FREE THOUGHTS, " • ON . 1 The PROCEEDINGS of THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, yk Held at Philadelphia, Sept, 5, 1774:. . wherein - . ’. , Their Errors are exhibited, - \ m . j..\J • t h e 1 r ........ Reasonings Confuted, AND . . ....... The fatal Tendency of their Non-Importation, •’*’ ExroRTATioN.andN'oN-CoNstujpTioN Measures, arc laid open to the plaineft Understandings ; , AND The ONLY MEANS pointed out For Preferving and Securing Our prefent Happy Constitution: A LET T E R T O The FARMERS, AND'OT-HER INHABITANTS OF NORTH AMERICA In General, And to tliofe of the Province of Ne8 defrauded of its revenues. The Iacrednef9 of an oath, the grand fecurity of the liberty, and property, and lives of Englifhmen, is proftituted to the vile pur- * poles of private gain, Perjury, and falfe-fwearing are encouraged by thofe very merchants, to whofe honour we are now to truft, that they will not demand an un- reafonable profit on their goods. Let the guilty alone take this to themfelves. I mean no reflexions on the fair-trader. But never will I be¬ lieve that the man who can cooly and deliberately en¬ courage perjury or falfe-fwearing—who can calmly lay fchemes, and repeatedly execute them, in order to defraud his country of her revenues, would ever hefi- tate one moment, whether he fhould not proftitute his honour, and cheat me too, could he do it with equal le- curity. The poor culprit, who, perhaps forced by neceflity, turns informer, is branded with ignominy—-is treated as an out-caft from focieiy : But the lordly merchant,, who, wallowing in wealth, can plead no neceflity, tramples on the moft facred obligations, and yet holds up his head, and boafts himfelf a man of honour. O Shame ! Shame ! Shame ! I know ( .* 4 .). I know not how it happens, but not ohly'the-mer- chants, but the generality of citizens, treat us country¬ men with very undeferved contempt. They aft as though they thought, that all wifdom, all knowledge, all underftanding and fenfe, centered in thcmfelves, and that we farmers were utterly ignorant of every thing, but juft to drive our oxen, and to follow the plough. We are never confulted, but when they can¬ not do without tis. And then, all the plans ate laid in the City before they are offered to us. Be the por¬ tion they prepare Tor us ever fo naufeous, we mud fwallow it down, as well as we can. It is not many years fince the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the city, lhewed their contempt of us, in the molt infulting manner. They paffed a law to regulate the prices of our produce ; -and inftead of protefting ns in their markets, we were expofed to continual abufe and intuits. We could not carry a quart of milk, a duck, a chicken,—I think not an egg, -I am fore not a quail-or •fniptf, to market, in peace. If they were fcarce, we durft not alk an advanced price ; for if we did, a fine'-or imprifonmjeut/was our portion.-— Did they alfo fix the price of lhop-goods ? Catch them at> that, and I will humbly afk their pardon.- Where* wi9 honour at this time ? Troth I cannot tell : But were it ffetfelTary, I could eaGly tell you where fee was non I may perhaps at another time, tell you a little more of my mind upon this matter: At prefent let. us at¬ tend to another circumftance, which I think renders the honour of the New-York merchants a little fufpi- douS ; and convinces me, that we have no fuffieienc ground to fruft to it. Common fenfe cannot utterly have quitted the city. There muft be fome merchants who are feflfible of the evil tendency of this Nod-con*; fumption, Noft-ittportation and Non-exportation agree-* . i, ; jnenW ( 15 ) ment. But where is the man who has had honour enough to avow his fentiments and oppofe it ? Shew him to nfte, and I will reverence him as “ the nobleft work of God.