The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-07-02

pretended legislation:
Fol quartering large bodies of armed
troops among us;
For protecting them, by mock trial,
from punishment for any murders which
they should commit on the inhabitants Of
these states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts
Of the world:
For imposing taxes. on us without our
consent:
For depriving US, in many cases, of the
benefits o trial by jury:
For transporting US beyond seas to DO
tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free system of Eng
lish laws in a neighboring province, es-
tablishing therein an arbitrary govern
ment, and charging its boundaries, so as
to render it at once an example, aud fit
instrument for introducing the same alb
solute rule in these colonies:
For taking away our charters, abolish
ing our most valuable laws, and altering,
fundamentally, the laws Of our govern
ments:
For ~suspending our own legislatures,
and declaring themselves invested with
power to legislate for US in all cases what
soever.
He has abdicated government here, by
declaring us out Of his protection, and
waging war against US.
He has p~lundered our seas, ravaged
our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroy
ed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large ar
mics of foreign ~mercenaries to complete
the works of death, desolation, and tyran-
ny, already begun with circumstances Of
cruelty and perfdy, scarcely paralleled in
the most barbarous ages, and totally un-
worthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow-citizens
taken captive on the high seas, to bear
arms against their country, to become the
executioners of their friends and breth-
rem, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrectiou
among US; and has endeavored to bring on
the inhabitants of our frontiers the mer-
CHESS Indian savages, whose known rule
of warfare is an undistinguished destruc-
ton of all ages, sexes, and conditions.
In every stage of these expressions we
have petitioned for redress in the most
humble terms; our repeated petitions have
been answered only by repeated injury.
Aprince, whose characteris thus mark
ed by every act which may define a ty'
rant, is unfit 80 be ruler of free people.
Nor have we been wanting in atten
tons to our British brethren. We have
t warned them, from time to time, of at.
l tempts by their legislature to extend al
! understandable jurisdiction overu US. We
/ have reminded them of the "circumstan
; ces ofour emigration and settlement here
; We have appealed to their native justice
and magnanimity, and we have c%onjuret
them by the ties of our common kindred
to isavowthes usurpations, which woul'
inevitably interrupt our connections ant
' correspondence. They, too, have bee
b deaf to the voice of justice and consan
n guinity. We must therefore, ~acquiesc
I in the necessity which denounces oursep
%aration, and hold them, as we hold tn
rest of acknowledgements i'll war, il
peace, friends.
We, therefore, the representatives O
n the United States of America, in genera
Congress assembled, appealing to tn
n Supreme Judge of the world for the rec
e titude of our intentions, do, in the nam
and by the authority of the good peopl
l. of these colonies, solemnly publish an
declare, that these united colonies arc
and Of right ought to be free and indeper
dent states; that they are absolved fror
all allegiance to the British crown, an
that all political connection betweentheI
1t and the state of Great Britain is, an
IS ought to be, totally dissolved; and that 6
n free and independent states, they hay
J. full power to levy war, conclude peace
g contract alliances, establish commerce.
a and do all other acts and things which il
/ dependent states may of right do, An
D for the support of this declaration
'e with a firm reliance IN the protection
Divine Providence, we mutually pledg
to each other our lives, our fortunes, an
10 our sacred honor.
le JOHN HANCOCK.
ns1I r