Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-07-02

Jurisdiction foreign TO our constitution and
unaeknowledged by our laws, giving his assent
u tneir acts or pretended iegislation-
For quartering lage 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 on our trade with all parts of the
For imposing taxes on us without our consent; ;
a. For depriving us, In many cases, OF the benc-
For Transporting us beyond to be tried for
pretended offenses;
For abolishing the free system of English laws
In neighboring province, establishing therein
an arbitrary government, and enlarging it's boun-
daries so as TO render II at once an example and
fit instrument for introducing the same absolute
rule into these colonies;
For taking away our charters, abolishing our
most valuable laws. and altering. fundamentally,
the powers OF our governments;
ing themselves invested with power to lcgis-
late for us IN all cases whatsoever:
Ing us out Of his protection and waging war
He has plundered seas, rayaged our coasts.
burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our
He is at this time transporting large armies
OF foreign mercenaries. 10 complete the work Of
death. desolation. and tyranny; already begun
paralleled in the most barbaric ages. and totally
unworthy the head OF a civilized nation.
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
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst
us, and has endeayored to bring on the inhabi-
tants Of our frontiers the mercless Indian saw
ages, whose known rule Of warfare Is an unds-
tinguished destruction of all ages, and
conditions.
in every stage Of these expressions we have
Our repeated petitions have been answered only
by repeated injury. prince. whose character
IL thus marked by every act which may define
tyrant. is unfit to be the ruler OF a free
people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention TO our
British brethren. We have warned them. from
time to time, Of attempts made by their legisla-
lature, to extend an unwarrantable Jurisdiction
over us. We have reminded them OF the cir
cumstances OF emigration and settlement
here. We have appealed to their native justice
and magnanimity, and we have conjured them, by
the ties Of our common kindred, to disavow these
usurpations. which would inevitably interrupt
our connections and correspondence. They, too,
sanguinity. We must therefore, acquiesce In
the necessity which denounces separation,
and hold them, as we hold the rest OF mankind,
enemies In war, In peace friends.
United States Of America, In general congress
assembled. appealing TO the Supreme Judge of
the world for the rectitude of our Intentions, do.
in the name and by the authority OF the good
declare that these united colonies are. and of
right ought to be- free and Independent states;
that they absolved from all allegiance to the
British crown, and that all political connection
and ought to be. totally dissolved; and that. as
free and independent states, they have full power
to levy war conclude peace. contract alliances,
establish commerce. and do all other acts and
things which independent states may OF right do.
And for the support OF this declaration, with a
firm reliance on the protection of Divine Provi-
dence we mutually pledge TO each other our lives,
our fortunes. and our sacred honor.