The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1783-08-19 00:00:00, page 1

Tuft Published, and now Selling,
By HUDSON & GOODWIN,
A neat Edition of
Dilworth's Spelling Book
Printed on a large Type and fine Paper,
TO WHICH IS ADDED,
The Shorter Catechism,
Agreed upon by the Reverend Assembly of Di
vines at Westminster.
4*4 Those who purchase large quantities (hall
have them as cheap as they are fold in New-York
or Boston.
AL S O,
NEW-ENGLAND PRIMERS,
By the Gross, Dozen or Single.
NOTICE as hereby given, that William Joyce has got
the use and improvement of Capt. Samuel Willis's
Sure and Wharf in Middletown, all persons that would fa
vour him with their custom, may depend on constant at
tendance and be generoufl, used—and where he means to
hold his Vendue on Wednesday of every week, all persons
that would favour him with their custom in that way, may
depend on secrecy, and their money in forty-eight hours af
ter sale.
Middletown, July 26, 1,8;.
TO BE SOLD, for want of Money,
A likely, healthy, active Negro
BOY, about fifteen years of age, whounderftands the busi
ness both of the farm and kitchen. Enquire of the Printers.
-DRUGTanT MEDICINES'.
AFRESH Affertment, diredly from Europe, are nowre
ceived and felling on the lowest Terms, at the Store of
BEARDSLEYS & HOPKINS.
A L S 0,
Brandy, Teneriffe and Port Wines, Raisins, Rice, Roll
and Flour of Sulphur, Prussian Blue, Verdegrife, Vermillion,
&c. And a few Articles in the Stationary Way.
* ¥ * All those who negled to fettle their Accompts sea
sonably, antecedent to the next (annual) Inferior Court,
must exped then and there to fuffier for their negled.
B. & H.
H^dn-d. An^uft. 178%
TO BE SO L I),
At PUBLIC VE ND UE,
On Taefday the 26th of August instant,
THE Hull of a handsome, burthenfome, well built, dou
ble deck'd vessel, of about 200 tons burthen, as she now
lays on the Hocks at Willis's ship yard, in Middletown, and
ma, be launched in a menth or fix weeks --The Vendue to
be held at the yard. 1
Middletown, August r, 1783.
Just imported and to be S O L D,
By GEORGE WATSON,
In Wethersfield, in the Store belonging to Capt. John
Wright, oppofire Mr. Joseph Webb's.
AN Assortment of European and Weft-India Goods,
cheap for Cash, by Wholesale and Retail.
Wethersfield, August 4, 1783.
WE the Subicribers being appointed by the Hon. Judge
of Probate, for the difhidof Hartford, to receive
and examine the claims of the creditors to the estate of
Enoch Drake, fl. late of Windsor, deccafed, reprefenfcd
infolveut, and fix months being allowed for fettlcment : Do
hereby give notice, th twt shall attend on said br,fineft at
the dwelling hufe of Mr. Job Cook, in Windsor, on the
last Mondays of November and December next, after which
time no accounts will be allowed,
THOMAS NEWBERY, ) Commif-
ROBERT SANFORD. ) fioners.
N. B. All those that are indebted to said estate, are de
sired to make immediate payment, to
JOB COOK. Administrator.
Windsor, June 24, 1783.
F^UNDlaft Tuesday morning, a Camblet CLOAK. The
owner may have it by proving his property and paying
charges. Apply to
JOHN LARKCUM,
Hartford, July 26, 178;,
{ ,f/ /g& N —* —/ \ ) /1
'of- 7 , Q Q A NDU — > J^O 0
IX7 fa faKIV I i l I 1 If# 4'&'|<
HARTFO RD: Printed by HUDSON and GOO DWI N, near the Great Bridge.
T U E S D A Y, August 19, 1783.
To the INHABITANTS of the Town of
Farmington, who voted at the late Meeting.
Gentlemen,
ON perusing your late publication, I was sur
prised to find in it so many just observa
tions on our present fiiuation,and so fair a picture
of that anarchy and confufion, into which you
are labouring to plunge the States. It is an evi
dent proof that some of you at least were sensi
ble of the dangerous consequences of such irre
gular condu£L And I defy the most eloquent
reasoner to produce stronger arguments against
the whole course of your proceedings than what
may be collected from your own address.
You acknowledge thatfh commutation is grant
ed, is become part of the national debt, and the faith
of the United States is pledged for its payment.
You own there is no way to avoid the payment,
but by rolling the great body of the people to an
open and violent opposition to the supreme authority.
Such a measure you tell us nothing can jiffy but
an attack upon the vital principles of the conflitution.
