The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775, 1773-03-04

much the fame with thole of the couacil." IL
ierves to cor firm us in our opinion, and in
what we take to be the mof important matter of
difference between your Excslency and the two !
houies. Afer faying that the itatute of 9TH and |
sth of William and Mary favours the con(lruc. |
ton of the words as intending fuch laws Of Eng
land as ave made more Immediately to ,t(, eet |
bs. you tell Us that " the province Agent MIR.
Drummer. in his much sPplauded defence fays,
ih's fbss law Of the plants,ion may be faid 20
be repugnant to law made in Great Brain
when il fatty contradids it 70 far az the law
made there mentions and relates 10 the plantsti-
ons" This 10 plain and obvious TO common
ienfe; and therefore cannot be denied. But il
your Excellency will read page or two fur
tner in that excellent defence yon will fee that
he mentions this as the fenie of the phraie as
takea from an ae of parliament, rather than
a. the ienie he would chufe himielf to put up
on il, and he expressly defgus TO fhew in vim
dicatonof the cha ter that in that ienie of the
words, there never was a law made in the
plantations repugnaht to the laws # Great
Britain. He gives ano,her eonRrUeiion much
more likely 10 be the true iDten' of the words.
namely, 81 that the patentees nall not Prefume
under colour Of their particular charters to
make any Laws iscOzfassr zViib fbf g,sat char
ter and other law, Of England BY qOblt6 The hVft
Ebsrfirs and proprrnss Of EgghjGmss are JteHre4"
This is the ienie 10 which our ancehors I'M
derfood the words and therefore they were
unwilling to conform to the acts Of trade, sDd
difregarded them till they made proviii i'm to
spive them force in the colony by law of
their own laying that " the laws OF. England
did NOT reach Americs," and "thoie acts were
an invaiion of their rights, liberties and pro-
perties'' becauie they were not feprefensed
in parliament" The right of being governed
only by laws which were made by perlons In
whole election they had voice, they looked
upon as the foundation of Engllih liberties.
BY the compaa with the King 10 the charter
they were to be as fee in America, as they
would have been finley had remained within
the realm, and therefore they freely aGehed
that they i" were 10 be governed by laws made
BY themlelves aud by officers cholen by Them
felves." MIR Dummeriays 20 il ieems reaion-
abe enough to think that the cIo@n," and he
might have added our anceaors, I" intended BY
this injunction to provide for all lis fubjeets
that they might not be oppveRed by arbitrary
power--but-being fill Gubjeds, they fhoOld
be protected by the fame mild laws, and enjoy
the fame happy government as If they CONT
nued within the realm. And conflicting the
words of the charter in this light he looks ap-
on them as delgned 70 be a fence againA oP'
preHion and defpotick power. But the con-
nruetion which pour Exccllency pots upon th'
words reduces us to fate OF vaGsllsge, anC
expoies Us to oPpredion and deiPotick Po~e
whenever parliament ihall Zee ht TO maxi
laws for that purpole and put them in execution
We flatter ourielyes that from the Ia'ge ex
nrsets we have made from your Excellency'
hfsory of the colony, it appears evidently tina
under both charters, il hath been the fenle o
the PEOPLE and OF the government, that thel
were not under the jufiididion of Parliament
We pray you again TO reeur to thofe quotai
ans and our obfeTvations upon them !: An(
pe with TO hsve your Excellency's judiciou
remarks. When we adduced that hiaory e
prove that the Sentiments of private Perion
of influence four or FIVE years after the reitor
alton were very different from what your Ex
ceIlency apprehended them to be when yo'
delivered your lpeech, you feem 10 concede L
IL bv telling Us !" il was, AZ you take II, iron
the sriueielEI im6i6sl 10 Ih1ie times OF anarchy
{precedihg the reaorationl that thsy diiPuted
The authority of parliament" But you ado
"the government would not venture TO dill
pute il. We fad 10 the fame hihory quo
cation from letter of MIR. Stoughton dated ie-
.vesteen years after the refsration, msnrIon-
ing " the eountry's no. taking notice OF the
ads ofnsvigation 10 0kJWvv Gbis. AID il was
as we take il, after that time thar the govern
ment declared in letter TO their agents that
they had not fubmirted TO them; aad they 4" ven-
,ared to difpute" the jurildittiOn, slerting thai
they apprehended the acts to be an invsiion OF
the rights, Liberties and properties of the fub-
ieeas Of his msjeAy in the colony, fbGy nat bring
reprstsns6 ia parliament /; and that the laws OF
England did not rxaeb 44gsiea. 1t very little
= -. = $1,000 a.. O..