The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1770-1772, 1771-08-01


OF fuch deed, If we would hot &c jGetn d
accliiory TO their gniii, i! We ;7oald Nc, be
bTanaeO wEh ireo.10 ~ ,Hf counry, which
now lopd'y calls iot ca, sGAarce. Remove
but this re,o.utio0, Wh.cb nv noble friend
has dcmunl;tacj 60 b. unconRau,ionA and
abfurd ana ~ h,yc al uadoubtej risht &c
take thus iter. We ha,c y-csdsns On cur
foe. Ou' iofcIsihcFs rXs,,fr5 this right
al ;hc cafe u Aihby aad White, add rer:i-
we'd the sPpIaaies OF the whole nation, Il
is ridiculous TO pretend that by ibis a6t, we
viii commit breach oi privilege. I he
Commons can have no privilege, b. which
they are authorized TO break The laws.
Whenever they forget lhemie',es, ans.c5m.
NIT fucb outrage, We nlu!' ftp toward, aud
check their uiuTpaIion. Their Jufd c'ion
can in no initsnce be lo competent, hnal, and
concluiiye, as 10 prevent us from exerting
ourlelVes IN flpport Of The contribution, We
are the natural, the constitutional balance to
their encIOachments. II this be not the cafe,
why, in the name of wonder, were the three
eiiates conilitutsd Why is our concurrence
neceGaTy TO effsbIilh the validity Of Rarutes !
This point is 70 evident, that it may be left
to the deciiion Of the rswef chool- boy. II
then We mutt concern ourfeives in the making
Of every law, how much more are we hcpi
to intefett ourteives in preieNing the very
eHence of The contribution, in preierving that
right which is antecedent TO all laws, the
right Of eleeon1 But Lord Mddefex and
Lord Bacon were expelled and ncapacitated
by this Horle without soy cPpoiition fen
the other branches Of the lcs;laiu.e. Tney
were 70: but both were cafes that only ref
peeled lhemfelves, and confeqvently could
not, with any proplie;y, come under the con
liberation of any other branch. In the cafe
of Wilkes, do not complain 70 much of
the perlonAl injury, as the violation of the
rights of the people, who are grofsly abGlsd
and betrayed BY their representatives. ~ I he
cafes then being as widely different as North
and South, the argument founded on them
becomes utterly inconcluiive. But LEI US al
low you Guccsdaneum &c your argument;
let US fIppols thar the authority which gives
a feat to a Pes,, isas respectable as that which
confers Il on commoner, and that both au-
thorities are equally afTonred by expuIGon
and Interpretation. Yet Gill the companion
will not hold Gnee thele Lords received no
frelh title by birth or patent, and therefore
could not claim feat after the fra expuIiion.
Wilkes may, perhaps, complain that ne was
uniuftly expelled, but the chief fnbjea of the
nations complaint is, that he was rejected
after bis re. election. Had not this event TAX
en- place, preicription might have rendered
the hrft expulGon valid. If you slk, who
flhouId be more tenacious then the commons
themfelves oftheir privileges | anfwer, that
none fhould be 70 ready to protect them; and
it is fincerely to be lamented, that, bytheir re-
cent condu9, they have 70 far forgot their duty,
as to add to the long liz of venalifo, from Eau
down to the prelent day: thong b if we conf
der matters in their true light, il is the priyi-
leges of their conaituents that they have be-
trayed. Having now fet up a feperate ADD
independent authority, they would acquire,
and you would grant them, new privilege,
that of telling their confituents. lfyoa de-
fire to know how this doctrine came 20 be
preached, muff beg leave to acquaint you,
that il is as old, nay older thanthe confftu-
ton the liberty Of the people being the 6ra
thing for which provi6on is made in the orr
ginaI inHitution of government. Though in
the cafe Of Wilkes, we have not many initan-
css to prove the c0OteRed right, yet if ], BY