Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-06-11

dcd legislation.
For quartcring large bodies of armed
troops among us
For protecting them by a mock trial,
from punishment for any murders which
they might commit upon the inhabitants
Of these States
For cutting off our trade with all parts
of the world
For imposing taxes upon us without
| our consent
Nor dcpriving us, in many cases of the
benefit Of trial by jury
For transpo lting us beyond seas to be
tried for pretended oCIcnses :
For abolishing the free eystem of En-.
glish laws in neighboring province, cs
tablishing therein an arbitrary government
and enlarging its boundaries, SO as to
render at once an example and fit in stru
ment for introducing the same absolute
rule into these colonies
For taking away our charters, and
abolishing our most valuable laws, and
altering fundamentally, the forms of our
Governments
For suspending our own legislatures,
and declaring themselves to have the
power to legslatc for us in all cases
whatsoever.
lie has abdicated Government here, by
declaring us out of his protection, and
waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravished
our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroy
ed the lives of our people.
lie is at this time transporting large
armies of foreign mercinaries to complete
the works of death desolation, and tyr
amy, already begun with circumstances
of cruelty and perfdscarcely paralleled
in the most barbarousages, and totally
unworthy the head Of 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 brethren,
or to fall themselves by their hands.
lie has excited domestic instructions
among us, and has endeavored to bring on
the inhabitants Of our frontiers the mer
ciless Indian savages, whose known rule
of warfare is an undistinguished destruc-
tion 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. A prince, whose character is
thus marked by every act which may de.
fine tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of 6
free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention
to our British brethren.
We have warned them from time tc
time, of attempts by their Legislature tc
extend their unwarantable Jurisdiction
over us. We have reminded them OF the
circumstances of our emigration and set.
clement here. We have appealed to
their native Justice and magnanimity, and
we have coniured them by the ties of our
common kindred to disavow these usur-
pa,ions, which would inevitably inter-
rupt our connections and correspondence.
| They, too, have been deaf to the voice of
justice and consanguinty. We must,
therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which
denounces our separation, and hold them
as we hold the rest of mankind enemies
in war, in peace friends.
We, therefore the representatives of
the United States of America, in gener-
al Congress assembled, appealing to the
Supreme Judge of the world for the rec.
titude of our intentions, do in the name,
and by the authority, Of these colonies,
solemnly publish and declare, that these
united colonies are, and of right ought to
be, free and independent States; that
they are absolved from all allegiance to
the British crown, and that all political
connection between them and the state
of Great Britain is, and ought to be, to-
tally dissolved; and that, as free indie
pendent States they have the power to
levy war, conclude peace, contract alli-
ances, establish commerce, and do all
other acts and things which independent
States may of right do. And, for the
support of this declaration, with firm
reliance on the protection of Divine Prov.
idence, we mutually pledge to oach other
our lives. our fortunes, and our sacred
honor. JOHN HANCOCK,
President of Congress, and delegate from
Massachusetts,.
New Hampshire. Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple, Matthew Thornton.
Massachusetts, Bay.-Samuel Adams
John Adams, Robt. Treat Paine, Ell
bridge Gerry.
Rhode Island &c.-Stephen Hopkins,
William Ellery.
Connectieut,-Roger Sherman, Sam
uel Huntington, William Williams, Oil
yer Wolcott.
New York,-William Floyd, Phillip
Livingston, Francis Lewis, Morris Nor
ris.
New Jersey.-Richard Stockton, John
Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John
Hart, Abraham Clark.
Pennsylvania-Robt. Morris, Bena
min Rush, Ben njamin Franklin, John Nor
ton. George Clymer, Jas. Smith, George
Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross.
Delaware.-C@sar Rodney, Georg
Read, Thos. M'Kean.
Maryland. Samuel Chase, VIM. Paca
Thomas Stone, Charles Carrollton.
Virginia.--George Wythe. Richard
lIenery Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Ben njamir
Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr,, Francis
Lightfoot Lee. Carter Braxton.
North Carolinia.-William Hooper
Joseph Hewes, John Penn.
South Carolina. Rutlege
; L. l.. IL