Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-10-05


lord DARTAoUTH, &c. &c.
Uritten before The Declaration Of .dmer'-
can Esds keadeEee.-Concluded.
MY LORD,
The property Of the colonists may be as
much affected by laws regulating their trade'
as By laws imposing taxes, and therefore, II
has been said, there Is no real substantial Gil.
ference between All internal tax,'o non1ne' ana
regulation Of trade. Ii the objection means
that the form of regulation MY be ooser'eo'
and the purpose of taxation DC ttectuail! ac-
cooplished, the same reasoning which relutes
the cl i'm 10 tax directly and protessedly, VIII
also expose the injustice OF an aruhce llsidl-
ousy framed TO effect the same purpose -
Preambles and verbal forms will noi control
the essential properties ut acts ouch siSh'
colors will not prevent examination, nor pre-,
ciuie the operation OF the substantial rules OF
right and Justice. +" tx gcnere qutsuohis
(Cicero observes) pendet Causa. Nihii aa
Copi m Argumentorum, ne que ad oausS Sifu
&C n,turam nonina pertinent; sed lii eentre
universe rel, negot. ique qu9sus est Vo'e
lex, uuod senatus consul,um, quod mag!stra-
tus cdictum, quod fedus, aut p~ctio non h'nr-
msri potest, 81 ID vcrbum rem defiectere We
ruat, ct ratonem reiinqurnus !" The artl-
fetal pretences, fAtlcd v-raish, and tragic
fate of arbitrary exertions Of power ought not
to be forgotten. The story OF the king having
the power, when the stone % II was turned
towards the pal'n the hand. OF making gyges
invisible, is almost as much TO oe creaitea' Is
that conjecture Of words, and an arrange
ment OF sentences can hide their li's'dlous dc
sign, when the CALLING oppression IS lett
NJ regard be had to PR. c!Pie, ana we coui'
g iralnmel up the corstqueLce' the an y
ence between direct tax. AID the reduction
, of the value of property flowing from re-
eulation of commerce mic be 'll,tle more
than nominal, in ,rticuiar distances, out when
a regul ton Of trade reduces the vAiue ot pre-
perty I'm anv instance, still there must be Such
profit att Unable, as will encourage pursuit
of the business, or inventive industry viii
strike out other methods of employment, anG
If rs Instruments Of the national commerce
there should not be left "a the colonies suct
An attainable profit, they would OF c"urse
cease 10 be- seryicedble 70 the mother oouiitrv
In that capacity, though their industry might
not be the less active, aad the consequence ii
such an event would be, 1t least. IS dctrlmer-
tai to the mother country IS 10 the colonies;
a consequence which will be most carefully
Guarded against unless the British govern
ment should be resolved upon seii-destruc-
ton.
we are, for the most part, obliged to ship
mr. .xDofted tobacco 10 Britain, and are not
allowed to send it Immediately to Holland.
France, Sc and such is the effect OF this COM
mercj.I regulation, that the freight, III ur"nce,
commission, sc. reduce the value OF the
commodity to the planter; but still he derives
such a profit from, as encourages him to cu-
,ivate il bur if a tax should be lid upon II,
equal to the amount oil the pnce at market.
he would certainly employ bis industry very
differently, rot without much astohishmeht,
that measure more injurious TO Britain thai
the colonies should be adopted. Without
doubt, nv Lord, the authority 10 regulate the
trade of the colonies. and secure their lnStru-
mentality for the great purposes OF the ~
tion,i commerce Is very extensive and lmpof-
,,,, An authority, which for the mutual
ben-6t and interest of BrIt..in, and the COLO
MES ouyht 70 be exercised with all the CIR
cumsDec:ion and precau:ion of political pru-
dence. The admission of such an authority
allows to the mnther country as great de-
gree of superiority over, and subortinatIon
ofthe colonies, as ought TO BE- claimed or sub
!. nitted to, by those who entertain just ideas OF
liberty, whose favors do not become the less
<ltlicate o. desirable, because many court and
sfe permirted to enjoy them. Ifthe posi- ION
be iusf, lhat right to tax cannot be severed
FROM SIS rlght to regulate, and there is no
ground de- the distinction between an &C, rais-
ing revenue in America by an Internal tax,
and IN act of commercial regulation, the au-
thority to bind by each, flows purely from the
Sovereignty of parliament. That the colonies
are actually or virtually represented in the
Rr;t;sh house of commons, will not now, |
presume, be urged, and if the position be adj
,n;tted that the authority TO bind the colonies
by statute, flows purely from the source of
parliamentary sovereignty, other questions
NAV arise The privi!ege o. me commons in
or.n,;ng supplies, is at this tire IS incontro-
s-,;hle ,sthe jurisdiction of the lords; but this
,s;s;,eye does not extend SO far as to compre-
pepd : case of taxation, by which nothing is