For token such an event takes place, it is in sass
a resumption of all delegated power, a fufpenfon of
the conflitution, and throws the community back in
to an original fate of nature ; the rubicon is passed,
and what kind of government, whether free or ty
rannical will arise from such a dismal feene of
wretchedness and corfifon, is left to the hazard of
precarious events. Ike exercise therefore of this
power is much to be dreaded, and ought to be consi
dered as the last sovereign remedy to save a people
frompoliticql death. Yet you attempt to destroy
our constitutions and throw us back into this ori
ginal state of nature; in this dismal feene of
wretchedness and confufion you would involve
the community, and leave it to the hazard of pre
carious events, whether, by these confufions, we
may not again be bound in the bands oftyran
ny. And all for what end ? What is the attack
on the vital principles of the conflitution, by
which you would pretend to juftify the attempt ?
You fay it fill remains a doubt whether Congress
for this grant were vtfed with competent powers.
/'nd are you ready to ruin your country upon a
doubt ? And ruth headlong into riot, anarchy
and infurre&ion, while you own yourselves ig
norant whether you are right or wrong ? You
acknowledge Congrifs have a right to grant mo
nies in the nature of gratuities. This is acknow
ledging more than is necessary for the argument ;
for the half-pay was never in the nature of a gra
tuity, but a.part of the contrast for future Servi
ces : Nay the officers were necessitated to con
quer the enemy and secure our independence,
before they could be entitled to demand, or we
enabled to pay it. You fay it is unnecessary to
give reaforis to prove that the commutation is op
preHive to the people and subversive of republi
can principles, because this appears to be the ge
neral opinion. This is a very compendious
mode of arguing/ But it does not happen to be
the opinion of Congress, the Commander in
Chief and the majority of at least nine States in
the union. For you cannot be ignorant that
this measure was adopted by Pennsylvania as a
State long before itwas by Congress, and that it
is as popular in all the Southern States as it can
be unpopular in any towns in this. So that,
were it a wrong measure, the minority muff give
way or the union must at once be dissolved.
You fay the measure will be dangerous when drawn
into precedent. There can be no podibdity of
granting half-pay to officers a fecund time, un
less the country Should by infarctions be plung-
ed into a civil war, for we are out of danger in
any other case from any foreign invasion. A
void that and you are ensured against the pre
cedent. You pay an high compliment to Ge
neral Washington ; but you forget that he was
the firft and most urgent proposer of these grants,
that he believed and still believes in their neces
sity, propriety, justice and obligation. I will
give you his own words in a letter to Congress.
" If, fays he, besides the simple payment of their
wages, a further compensation is not due to the
Sufferings and Sacrifices of the officers, then have
I'been mistaken indeed. If this country Should
not in the event perform every thing which is
requested in their late memorial to Congress,
then shall I have learned what ingratitude is—
then foall I have realized a tale which will im
bitter every moment of my future life." These
are strong expressions. If these measures are an
attack on the vital principles of the constitution,
you ought to confider General Washington as
the greatest enemy of his country, and instead
of paying him any more compliments, to be con
sistent with yourselves, as bis person is luckily
out of jour reach, you ought immediately to
hang him in effigy.
But what, I would ask you, is this political
death, to which you would apply yciirfovereign
remedy of anarchy and infurre&ion ? To pay the
whole interest of the national debt, Congress call
on this State for a tax of eight-pence only on the
pound. Of this eight-pence, Somewhat less
than one penny answers the whole present de
mand on account of the commutation. He who
has only a pole-tax to pay, need therefore advance
but eighteen-pence a year and he is Safe from
the attack of this political bugbear. The wes
tern and unlocated lands, which we may at once
enable Congress to grant and which the offi
cers are ready to receive in payment, would
discharge not only the commutation, but the
whole of the national debt.
Much has been said in favor of paying the of
ficers their just wages, and then depriving them
of the commutation. They heartily with that
plan might take place. Let Connecticut raife'
in a twelvemonth, the exa& sum due for wages
and rations only to the officers of this State in
Specie, and I will engage, not only to fettle with
them for all their wages and commutation, but
to purchase up the whole of the certificates they
have received on both accounts, and lodge them
in the treasury to be charged by this State against
Congress. The officers in general have at least
three years pay due them, if they receive eight
years pay in certificates, it will not be worth the
three in Specie. With three hundred poundsin
Silver or gold, one can easily purchase one thou
sand pounds in certificates. So that the real
fa& is, that the officers by receiving the whole
pay and commutation in these certificates, will
not a&ually obtain the value of their Simple wa
ges., So far are our public Securities already de-,
preciated ; yet you propose a very ingenious
method of depreciating themftill farther—adopt
ing the sentiment of the old song, “ a little meye
cheating will do us no harm." You conclude
with a very just remark. Certainly the interpo
sition of the legislatures, and the united wisdom
of the people in this most important and critical
moment, is necessary, to save us from that gulph
into which we are on the point of plunging.
But pray, gentlemen, who forces you to make
the plunge ? .Were it not better, before you
take this desperate levers leap, to look back for
(No. 969.)