The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775, 1773-03-25
/ H u Rs d a Y, March IS.
BIO s T O n.

1878, and continued BY adjournment to tb
23d infant.
n mr.. SAMUEL ADAMS acquainted TIL
wi Moderator, that he was directed b.
a committee (of which he was chairman
to make report and the fame was read a
follows, viz.
IS THE committee appointed to conf
der what is proper to be done, to vindicat'
the town from the grois INTERPRETATION
and groundlefs charges in his Excellency'
meiTage to both houfes" of the General az
fembly, I" Rejecting the proceedings of thu
town at their laG meeting," beg leave tc
report.
&c THAT having carefully looked ove
the feveral fpeeches of the Governor of th'
province, to the council and houfe of repre-
fentatives, in the laff FELTON, of the Gener.
al Ailembly, they find that his Excellency
has plainly fnjinEatsI;
" Fhf, that the faid meeting of the towr
was illegal in itISE
" Secondly, that the points therein deter
mined were fuch, as the law gives the in
habitants of towns in their corporate capaci-
ty no power to act upon and therefore,
that the proceedings of faid meeting were
againh law. And,
" Thirdly, that the inhabitants thus al
fembled advanced, and afterwards publifhed
to the world, fuch principles as have a di-
rect tendency to ALLEVIATE the affections OF
the people from their fovereign. And he
plainly 0lcyr that they" denied in the mott
expre(s terms the supremacy of parliament,
and invited every other town and diffEia in
the province to adopt the fame prin-
ciples."
{" We have therefore thought it neceda-
~ to reeur to the methods taken for calling
faid meeting. And we find that three Pc
titions were preferred to the Seleef-men,
Ggued by 1873 respectable freeholders
and inhabitants, making mention of a re-
port that then prevailed, andwhich iince ap-
pears to have been well grounded, that fala-
Ties we're allowed to be paid to the Jultices
ofthe Superior Court ofthe province by or
der of the crown whereby they were to be
made totally independent of,ne General Al.
1embiy and absolutely dependent on the
crown And letting forth their apprchenii-
ons that (uch an eaabIiihment would give a
hni(hing ftroke to the fyRem of tyranny ale
ready begun, and compleat the ruin of the
liberties Of the people. And therefore ear.
nelly requeaing the Seleamen TO call a
meeting,th this matter might be duly con-
Eidered by the town, and fuch meafures TAX
en- as the necefity and importance thereof
reouired. Whereupon the Seleefmen iilu-
ed warrant for calling meeting accord
iney. All which was friefly agreeable to
the laws ofth province, and the practice oil
this and other towns from the earlief
times.
6 By an act of this province made in the
fourth year of William and Mary il is enact
ed: That, "when and 70 often as there fhal
be occaGon of town meeting for any bu-
finefs of public concernment to the town
there to be done, the conffable or conftable:
of Guch town, by order of the Seleamen, OF
major part Of them, or of the town clerk
by their order, in each REFLECTIVE town with.
in this province fhall warn a meeting of fuct
town." Sc. And by another act made in th'
aGeorge I.itis enacted; That "When andft
often as ten or more of the freeholders of AM
town, fhall hgnify under their hands to th'
, 'S=leamen, their dehre to have any mattel
or thing inherited into a warrant for calling
town meeting, the Se!eamen are hereby re-
oaired to infrrt the fame ic the next war
4 rant they fhal ifae, for the calling town
meeting"
j IS But were there no fuch laws ofthe pro
vince, or fhould our enemies pervert thefe an'
other laws made for the fame purpoie, from
! tAeir plain and obvious intent aud meaning
A Gill thee IS the g;eat and perpetual law o