The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1779-08-07 00:00:00, page 1

LJ} UST 7, 1779- T H E - .— NUMDEK 26:
VIRGINIA GAZETTE
WILLIAMSBURG: PRlNTED BY DIXON Cs' NICOLSOIY
siA, ._=
n'.- ADDRESS Wh- CoMMlTTEE oftbe ci/y m amiss y
'Philadelphia, to their FELLOW ClTlZlct-ZNS throughout the
ZUNITED STATES.
'- _,si
:- Flunos Aud Couu-rmuzss,
ECESSKTY and convenience have again called into being :
body of men, hitherto known throughout the seven] part.
of Ameri:a by the name of committcet; and we presume
that when the set erctl reasons therefor use collected and con
sidered, that their reinaitutwn at this time will not only be justified, but
ed and followed.
I owner, in the tranquil hours ofpence, we mlyldmire, and confine
ourselves to the guidnnce us written laws, yet-in times of traiterom wnr,
lnd more especially si; in an invaded country, they will in general be
Mad too flow in their operaniun, 'too uncertain in their effects.
mThe ingenuity of men in the invention of new crimec, the proffituted
'ilgmuity osothen, in (heating erimimlity from legal punishment; the
ldditionl-oypurtunitw Which :! fine of war afford: to the subtile, the
m and dtt'afsected, together with the impolsibifity of Iegally describing
do nametom kind: of dil'affecsition psnctlclble in an invaded country,
under the revival of committees during the pretent war, not only a con
Venient but I necessity lppendzctze to civil government.
tsi-There use offence: against society Which are not in 1" ense- offeneet
gin]! hw, znd foe the prevention l' puuishmeut of which no written
hue can be timely conlimcted, ul' fitffici--ntly applied. Circumflamen
may combine to prove : man undeserving the nank he mav hold or the
nfidenee he may enjor among the cittzenss of this or any other state, lnd
by some accident: defect of the hurt in being. the pzrverston of : veil
intended clause, the fnilure of immediate evidence, or even smm the
melty of the cn'me, he may esclpe the punishmvnt of a courtofjuflieex In
Ill such cases the-efore, orothers of : similact nature, we hold this nlxim
dint where the offence in ublickly dangerous o'r injuriom. and the law.
unable to relieve or puni , the community, in it! 9wn defence, and for
it farther security, but a right to expel. :
'siFormidable " the unishment osexpulsion may appeu, we nevertheless
ipfflfy the sight oft! ng it, on the roundl and prmeiplet of citiunship,
Meth- udmittsidsiand inmemorin endeth of mankind. It in a right
man and exercised by every scplrltlt soeiety in this and all other con
fll. sifflsfl the eommunity at large in In incorponted collection of the
been] am, therefon the right at the whole clnnot be inferiour to the
prn whieh it in composed. . - . ct -
[: innconsittent to suppose that the Ienity of our laws, or their silenee
on crime! we can hire 'n'ii eonceptid'n 67," sia're'to become I safeguard to
thedisas-cted'in theilj art! of ttu-Tied delirfiquency, or that no'othcr offencu
lqe y'unishable in an invaded country, that what are to be found in the
'M'of a'l'ettled and well regulated si-ef'ety. We cannot cdnflntct lawe
Mvill reneh all eased, and therefore we maintri'n the right. as well a
shinecelfity of holding every man mcc'oumable to the eommunity, for
plm of his conduct by which the puh'ick welfare appear: to he
nred or dishonoured, and for which no Iega'] redress can be obtained.
- _ In time- ofwu' and invasion, {we conceive it necessity that ! discreti
Lnry power should um somewhere; for at the authorit of civil govern.
nreannot, withdutexceeding its bounds or dcscendin g rom its ehzract-r,
extend to Ill the circumstzrces that may arise; therefore a numeroul race
Of subtile or newinvented offences, will, without the interposssition of such
Q'power, hlve : eernin and extensive latitude to act in, unrestrained and
!dptnibnhle by law.
" 'To blind such : power with the cnnftituti-n -I auth vrity of the he;,
would, according to our idens of ii wrty and conception of thing:, be
hbisl end vnsefe; bec-tuse b- ing once incmporared therewith, the
5 mien might afterwzsde be difficult, and that which watcrigimlly ,
Mind :! I notporatsiy cosivenience, jultified by necessity, mlght in
:" clahlish itshif into I perpetual evil, and be claimed as ! matter of
. \
The exertione which are sometimes necessary to be mlde by the inha
* int: of an invzded country, for their own presesvation and defence,
frequently of such a peculiar and extraordinary quality, that :: they
' t not to become the rule of legal government in limcl of pence,
.! _ ;] not be mixed therewith in time. of war; for that which in the
Community may be the s irit of liberty, introduced into the laws would
become its destroy". eresore :: we cannot, on the one hand, permit
our low- to beequisivocaiiy conflructed and discretionaril applied, ip older
taste sslttd bend them to every new case, so neither oug t we on the other
sistnd'to suffer dle general interest to be sa ped by : species of delinquentt.
yho, governed by warice, or prompteci) by dcfcction, are fludytng to
finde what th? dare not transgress. \ ct
* it in to tho e evils, too lmphibious to be defined, and too subtile at
"9" to too tranfitory to become th'. object of established lawe, thlsst )th w-sh
to apply a remedy, capable of suiting itself to the variety of the offence,
Osskhbuto posing the ruiee of its inltitution, and this we conceive on be
nother t an the discretionary power of the citizcm orgunized, and ncting
Wh ommittee. ,
t' ' ' ition of an inuded country sufficicntly prove. the exercise
of such lum: necefl'zry, and we hue ulrudy lined our reison'o'why it
"I: to dotaqhed from the legal government. [: i. futbennore out
in thlt th: exercise of discretionnry power: for the rcdnso of ten
M evils. is belt intrusted with temporary bodiel, because when the
' net: ty which called forth such powert shall cease, the occasion of such
bodiet celsee therewith, and the authority ofcivil governmen— m
end untrnwted, continue in origin] thenne]. - -' '
We are likewise of opinion that the hwo- already in bing. non!!!