*’ Six honeft merchants, who had honour, virtue, and courage enough, openly to avow their.fentitpents, and aft accordingly, would yet fave you, and their .country, from ruin. But the conduct of. the merchants prefents a very different prpfpett. Whatever their particular fenti¬ ments may he, they all appear to acquiefce in this fatal determination gf. pug ^eluded ■ Congrefs. They fecm to have, expefted it ;,for it is faid, that they have imported much morejlargely than ufyal ; This makes me'fufpeft, that this buftje about fjpn-impprtation, &c. has dts/irife,i not trptn, Tatriotifm, but f^lfilbnefk I haveheand that merchants fometimes make an artificial fcarcilyl, be engfpfftng particular .co[nmodities in a few hands, that they may.ayail themfelves of the necelfiiy of thetbuyer, and get a good price. . We Countrymen are in this.fituat-ion-, No more goods cpn h e imported: The merchants have us at their mercy;: Let thcmTet their price everduhigh,-ncccflity wil), oblige us to come to their, terms.;., ' Con filler the: matter, 1 ft ay-'thfir light, and dill it wit! appear,- that ihis:i.No.o-,i|ijport;ttion Scheme will and mull-faifethe, prices of- goods; not only no.v, but probably for foir.e years to come. . . ..'1 here arc ii^New-York many merchants with large capitals, and of very extenfive Ciedit ; thefc probably have laid in a large flip ply ,of goods,, enough to laft as bag! as; the: .Non- importation continues. . At lead, when their IfexmaDC.iike tobecomeerqpty,; they, will bavp: • w.cjgfiti ! enough - ,tp. fyeak Lagre,eg}en[t, . The* lata mauiyo finalt, sgi iKSw. !*ni . i x 1 " " agree- C ) agreement continues any length of time, the wealthy merchant will grow enormoufly rich, the merchant with a fmall capital will probably fail. For confider— the fmall merchant muft fell his goods as foon as poffi- ple, that he may fupport his family, and his credit by making timely remittances. The wealthy merchant can wait till the fmall {lores are exhaufted, and then he may command a double profit: In the mean time the inferior merchant is out of bufinefs : His goods are all fold, and fold at a fmall profit: He cannot import: He mull live on his fmall capital. As foon as the wealthy merchant finds his {lore near empty, he will haye influence enough to break the agreement; and money and credit enough the import largely again : But the inferior merchant is ruined ; he has lived on his capital; it is gone : If he is not in debt, he has nothing to begin to trade with ; and he mud become a clerk to his wealthy neighbour. Thefe inferior merchants are of great confequence to the community : they keep r> own the price of goods and prevent its becoming exceflive : they muft make quick fales that they may make their remittances in due feafon. They muft therefore take what their goods will fetch : but the wealthy merchant can wait for a better price, without hurting hiseftate or credit; or elfe he muft be content with the fame advance with the merchant of fmall capital. Another argument to prove that the prices of goods will increafe is,' that they are already increafcd, even before the fatal day fixed for the commencement of the Non-importation Agreement. Several perfons, whom I take to be good judges, have aflitred me, that the prices of woollens, linens, &c. are very percepti¬ bly increafed in the lhops in New-York. And I was' torn, by a very credible man-from New-York, that the price of gunpowder was raifed from y or xol to 17 or ( *7 ) 181 . per hundred. I know you'll flare, and wilh to know what could fo enormoufly advance the article of Gun-powder: I'll tell you; It was the great and fud- den demand for it, when the Putmans and Co. of New-England, were in fuch a violent hurry to divert themfelves with fighting the King's troops; and fliould thefe heroes take it into their heads to divert them¬ felves witl] pulh-pin, I fuppofe the price of pins would rife in the fame proportion. I come now to the confideration of another proba¬ ble conference of a Non-importatiori agreement, which is, That it will excite the refentment of ■ the government at home againft us, and induce the .Par¬ liament to block up our ports and prevent our trade entirely. It would certainly be good policy in the government to do fo. If then we flop our imports, the benefit of our trade is in a manner loft to Great- Britain, and Ihe would find but little additional dif- advantage, Ihould fhe flop our - trade with all the world. But fliould the government purfue milder meafures —though we indeed have no right to expefl it will— yet the Congrefs have determined the expediency of our flopping our own trade, after a limited time, viz. ten months. In either cafe the confequence will be much