow
er; and by the happy constitution of this
country, when kings rind ministers break
through the bounds prescribed by the
laws, the right of the people to resist is
unquestionable. For is the end of all ci
vil government, is the fafety and happi
ness of the whole body, any power not
naturally conducive to this end is certain
ly unjust and the people have an undoubt
ed right to oppose and resist it., The
king and the people enter into a solemn
compad or agreement with each other ;
the king to govern well and according to
the fundamental principles cf the consti
tution, and the people, while the contrail
is religiously adheared to, and faithfully
performed oh his part, ought to honour
and refped him ; but if he regards his
own interest and that of a few worthless
minions, in preference to the happiness.
and welfare cf the people, he forfeits, of
cou/fe, every claim to their affection and
esteem, and merits their utmost contempt
and indignation for his baseness ^nd in
gratitude.
Let every disinterested, unprejudiced, &
unptnfioned man. survey with candor and
impartiality the present black and gloomy
situation of our affairs, and regulate Iris
condud accordingly.---Trade rapidly de
clining, the middling and lower chfs of
people groaning under theoppreffive bur
then of partial and unjust taxes, levied tor
the vilest the arid most wicked pyrpofes ;
the whole commerce of America destroyed,
and that land which used to be efeemed
a paradise, made a stage of cruelty and
lust ; our merchants ruined, our prisons
filled with flarvin"g insolvent debtors ; our
navy unabled to face the combined fleets
of France and Spain ; our armies defea
ted ; a number of our valuable islands
loft ; the whole landed property of Eng
land scarce fufficierit to pay the iniereft of
our enormous national debt, and daily
increasing, which mud in the end over
whelm us in ote general ruin ; the com
mon rights of mankind and the perfonaf
liberties of the people, most daringly at
tacked and openly violated, by the king
arid a corrupt legifl^ture, and thousands
of our fellow-fubje{t<, with large families
dragged like criminals from their dearest
conne^rons by a set of abandoned defpe-.
rate ruffians leyllj authorised ; merit and
virtue neglected and defpifod, arid those
only advanced, at this time, who are wil
ling to become instruments in the horrid
work of flltigh er and despotism.
The means of fedrefs for tihefe enor
mous evils are in the hands of the people,
and they must be moftThamefully dege
nerated if they are wanting in spirit, it is
a duty they owe to God, themselves, their
country and to posterity. Our brave and
virtuous fore fathers who left the most
valuable inheritance of any in the whole
world, a free government, in their laid
prayers befeeched the Almighty, that
their posterity might enjoy the bleffiags
of freedom no longer than they had sense
to value, virtue to deserve, and spirit to
defend them.
Liberty is to the coliedive body what
health is to every individual ; without
health no pleasure can be tasted by man ;
without liberty no happiness can be en
joyed by society : therefore the obligati
on to maintain and defend the constituti
on will appear most sacred to every rati
onal thinking mind. Meri whoare sensible
of themselves, and of their own dignity
and rights, will never shrink from the
service of their country, nor promote its
interest with coolness and indifference,
hut on every occasion be ready to rifle
every thing in its defence. They will
behold, with the utmost unconcern,
the ridicule and eenfure of those tools of
power who would drown the voice of
freedom in the clamour of a court faction.
Such Haves ought to be treated with the
most sovereign contempt, because they
are the known enemies to freedom, from
that antipathy whch private interest, and
the lull of power for felfifh ends, will ever
bear to true patriotism arid public vir
tue.