The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-07-04
Ans,per. In defence oftheir liberties

and ''the general disgust felt first" by the
members, reconcile the apparent inslncerity Of
| Mr.. Adams in writing letters full of indepen.
dence to his wife and James Warren, only a
fortnight after the signing the above last act
Of feulty to his sovereign; and which, being
intercepted, were laid before the King along
side of the petition, each giving the lie 10 the
contents of the other, and puzzling both tho
King end the Ministers by their contrariety.
Indeed, after the battles Of Concord and Lex.
ington, which happened nearly two months
before the passage of Mr.. Dickinson's petition,
the feeling of independency rapidly gained
ground, and soon became openly declared
The sentiment of Edmund Burke, that "an
English Government must be administered in
the spirit of one, or it will that moment cease
to exist" was verified. England had ceased
TO govern America with Justice and honor
America, therefore, renowned her allegiance
and set at nought her authority.
! On the 18th May, ITS, 4 resolution was
proposed to and adopted by Congress, declar.
ing, that "whercas the Government of Great
Britain had excluded the United Colonies from
the Crown, it was therefore irreconcilabe to
reason and good conscience for the people to
continue their alleg lance to the Government
under that Crown; and they accordingly re-
commended the several colonies to establish
independent governments of their own" The
same day Col. Archibald Cary introduced re.
solution into the Virginia Convention, which
was assembled at Williamsburg, on the 9th of
May. instructing their delegates in Congress
to propose to them TO declare the colonies in
dependent of Great Britain. This coincidence,
it has been said, was brought about by the con.
trivance Of Jefferson, who designed it for pop.
uar effect. Accordingly, on Friday, the 7th
June, l776, Richard Henry Lee, the oldest of
the delegation, in accordance with tho instruc.
| tons of the Virginia Convention, moved sthat
the Congress should declare that these United
Colonies are, and of light ought to be, free and
independent States; that they are absolyed
| from all allegiance to the British Crown, and
that all the political connexion between them
and the State Of Great Britain is, and ought to
be, totally dissolved; that measures sh ould be
Immediately taken to procure the assistance Of
| foreign Powers, and a confederation be formed
TO bind the colonies more closely together"
This motion was seconded by John Ad-
ans, of Massachusetts, and the next day,
Saturday, the Sth, at 10 o'clock, A. NJ,
was appointed for considering it, On that
Cay the House resolved itself into commit
tee Of the Whole, and spent the remainder
ofthat day and Monday, the 10th, in DELHI
elating upon the question. The principal
advocates of the proposition were John Ad-
ans, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee,
George Wythe and Thomas Jefferson; and
the principal opponents ofthe measure were,
Messrs. Dickinson and Wilson, of Pcnnsyl-
vania, Robert r. Livingston, ofNcw York
and Edward Rutledge, Of South Carolina.
Jhe debate was, as may well be conceived,
OF intense interest, and, as an abstract ofthe
discussion, we give the notes Of Jefferson,
who says Of them, in a letter to Mr.. Wells
that, for the truth ofthcm, "he pledges him
self to heaven and earth; having, while the
question ofindependence was under iscus-
sion before Congress, taken written notes,
IN my seat, ofwhat was passing, and reduced
them TO form on the final conclusion" 1t
was argued by the opponents of the Decla-
ration, says he,
"That, though they were friends to the
measures, and saw the impossbilits that we
should ever again be united with Great Bril-
tain, yet they were against adopting them
at this time.
"That the conduct we had formelv OBJ
served was wise and proper now, of defer
ring to take any capital step till the voice
of the people drove us into it:
''Ihat they were our power, and without
them our declarations could not be carried
into effect:
THAT the people Of the middle colonies
maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, the
Jerseys, and New York; were not yet ripe
TOR bidding adieu to British connexion, but
that they were fast ripening, and, in short
time, would join in the general voice of A.
mericn
"That the resolution entered into by this
House on the 18th Of May, for suppressing
the exercise of ali powers derived from the
crown, had shown, BY the ferment into
which 1t had thrown these middle colonies,
that they had rot yet accommodated their
minds to separation from the mother coun.
try:
"That some ofthem had expressly forbidden
their delegates to consent to such decla.
ration, and others had given no Instructions
and consequently no powers to give such
consent:
"That, if the delegates ofany particular
colony had no power to declare such colony
independent, certain they were the others
could not declare for them; the colonies be-
ing as yet perfectly independent Of each
other:
"That the assembly of Pennsylvania was
now sitting above stairs, their convention
would sit within few days, the convention
of New York was now sitting, and those OF
the Jerseys and Delaware counties would
meet on the Monday following, and it was
probable these bodies would take up the
question ofindependence, and would declare
to their delegates the voice of their State:
"That ifsuch declaration should now
be agreed to, these delegates must retire:
and possible their colonies might seceds from
the Union.
fThat such secession would weaken US
more than could be compensated by any
foreign alliance:
"That in the event of such division,
foreign powers would either refuse to join
themselves to our fortunes. or haying US so
much in their power as that desperate Dec
larotion would place US, they would insist
on terms proportionably more hard and pre-.
judicial:
s.That we had little reason to expect an
alliance with those to whom ulone, as yet,
we had cast our eyes: &@5@ 2"
''That France and Spain had reason to
be jealous Of that rising power, which would
one day certainly strip them Of all their A.
merican possessions: 9ytzl3 .r
THAT it was more likely they should form
q connection with the British Court who