the fame ; and it matters but little whether the government blocks up our ports, or whether we our- fclves voluntarily put an end to our exports, as well as imports; after the ioth of September next We arc to have but little trade except with our neigh¬ bouring colonies. ConGder the confequence. Should the government interpofe, we fhall have ho trade at all, and confe- qusntly no vent for the produce of our farms. Such part of our wheat, flax-feed, corn, beef, pork, butter. C cheefe, ( 18 ) checfe, as was not confumed in the province, piuft be left to rot and ftink upon our hands. Should the government leaye us to ourfelves, the little trade that would be open, would never keep thefe articles at fuch a price, as to make it worth while to raife more of them than we want for our own confumption. Look well to yourfclves, I befeech you. From the 'day that the exports from this province are flopped, the farmers may date the commencement of their ruin. Can you live without money ? Will the fhopkeeper give jou his goods ? Will the weaver, fhoemaker, blacklmith, carpenter, work for you without pay ? If they will, it is more than they will do for me. And unlefs you can fell your produce, how" are you to get money ? Nor will the cafe-be better, if you are oblig¬ ed to fell your produce at an under-rate ; for then it will not pay you for the labour and expence of railing it. But this is the lead part of the diflrefs that will come upon you. Unhappily, many of you are in debt, and obliged to pay the enormous intereft of /even pounds on the hundred, for conliderable fums. It matters nQt whe¬ ther your debts have been contracted through necelfi- ty, or carelefnefs: You muft pay them, at leaft the intereft, punctually ; the ufurer will not wait long ; indeed you cannot expeCt he lhould : You have had his money, and are obliged, in juftice, to pay him the principal and intereft, according to agreement.' But without felling your produce, you can neither pay the one, nor the other; the confequence will be that after a while, a procefs of law will be commenced agaioft you, and your farms muft be fold by execu¬ tion : and then you will have to pay not only princi¬ pal and intereft, but Sheriffs fees, Lawyers fees, and * tong lift of ET CETERAS, ' ' ’Nor C ) Nor, under thefe circumftances, will your farms fetch half what theycoft you. What is a farm good' for, the produce of which cannot be fold ? Had mas¬ ters continued in their old courfe, fotae one of your neighbours, who knew the value of your farm, might have been willing and able to have given you a rea- fonable price for it, had you been difpofed, or obliged to fell; but he has more wit than to buy a farm,when he cannot fell its produce. Your creditor then, or fome rich merchant, or ufurer, mud take it at their own price : To you it is of no conftquence who takes it; for you are ruined, (tripped of your farm, and ve¬ ry probably of the means of fubfiftence for yourfelf and family. Glorious effeft of Non-exportotion! Think a little, and then tell me—when the Congrefs adopted thiscurfed fcheme, did they in the leaftcon- fider your intereft ? No, impoffible 1 they ignorantly mifunderftood, carelefly neglefted, or bafely betrayed you. But, it is faid, that, all legal procefTes are to be flop¬ ped, except in criminal cafes.—That is to fay— the lower clafs of people are to be deprived of their daily bread, by being thrown out of employ by the Non-exportation agreement ; to prevent ftarving, ma¬ ny of them will be tempted to ftcal ; if they fteal they are to be hanged. The diflaoneft fellow,'who owes money, may, by refilling payment, ruin his cre¬ ditor; but there is no remedy, no procefs is to be ifiued againft him. This may be juftice, but it looks fb much like cruelty, that a man of a humane heart would be more apt'to call it by the latter, than the former name. But pray,,by whofe authority are the courts of juftice to be Jhut up, in all civil cafes ?—Who fhall dare to flop the Courts of Juftice ?