The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775, 1773-01-21
For the MassAcuUsRTrs SPY.


70 the PRI.N T E r 5.
Plsak TO inJirt the fsilssving stjtrV0fiSr; zpen
an sxtrG7 tsm an /" EDay on the E1gG@
Ceafitatien," Iatsy plSGfSed in ,'ar Ga
zetfs.
TIME writer Of the eGay above mention
ed aherts with great aiiurance that the
parliament of Great Britain has juif and
constitutional right to impoie taxes on The CO.
lonies without th,ir content, and that their
claims to exemption from luch taxation have
neither &c law, contribution, nor reaion TO
fupport them."-As the rights ofthe colonies
have been 70 thoroughly difcufrd by many
maaerly pens, and enlightened heads, and
their right TO an exemption from all taxes but
fuch as they themlelves content to, has been
ihewn to demonRfation,--a as the rea-
foning and conclulionsof this writer are too
big with unconstitutional principles and alb
furdities, to elcape the penetrating eyes OF A
merican underaandipgs-ir was generally
thought unnecenary to anfwer it-But leaft
fome who have not attended to the AmeIi-
can controversy fhould be deIuded by this
writer, ihall reply in few words to what he
has faid. tits allowed BY all (enible writer's
upon the Euglifh contribution, that it has its
foundation in freedom, and that no Engliih
fubjea can, agreeable to the fundamentalprin-
ciples of the contribution, be deprived Of his
property without his content. or the content
of his Representative. Now the queftlon is,
whether the colonias are repreiented in the
Britilh Parliament If they are not (than
ahich nothing is mole certain) their COM
plants are juR, and taking away their mo-
ney without their content is tyranny and re-
duces them to Aaves--for if Britons have a
right TO di(pofe Of the property Of Americans,
the Americans can have no property at ALL
in that cafe il Is all veifed in the Britons, and
nothingis left for the Americans but abfolute
flayery. This is 70 evident truth that COM
mon fenfe cannot heftate moment to de-
iermine.
Ii is faid by this miniaerial cafuih that the
colonies are repreGented by the electors in
Britain, as many of the towns of England are
who have no representatives, and that repre-
teHSation is confined to the fpot where the
c4pll Mutton was hra formed. To which
AZ er, mo parallel can.be drawn between the
Esge towns in England which have no repre-
and the colonies, for. they are re-
prelcnted in fome degree byytheir neighbours
and counsrymen, T5dt they have right to
be equally repreiemed] and no laws are made
but fuch as affea every town and nearly a.
like one town is not taxed while another is
exempted, their interefs are 70 conneasd
that all have equal fecurity from impofi,ions.
This is not the cafe with the colonies. The
intereit of the coloniffs is not 70 connected
with the interea of the representatives in Bri-
tain as to be fuficient fecurity for the colo
MES and if they find by taxing US they fEall,
tighten their own burdens, and encreaie their
wealth, it mutt be the heighth of blind pre-
to fuppofe they will have virtue e.
nough to reGa the powerful temptation of in
teref, which will ever urge them to in.
jure Us.
As to their grand hypothesis, that "repre-
lentaton is eon6ned to the fpot where the
contribution was at irft formed" it is repug-
nant to the efEnce of the Engifh coniiituti-
on which fecures the liberty and property of
every fubjee. Nothing Can be more glar-
ing abiurdity than the fuppoGtion that repre-.
fcntaiion is confined to that part of the king
dom where it was frft formed, for agreeable
to this doctrine, if the coloniis fhould be-
come ten times as numerous as the Britons,
(Which in few generations it is probable
they will they would all be repreiensed by
the Britons where the contribution was FRI
formed, and would be liable to all the taxes
and impOfitons which they pleaied to lay up
on them and the colonifs could be conf
dered only as llaves to work for the Britons
In procels of time the colonifs may be 70
numerous as to maintain every lubjed in
n ~ ID =. l.