The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1770-1772, 1772-07-23

IN the peop,e over whom il is exercIied, IS
nothing lels than a fupreme tyrana.y AND
the man who trains his every nsrve' 10 per-
ruade his country to fubmit 10 furh uiurpa-
ton. Guch fundamental fbvertion OF their
laws and contribution, is iuPreme traitors
and lhould be made fuperlatNe example
of. The IMMUNITY of Sylia gave Rome
Cefar. But whence are we 10 aPprehend this
mighty danger Of endeavourlng 70 MAINTAIN
the natural and charter rights OF free iubleetsf
Do we claim any independence or the crown
that (hould alarm the nation Have we not as
cheerfuily taken part with our Sovereign in
al his w4rs,a any fubjees he has upon earth,
But what have we to do with the Lords and
CJmmons of Great Britain /? In their lsgll-
latye capacity they are guardians OF their
own and conffituents rights, againR the en-
croachments of the crown, but who can thew
the inRrument by which they are contributed
the conferyators of the rights of Americans
If fuch pact as this can be produced, II
may ,henceforth be proper enough to talk Of
the conAitutioual dependence of the Com
mons of America, on the Legislative authorl-
ty of the deputies of the Commons OF Great
Britain.
1t feems as if you could never get over tht
notion of reducing complete common
wealth, poneiIe1 both of the foil and iove
reienty Of territory more extenilve thar
many German PrinciPality, to the condi'
ton of fome pitiful corporation. Did yo'
ever hear of corporation with King at tb'
head of it, inveRed with legislative and exc
cutve powers, even TO the power over lif'
and limb, and right Of making peace an'
war with other nations Are not all the cor
porations you 10 uncivilly compare this Grea
Province to, included in one lmali lll4nd
perhaps ten or twenty of them in county
where. in common with the reit of their fe
low citizens, they elect deputies to repreien
them in the great council of their country
But indelcacv, however unbecomlng gen
tleman in your ifation, is not your only fail.
ing. The worthy Marchmont NedharY9a
marked few out lines of your moro 4nV
political character in very hriking te<1s
which hope his maaerly pencil will fill N
and hnilh in fesfon. Your long winded quib
bic about defence and jnpporf of goVer6men
is really defpicable. Who does not know
they are bur,henfome, and who can be pre-.
fumed 70 Hupid as to be perfuaded, that th'
prelent tyrannic mode of extorting our monte
without our content, and lavllhing nine tenth
of them on the lccundrels concerned in th'
pillaging oftbem, are slleviatory circumiian
ces a.? Did not the author of the Mirror efeen
the gatherings cf tIeafure, and ordinance
which ought to be made by the common
content Of the King and his counties, bu
then made by his eierkS, by aliens and dfpea
danfy, an ntoleTable grievance
Is not this our preieot unhappy cafe Ar
not the acts of Parliament, you 70 infulting
ly teaze US with, and the gathering
of treafure, made without the common con
fen, of our towns or counties I But all th
and every other kind of argument and au
thotity NUT be loft upon man, who cal
call plain and undeniable articles of char
ter a meer fhadow and by coupling then
with any other chimeras which ariie in hi
mind, endeavour to turn them to ridicule
ard in the fanced triumph, fneer at tn
whole representative body in as cavalier
manner as Wet India planter might b
fuppoled to do at his Negroes. ''You az
(fmall folks) unfortunate in your notions.
You are pack of liIy ignoramuiles VIII
talk Of contribution, compact, law, reafou
iuflice and bnth-righr, but give me one &C
of Parliament, one decree Of chancery how
ever vilainouAy urged and obtained, and
fig for you all.
| lhaIl probably confiler your talk abou
the mutual check in a future paper, thi
having already exceeded the common. limit
of LEON I'D AS.
l. ADX