—A. very pretty ftory indeed! I buy a cow of'my. poor neighbour, and I promife to pay him at ChriftmaS: he wants the mo¬ ney ( 2® } fley to pay his fhoe-maker, taylor, &c. my rafcally neighbour, on the other fide, owes me ten pounds; I depend upon this money to pay for the cow : he re¬ futes payment : The Courts of Juftice are fhut up : I cannot fue him, nor can I pay my debt for want of the money. My neighbour Dick Stubbs has a farm which he rents to Peter Doubtful for 2cl. a year. Dick is an honeft, good fort of a man, but rather negligent, and depends upon this 20I. to make both ends of the year meet, as we fay. There is one Tim Twiftwell, a Rafcal from New-England, who lays claim toStubbs’s farm, tho’ he has no more right to it than the Pope of Rome. He knows his right is good for nothing ; and has nerer dared to profecute it, though he has money enough, and has been harping upon it thefe feven years. But he has lately made feveral attempts to corrupt Doubtful the tenant. Should he fucceed, and get polMion of the farm, how is Stubbs to recover his right, when the courts of juftice are Ihut up? You may fay that he muft wait till the courts are opened, and then he may profecute his claim. It may be fo. But remember, that the fame violence which now (huts the courts of juftice, may keep them fhut, tjli poor Stubb is abfolutely ruined. Roufe, my Friends, roufe from your ftupid lethargy. Mark the men who lhall dare to impede the courfe of juftice. Brand them as the infamous betrayers of the rights of their country. The grand fecurity of' the property, the liberty, the lives of Englifhmen, confifts in the due adminiftration of juftice. While the courts Tell me not of Delegates, Congrefles, Committees, Rials, Mobs* Iofltrre&ions, Aflociations,—a plague on • them ( 2I ) • them all.— Give me the fteady, uniform, unbialled in¬ fluence of the Courts of Jullice. I have been happy under their pro t eft ion, apd I truft in God, I (hall be fo again. But after all, fome of you, I fear, look forward with pleafure, to thofe halcyon days of fccurity, when the Courts (hall be (hut. Undifturbed by the cla¬ mours of creditors, undifmayed by the light of the Sheriff, you think to pafs your lives in quietnefs and peace.—But ah ! my friends! truft not to the fatal, ■the ill-judged fecurity. You would not, I hope, be fo difhoneft as not to do your utmoft endeavour to pay your debts •, befides, while the Courts of Juftice are ftiut, you will be apt to be carelefs. You will ne- gleft paying your intereft, your debts will accumulate, your creditors will be irritated ; and as foon as a legal procefs can be commenced, you will be ruined before you can look about you, Some of you are indebted to the loan-office. You have your money, i t is true, at a low rate : You pay only fiye per centum : But if yqu cannot fell your produce, you can no more pay five per cent, than feven. The (hutting up of the courts of juftice can here give you no relief. By virtue of the aft which regulates the Loan-Office, your farms, if you fail to pay the intereft, will be fold in a limited time,’ with¬ out any judicial procefs at all. Some of you, alfc, are tenants at will; and if you fail in paying your rents, you may be turned off, with little or no warning. Confider now the fituation you will be in, if Great- Britain, provoked by your Non importation Agree¬ ment, fhould flint up our ports; or fhould the Non¬ exportation agreed to by the Congrefs, take effeft. In that cafe you will not be able to (ell your produce: You cannot pay even the intereft of the money you are indebted for: Your farms muft be fold, and you ( 22 ) and your families turned out, to beggary and ivretch- ednefs.—Blefled fruits of Non-Importation anti Non¬ exportation ! The farmer that is in debt, will be ruined: The fanner that is clear in the world, will be obliged.to run in debt, tolnpport his family :*And while the proud merchant, and the forfworn imnggler, riot in their ill-gotten wealth ; the laborious farmers, the grand fupport of every well-regulated country, muft all go to the dogs together.—Vile ! Shameluli! Diabolical Device ! Let us now attend a little to the Non-confumption Agreement, which the Congrefs, in their Aflociation, have impofed upon us. After the firft of March we are not to purchafe or ufe any Eafl-India Tea wh.tc- foever; nor any goods, wares, or merchandize from Great-Britain or Ireland, imported after the firft day of December next; aor any melalles, fyrups, &c. from the Britifh plantations in the Weft-Indies, or from Dominica ; nor wine from Madeira, or the Weftern Iflands; nor foreign indigo. Will you fubmit to this flavifh regulation ?