Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1802-1803, 1803-04-25
For tbfs Ga5ettr.
AN ADDRESS
TO THE CITIZENS OF MAINE.

Tie period TOT cD0OHng Nep'elen-
tatives to the Gsneral Court of this
Commonwc ilth is near at hand. On
this fubjea. fellow citizen, who feels,
at leaf. common flare OF concern for
the felicity q his country, begs leave
to addrefs you. The thinneis of The
Ieprefentation from Maine in our lie
giflature has hitherto been crying evil.
The perni1ious tendency of that falle
economy, which has prevented many
of our Respectable towns, in times pat,
from Tending representatives, begins 10
be pretty foreibly felt. It may be
truly called being penny wife and a
pound fooliih.' The fensinen,s Of the
good people of this diAriet in this ref
pe6t, il is hoped, will, ere long, undergo
a thorough charge.
The otjea of government is, orlhould
be, to redrsfs the grievances of the Pco-
pie, and meliorate their condition and
10 promote the beif in'efefs of The com
munity and to regulate the economy
of human life. That kiad of govern
rnent, which will belt anlwer thef. pur
pofes, is certainly the belt. The VIII
dom of our forefathers, as alto the wifi.
dom of our own times, have determin-
ed thar fytem of government founded
on an equal and fn representation
is the only one, under heaven, caIcula
ted for ,hcfe ends II every part of the
community is not fully and fairly rep
relented, laws NUT necefarily he made
70 operate hard and imperioufly upon
fome parts, while, at The fame time, they
confer an inovdina,e fhafe OF privileges
and immunities upon other parts, of the
fame community.
Every State or Republic is competed
of a grear collection of fmaller focieties
or ne ghborhoods. Elch of tsleie have
their peculiartics as 10 ftuation, man
ners, culloms, employments, views and
interelfs. liz would BE as eafy, and per.
hsps e4icr, 70 find two faces exactly,
and 10 every particular alike, TO fad
two towns. two villages, or two neigh
bo'hoods that lhould, in all things, bear
any thing like near resemblance 10
each other Now unlefs there can be
Representative from every fuch town,
village or neighborhood in the eommu
pity, The experimentation NUT nsceaarily
DC deficient. In fuch cafes laws cannot
be made with view foley 10 the al
vancemept Of the inlerea ar q Happiness
Of the whole community.
Under fuch impreilions il was that
our wife legiilttors were induced TO pafs
a law shat every town. OF a CERTAIN Gze
and Description, ihould be under penal
obligation to fend representative to
the General Court. They fofefay = that
the difpoftion Of the people, according
to the common courfe OF nature, would
lead them to grow carelefs and remifs
about their civil rights and privile ges-
that as commerce, agriculture and the
mechanic arts lhould fourth that, in
proportion as the people found them
felves happily and deeply engaged in
their own individual intereas and con
Germs in the fame proportion they
would gradually beooms unmindfui
who were their rulers, or what their
government. Although in IS and 10
their rights Of representation were VIC.
lated in high degree and from an
outrageous p,ivation'of the bleaing they
were afe6fed with deep fenfe Of its
Importance, yet it was, even at that
time, foreleen that we fould Be- again
liable to degenerate into fnch ltatc of
unconcern about it, after it fhould have
been for fom. time reitored, that, we
fhould again fall into the fame thought.
lefs tate Of fatal Security; which woald
Inevitably invite renewal Of the fame
or greater calamity : accordingly, as
loon vs. an opportunity occurred, law
was made to ward of the danger.
But notwithstanding this deep felt
fsnfe of the vaa importance of an equal
representation, which mutt be fuppoled
to &c inherent in the mind of every "a.
;ioRal man and, notwithstanding this
valuable law for that purpoie, many
towns have as ftudiou0y invented means
to avoid exefeiting this privilege, as tAo
il had been one Of the mott grievous
impoitions Many of our richetl coun.
try towns have avoided fendinga rep.