Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1802-1803, 1803-04-25

ten: and yet (urely no part OF the Itate
needs 70 full repI efentation as Maine.
The thinneG of population, the rnfettsd
Gate of our landei concerns, and the
unfettled ltate of elmoa every thing
elfe in his diiria together with our
colonial litua:ion render very full re-
prefentation from Maine indfpenlibly
recefary. The proportion between
representation of Maine and MaGAchu-
frtts ought to be as great, at leah, in
favor of the former as it hitherto has
| been in favor of the latter.
One would think that the bufinefs Of
Tending representative to the General
Court was punilhnent inflicted fer
a criminal offence. So far as the con
dud of many towns is evidentiAl of their
ientinents, they have undoubtedly con-
tidered it in this light. In many in
iiances they make ufe Of as much alti-
fice to AVOID the law in this relpect as
tho it were law of the mott pe'niciors
tendency. Let Us then deprive them
Of this ur:heniome privilege Of being
represented. Let u, repeal this law
and intead of it enact one that every
town, which negleas tending repre-
tentative, Willingly and willingly, for
any one year, ihall, forever after, lofe
the privilege. This, it is to be hoped,
will be done at our next feilion OF the
General Court. We fhould then fee
whether it was privilege worth exer
citing or burlhen, an impoGtion and
punifhment. This would awaken
thoir thoughtleis towns from their ilum-
bers to proper elimation OF the blef.
ings OF an equal approximation. A
privilege is OF no value uniefs il is uled.
The not uling his as bad as tho we
were deprived OF il altogether !. and
bad no power to ufe Il at all. The ef-
feet in either cafe would be the fame.
Now thea let thoi- towns who have
never fent Representative, and have
not yet difpoGtion to iend be deprived
wholly OF the privilege. While il IS
privilege if not ufed il is abufed ; and
ought, therefore, TO be taken away
The lofs Of IL would do them no injury
in as much as the opportunity to uie it
does them no good.
But were they deprived of il what
would be their language ! would they
fay 1T was nflIefs thing 10 us--it
never did Us any good-we may as we'll
be without it as with it, This would
be the fan, but would not be their Ian
guage. They would cry out in al the
bitterness OF inveetise and reProach-
We are tyran zed over---we are taxed
without our confent--we are deprived
Of the right of approximation, the only
valuable and ineltmable privilege of
freemen-we are no better than robbed,
plundered, abufed and iniulted under
tbe fpecious garb of laws made for the
good OF the community. This would
be their language and YET their pre-
fent fituation under their prelent con.
dud, is not actually whit bener.
am aware of The execute of many
towns for the neglea and ahufe Of this
privilege. They fay, perhaps, that
they have no perfon To iend, who would
Go honor 10 himfelf and the town, AID
be ufeful 70 the whole community.
They have no orator NO gentleman of
abilities as a public fpeaker, capable of
inveltigating and dileuding legislative
topics; and of managing them before
the Legifature-They have no p-rion
acquainted with the nature, tendency,
operation and effea of laws in all their
varieties and connections. This rea-
Gning has its force in degree !; bit is
not conclrGve. There is no town bot
has in it fonne good, honeH, plain, ju-
dicious citizens, capable of telling
plain, honea ltory who, although
they might not be able to advocate
meafures before the Houle, would,
nevertheless, be able to acqaaint and
intereh other members in carrying any
favorite point for their own towns ref
positively. Every thing particularly re-
lating to their REFLECTIVE towns, might,
in this way, be made known and,
thereby, the principal Object ofreprefen-
tation anlwefed,
AT this particular crifis there are nu-
merous reafons, in addition TO rhofe
which ALWAYS exin. in favor or fnlI