The Massachusetts spy, or, Thomas's Boston journal. [volume] (Boston [Mass.]) 1772-1775, 1774-05-05


general ienic Of the people j. thois very leaders, who IN
other parts Of your peceh Preened entirely govern
ing the Aemb, whom you call et of ignorant farmers,
and affirm that the nothing OF what they are aeout'
cannot bur oberve chat the power OF thee leaders at
Bottom great fma, according as makes bet ior your
pupo. When any thing is done by the province when
eems thew hc leat degree Of confidence in then Governor
then he is at once man, universally beloved by the po-
pie, and the party leaders dare not utter word agant NM
But when his conduct cenued by the joint voice OF the
whole province, exped in the reoves Of the Council and
Houie of Representatives, and the votes OF amoit every
particular town, then truly thee leaders are exalted INTO
kind Of demgods, who, you tcus, fit IN their iecet eaoA
dictate their aembles, rae fame IN the ProVlnee' ana
preld it throughout America. In the fame manner you
talk of DIR. franklin oetmes he moves in an orbit TAR
inferior colony agent preienty ne is the mt oVei
of all the dfurbances the provinces and the only Peon
who has raied and Imported the oPPoton OF Aea 10
the impotons of the Brtih parliament AS though not
Jingle American had any feeling, except Dr. franklin we
but augha fuch approximations IN America Kho"
not how they may be applauded your ide OF the water
You remark facaaicay that 60 of the late provinces nave
taken on tbesUeJ TO fix the limits OF the Kings charters.
If you mean any thing by this 1t mutt convey eeninTe on
Mr. Hutchinon himicG whom you are fond OF Teprcent-
ing as the principal actor in that affair." ~.
All the remaining part of your peeeh is wholly lmperti
nent to the point in debate and contains only your attempt
to fix a reproaeh on the conduct of DR.. franklin Had
you dcoyered any thing in the behaviour OF that gen.
eman, with which the world were not before acquainted,
you might have aboured with hopes of ueeeis But
your INTERPRETATIONS ofknown facts, joined with the apPa-
rent fity of your remarks upon them, can never Tx
afing ain on 70 respectable charaer. All you can dols
to frnh little fuel keep up the fire Of party zea and
afford few topics of defamation to thoe ieconerate people,
who having no opinions of their own, thew audabe expi
lily in adopting thoie of Others.
You inform us in note, that you eautiouly avoid enter
ng into the queon whether the letters good or bad
Il L,e-. tfuhR-
her they were public or private. This point, you well
knew had nothing to do with the defence Of the writers
but YOU had another work in hand DR.. Franklin to be
rallied at and you knew better way to introduce yeur
philippe.
Dr. franklin had aerted, as reaion for tranmitting
eie letters to America, that they public letters, TO
public perons, on public affairs, and intended TO produce
public meares You take up theie words, and Pend iome
pages in attempting eonfute them. AS look on this
parof your peeht be the albeit pecmen of your argumen
tave powers, ha beg leave to coniider It little more
coey.
You judged very well in placing your mo powerful asu-
ment hrf They private letters, you FAY, beoauie IN
one of them there paragraph returning thanks to an old
lady of eventy, for ioms cvte hown to the writer's chill
den al Nonch. You have here eeeted perhaps the only
aroke of meery private, which contained in thee
letters and woud argue concerning the degn eorepon-
dence which contains among other hingsa project FOR
altering the contribution of this province, from caiua pal
fge which is beide their general pupoie. Had thee
writers pent fifty years in tending letters of thanks to an
old lady at Nonfieh, not man in the kingdom would have
thought them worth annladverion. You in the next
place deny that the letters written to peron IN public
faoas becauie you tell Mr.. Whatey at that time and
for wo years before and after, only private member
of pal unen fear it will be neoefiary for to explain
the terms we make ue of before proceed any further
in the argument for apt to imagine that you have
very different notion of the meaning of the word pySa
from that which ia conveys the ref Of the world Indeed
ealy account for your Uniting that theie are
private letters, when hear you talking of private members
Of parliament. For to etot your own expeion concern
ing the letters, fmenbers of parliament in private
haton only, know not what be reclkoned public.
But am radyto acknowledge that it not meery their
having been written to men in public fations by public
officers, which gave the right of tranimitting them to
America Ii was their contents Their tendency the defgn
of the writer's and the uie, which it well known, Mr.
Whately made Of them This DR.. Franklin aiierts BY
laying that they written public affairs and intended
produce public melures Affections, which you pretend
not either to ccnrc deny but content youref with ak
ing whether every does write in the fame way,
VIII this is crime Of 70 heinous nature 10 put Mr.
Whatelys friends out Of the common protection and de-
prive them of the rights OF humanity with
or TWO other interrogation Of the fame general nature
eaiily anfwered and nothing to the purpoie.
For Mr. Wedderbun, if the zeal of party, the biafs of
fees the proipe6s Of promotion, to which your ambition
hes already ac6oed your Patiotm and your honour, have
entirely deprived you of your hare of enfe,
dee you make little uie of it this location. If the
crime of pubng this fecrst conepondenoe be really 70
great you endeaour repreen conder who is e man,
whom the blame muf at a fall and your rproaches be
finally pointed. The is the deceafed Mr.. Whately,
whom thee letters originally addreed. He was,
according your expeditions, who violated the inun6ons
of crccy, which were laid upon him by his friends. He
it who irt communicated them Others and oonfder
ed theie letters of public nature which you allure
lamentations of Governors the foon fate of this
province and thanks the old lady Nonuch. He it was
who by giving them to third peron quilted all his right
and tile to them, part Of the property of the %hatey
family !; deprived hmieif Of the power of obeyng the in
gan that circulation of them, which after their pang
Though ievera hands, ended in their being given to Dr.
franklin, with view their being anfmited America.