The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-07-06


the consent of our Legislatures.
He has affected t. render the military in
dependent of, and superior to, the civil
power.
He has combined with others to subject
us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitu-
tions and unacknowledged by our laws,
giving his assent to their acts of pretended
legislation.
For 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 cur trade with all parts of
the world.
For imposing taxes on us without our con-
sent.
For depriying us of the benefits of trial
by jury.
For transporting us beyond seas to be
tried for pretended offenses.
For abolishing the free system Of English
laws in neighboring province, establish
ing therein an arbitrary government, and
enlarging its boundaries, SO as to render it
at once an example and fit instrument for
introducing the same absolute rule into
these states.
For taking away our charters abolishing
our most valuable laws, and altering funda-
mentally the forms of our governments.
For suspending our own legislatures, and
declaring themselves invested with power
to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated governments here, with
drawing his governors, and declaring us out
of his allegiance and protection.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our
coast, burat our towns, and destroyed the
lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large
armies of foreign mercenaries to complete
the works of death, desolation and tyranny,
already begun, with circumstances OF cruelty
and per6dy unworthy the head OF civil
lied nation.
He has constrained our fellow-citizens
taken captive on the high seas to bear arms
against their country, to become the execu-
TONERS of their friends and brethren, or to
fall themselves by their hands.
He has endeavored to bring on the in
! habitants of our frontisrs <the merciless In
dian savages, whose known rule OF warfare
is an undistinguished destruction of all
ages, sexes, and conditions of existence.
Then follow two clauses not adopted by
the Committee, relative to exciting " trea-
sonable instructions of our fellow-citizens, !"
and the slave trade The first of these is
in these words: He has melted reasonable
instructions of our fellow-citizens, with
the allurements of forfeiture and conisca-
ton of our property
In every stage of these expressions, we
have petitioned for redress in the most hum
BILE terms; our repeated petitions have been
answered only by repeated injuries.
A prince whose character is thus marked
by every act which may define tyrant, is
unfit to be the ruler of a people who mean
to be free. TThe residue of this paragraph
not adonted hv the Committee
Nor have we been wanting in attentions
to our British brethren. We have warned
them from time to time of attempts by their
legislature to extend jurisdiction over these
our states. We have reminded them of the
circumstances of our emigration and settle
ment here; we appealed to their native
Justice and magnanimity, las well as to] the
ties of our common kindred, to disavow
these usurpations which [were likely to] in
terrupt our connection and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of JUS
tice and consanguinity. We must therefore
acquiesce in the necessity which denounces
our Teternal1 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 General Con-
gress assembled, do in the name, and by the
authority of the good people of these states,
reject and renounce all allegiance and sub
lection to the kings of Great Britain, and all
others who may hereafter claim by, through,
or under them; we utterly dissolve all po-
litical connection which may heretofore
have subsisted between us and the people
or parliament of Great Britain; and finally
we do assert and declare these colonies to
be free and independent states, they have
! full power to levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce, and
to do all other acts and things which inde-
pendent states may of right do.
And for the support of this declaration we
mutually pledge to each other our lives, our
hfortunes, and our sacred honor.
DOCUMENTS RESEMBLING THE DECLARA-
TIoN OF INDEPENDENCE.
That all men are by nature equally free
and Independent, and have certain inherent
rights, namely, the enjoyment OF life and
| liberty, and pursuing and obtaining happi-
ness and safety.-Virginia Declaration of
Rights.
That government is instituted for the COM
mon benefit etc.; that all power is vested IN
the people; that whenever any government
shall be found Inadequate, ETC.; majority
| of the community hath an indubitable, un-
alienable and indefeasible right to reform,
alter, or abolish it, in such manner as shall
be judged most conducive to the public
weal.-Va. Declaration of Rights.
By putting his negative on laws the most
wholesome and necessary for the public
good of Virginia.
By denying his governors permission to
pass laws of immediate and pressing import
ance, unless suspended in their operation
| for his assent, and when so suspended, neg
lecting to attend to them for many years.
Constitution of Va.
. D. iafr 9TH 1ot
unless the persons to be benefited by them
would relinquish the inestimable right of
representation in the legislature.
ton of Va.
By dissolving legislative assemblies re-
peatedly and continually, for opposing with
manly frmDess his invasion of the rights of
the people.-ConstItutio of Va.
When dissolved, by refusing to call others
for long space of time, thereby leaving
the political system without any legislative
head.-Constitutio OF Va.
By endeavoring to prevent the popula-
ton of our country, and, for that purpose,
obstructing the laws for the naturalization
of foreigners.-Constit of Va.
By keeping among us, in times of peace,
standing armies and ships of war.-Consti-
tuition of Va.
By affecting to render the military indie
pendent of and superior to the civil power.
Constitution of Va.
By combining with others to subject us to
foreign jurisdiction.
Giving his assent to their pretended acts
of legislation.
For quartering large bodies of armed
troops among us.-Constitution of Va.
To protect from punishment, such as might
be guilty even of murder in endeayOring to
carry their oppressive edicts into execution.
Jays Address to English People.
For cutting off our trade with all parts Of
the world.
For imposing lakes on us without our
consent.
For depriving us of the benefits of trial
by jury.
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried
for pretended offences.-Constitutio of Va.
The Dominion of Canada is to be so gov
erned as that by being disunited from us
they might become formidable to us, and
on occasion be fit instruments in the hands
of power to reduce the ancient free Prot
estant Colonies to the same state Of slavery
with thesnselyes.-Jay's Address.
By rendering the American charters of no
validity, having annulled the most material
parts of the charter Of the Massachusetts
Bay.-Drayton's Charge.
For suspending our own legislatures, and
declaring themselves invested with power to
| legislate for us in all' cases Whatsoever
Constitution of Va.
George the Third has abdicated the gov
ernment-Drayton's Charge.