- You muft.—Otjr fovcrcign Lords and Matters, the High and Mighty Delegates, in Grand Continental Congrefs afiembled, have ordered and directed it. They have direded the Committees in the refpettivc colonies, to eftablilh fuch further regulations as they may think proper, for carrying their aflociation, of which this Non-confumption agreement is a part, into execution. Mr.-:—, of New-York, under the authority of their High-MightinefTes, the Delegates, by, and with the advice of his Privy-Council, the Committee of New-York, hath itTued his mandate, bearing date Nov. 7, 1774, recommending it to the f reeholders and free¬ men of New-York, to aflemble on the i8ch of No¬ vember, to choofe eight perfonsoutof every ward, to be a Committee, to carry the Aflociation of the Congrefs into execution.——The bufinefs of the Committee ( 2 3 ) Committee fo chofen is to be, to infpeft the conduft of the inhabitants, and fee whether they violate the Aflociation.-Among other things, whether they drink any Tea or wine ini their families, after the fir ft of March ; or wear any Britifli or Irifh manufaftures; or ule any Englifh melafles, &c. imported after the firft day of December next. If they do, their names are to be publilhed in the Gazette, that they may be publi'ckly known, and univerfally contemned, as foes to the Rights of BritiftiAmerica, and enemies of Ame¬ rican Liberty,—And then the parties of the laid Aflb¬ ciation will refpe&ively break off all dealings with him or her.—In plain Englifh,—They lhall be conlidered a*. Out-laws, unworthy of the proteftion of civil foci- ety, and delivered over to the vengeance of a lawlefs, outrageous meb.to be tarred, feathered, hanged,drawn, quartered, and burnt.—O rare American Freedom ! Probably as foon as this point is- fettled in New- York, the faid Mr.- in the plenitude of Ivs power, by, and with the advice of his Privy Council aforefaid, will iflue his Mandate to the fupervilbrs in the fever.il counties, as he did about the choice of De¬ legate;, an ^ direft them to have Committees choien in their refpc-£tive didricts.for the fame laudable purpofe. Will you be indrumcntal in bringing the molt ab- jeft llavery on yourfclves ? Will you cboole fuch Committees? Will you fubmit to them, Ihould they be chofen by the weak, foolilh, turbulent part of the country people ? Do as you pleafe : but, by him that made me, I will not.—No, if I mult be ehllaved, let it be by a King at lead, and not by a parcel of .updart lawlefs Committeemen. If I mud be devour¬ ed, let me be devoured by the jaws of a lion, and not gnawed to death by rats and vermin. Did you choofe your fupervifors for the purpofe of inflavingyon ? What right have they to fix up adver- tifements to call you together, for a very different pur¬ pofe ( 2 4 ) pofe from that for which they were ele&ed ? Are our lupervifors our matters ?—And (hould half a dozen foolilh people meet together again, in cenfequence of their advertifements, and choofe themfelves to be a Committee, as they did in, many diflrifts, in the affair of choofing Delegates, are vie obliged to fubmit to fuch a Committee;—You ought, my friends, to affert yotlr own freedom. Should fuch another attempt be made upon you, a (Terrible yourfelves together ; tell your fupervifor, that he has extended his commiffion.— That you will have no fuch Committees:—That you are Englifhmen, and will maintain your rights and privileges and will eat, and drink, and wear, whatever the public laws of your country permit, without afk- ing leave of any illegal, tyrynnical Congrefs or Cot#, mittee on earth. But however, as I faid before, do as you pleafe ; if you like it better, choofe your Committee, or fuffer it to be chofen by half a dozen fools in your neighbour¬ hood,—open your doors to them,—let them examine your tea-cannifter, and melaffes-jugs, and your wives and daughters petty-coats,—bow, and cringe, and ftemble and quake,—fall down and worfhip our fo- vereign Lord the Mob.—But I repeat it, By h-n, I will not.—No, my houfe is my caftle ; as fuch I will conftder it, as fuch I will defend it, while I have breath. No King’s officer fhall ever enter it without permiflion, unlefs fupported by a warrant from a magiflrate.