derive gteat suppen f.om the reinstitution ofId-M, .dthe M
: teilforeemem of poth to the powen ofgovernne-t ie-nehIZ-vy-in [I
invadei country. it it the but if not the only moded, which thenn
munity een conveniently throw in their poution of lflihnen admitti
bute to the nutharity of the flute, The fee: defending toils! the
general interest, where : made of milnnentit provided, whtei ende
eatily :md poverfully executed, il : orcible inducement to elohedienee,
and operates with peculiar efflceey on those who- m ' principle
eln restrain. - 1 " -
Such being our thoughte on the shbjefl, m sublit them to the con
sideration ofonr tellen citizene, in every pen of the Uniud Gum. And
shall now proceed to give me sentiment- on a man- w which theusesol
nest of eommitteet inly with yarticullr ednntage be elfily end extenstveiy
applied. We ment: the reinltatinglnd sopportin theetedit ot ouretmw .
lt il : well known muim, thet that whie in every bodiee'bufine
is no bodies business . Each one lookt with diseo'nteln it the other; the
expectetion it returned and continued, end everym il surprised that
no one beginc. Such has been the fine of our curmcy for some eonsndetb
able time past. and such it will continue to be, until it be put under the
care of pesticulu bodm, present in all place., who lull be e-powered
to watch ageinsi the meant by which it hu been depainted, ment
their increal'ezfan: punish them on deteaion. " si:
T be he t e enemy appeete to he 'ne' ed on what
would Girth. benltruptcy of the eontinZhlt, Inflamed by : fdlmshz
the enrreney. Every nne among It! seemed to unrehettd in probability,
and though all appeared to ley it to heart, noone lent hie hand to
prevent it. si ,
Entry dav made the matter worse, end the tnk helvier. We looked
et one lnnther, complained, murmured, end went away.
Yet lo mittaken end extreordinery have been our move, lhlt while
we dreaded the evil we invited it on, and hastened to meet the men do
wished to avoid". At the'nte we were going from ]:num to May. *
state of bankmptcy mak have token pllee in the spice of a few weete.
A banksuptey of : pandoxicll kind. A blnkmptey need, not
by the mnr of money. hot by the ebunduce of it. see he been the
condition we were unmsely elposed to, end sheh it mbeeome the
object thlt claim! our "tention. .
By theeffom of the inhlbitante of thin city on the estlt of Me,, I
flop he: been t to the de cietion, end afforded un en oppottunity
lating the tale for the con tdemion of all. si
For once we shall lene public]: spirit end public]: virtue out of th.
quelti'on, and address our nrgfinenu to the interest; ruthe: then the
honour. to the aun'ce, rlther than the patriotistl of individunll. " '
To that end is it that we get money with onehand, anddepteeiateia
the other? Let the pllnter, the meschent, the milk. endetryor
other order, of men reckon their wench at this time, and they will in
themsisihn poorer in value though riche: in qmtity then they were le!
Chr-ttmn or : year a . Om- lmice in thee intente operate! without
in usual cunning, an we mutua'lly imputersh ourselvee to be : much
foe each other.
- Were it possible that the property of Ameriea could fail, her [tude
become barren, he'r rivers dried up, agricultorc extingdishodsinnd popi
h'tidn extinct, the currency would then went : foundition for in wedit.
un ability for in redemption ; because in those elsee it would be : kepte.
sentation of nothing. Or did the eredit of itdectpend on lout,
it would then, Iike I" other metten of favour, besoi'isiefl to ' si'on
and dis-uypotntment. Beside: which wefltould by ("o doinzonlyexdunge
one debt for another, less suited to oueinmst tudlnote expenfivev
tedrem. But the case no.: is othenis . Weprsiegoth d'ebtof tal ss
eteditor. We not only be the money; but ne : the property" '
which itjt to be made ood, end nothing butourmeonsent it me:}
to make it of what v ne we please. .
Yet notwithnandinctg these advantaget, the for nifingthc '
will, no esl it be put a flop-to, become the ruin of those who contrived
it, end those who follow it. We shall descend from nduoshilfin
from shillinge to pence, and from pence to nothing. t hll !ong'been
um crude w-ll teguhtc itself, yet sufficient exyesienee hat hent: tlnt the
mutim, though idmittrdly true in some uses, '- not so in Ill. While
monopolizen ate suffered to exifl, who by sie In; in between the imporm
and the mail Purchaset cen produce : scmsst when theydtoob, et by
their transportmg their good: backward and {mild from Ran w he
can occnfiontlly create : went in my or in ill, or while the unifo- by
laying on what profit: he plenset, becomes regardless of whn price: he
gives, of how much they outbid "eld: other. in all tick du tude h
deprived of its chance and becomes clogzed with adisvfi, which kit
itsels will destroy in credit lad produce m destruction.
By laying un ndditionll price on what we hue to sell, beiewhathmzx
we lay : ]osntpon the moneywe have in hind, tuum equll to
advance we got; 'and while we m'mnting the ptofitt of : sole. the
depreehtion upon the uphfl wheel Hence again! tus mm
one mid: risen mother risen in double maw Tnfl i, and the
hope of him who unde thosirll m it ' dby paainu
around him. lo dost, we sun me to be Etible thet neither
our prlcsict without turning the tidepf om- ens-ney Wine, which
tunning faster and more forcibly down then wemabhn n' qp, "
un deceitfully lvuy, lad lll our kbour turns to no lmunt.