— And fhall my houfe be entered, and my mode of liv¬ ing enquired into by a domineering Committeeman ? Before I fubmit, I will die; live you, and be Haves. Do, I fay, as you pleafe: but fhould any pragmatical Committe-gentleman come to my houfe and givehim- felf airs, I fhall fhew him the door, and if he does not foon take himfelf away, a good hiccory cudgel fhall teach him better manners. There ( *5 ) There is one article more of the Aflociation, which exhibits fuch a (hiking inftance of the ignorance, or inattention of the Congrefs to the Farmers intereft, that I muft take notice of it to you ; efpecially as it will give me an opportunity of mentioning as ftriking an inftance of the arbitrary, illegal, and tyrannical procedure of the Committee of Correfpondence • ia New-York. ' The article I mean* is the feventl',’ rebt've to the encreafing of the number and improving of the breed of iheep. No flieep of any kind are to be exported to the Weft-Indies, or elfewhere.t Why, for God’S fake, were weathers included in this prohibition i Will weathers encreafe the number, or improve the breed of iheep ? I wiih the Gentlemen of the C^n- grcfs, and the Committee-men of New-York, will try the experiment. Let them buy a- fcore of. weathers; and feed, and nurfe them for a twelve-month ; and then publiih an account of the number of lambs they have produced, their enormous fize, with the quantity and fineneis of their wool; that we may know in what manner the number and breed of iheep may be ea- crcafed, and improved by keeping weathers. Bat let this account be under oath, or I ihall not believe #>at they have fucceeded; either in encreafing the number, or improving the breed. I iolemnly declare I never had one lamb produced from a weather in my whole life ; and have always been fo ignorant, that I: ihould no more cxpedl a lutub from a weather, than a calf from an ox. i ■ . - But it may be fa'id.jthat weathers will produce wool, andf that it is for the fake of the wool that their exportation is prevented. I readily own that wea¬ thers will produce wool, though not lambs. But let me sik you, my brother farmers, which of you would keep a flock of foeep barely for the fake of their : P wool l ( ) wool ? Not o»e of you. If you cannot fell your Iheep to advantage at a certain age, you cannot keep them to any profit. An Ewe fhould not be kept after fhe is fix years old, nor a weather after he is four : few of you choofe to keep them fo long. What new mud be done with our iheep when they become fo old that we can keep them no longer with advantage ? We are ordered to kill them fparingly : a queer phrafe j how¬ ever, let it pals. If it is not clalfical, it is congreffion* al; and that’s enough. And alter having killed them fparingly, if we have any to fpare.we muft (pare them to our poor neighbouri. But fuppofe that after kil¬ ling them fparingly, and fparing as many to my poor neighbours as they want, I fhould, by reafon of kil¬ ling them fparingly, have hill more, to Ipare—what lhall I do with them ? Exported they muft not be. Why ! fat them well, and fell them to the New-York¬ ers : The deuce take them lor a fet of gundy gutted fellows—will they let us export nothing ? Do they in- tendto eat all our wheat, and rye, and corn, and beef, and pork, and mutton, and butter, and cheefe, and turkeys, and geefe, and ducks, and fowls,and chickens anieggs, &c ? the devil is in’t if their bellies are not filled. And yet fee their ill-nature and malice againft us. farmers, After having furnilhed them with all this good cheer, which they muft have at their own price too, they will not in return let us h^e a dilh of tea to pleafe our wives, nor a glals of Madeira to cheer our fpirits, nor even a fpoonful of Melaflss to fyveeten pur butter-milk. To be fer ious— . Had theCongrefs attended in the lead to the far¬ mers intereft, they never would have prohibited the exportation of Iheep, after they came to a certain age. It is the exportation that keeps up the price of Iheep ; it is the advantageous pr|cethat encourages the farmer to feed them; Take away the profit of felling them. ( 27 ) and the farmer will keep but very few. For they are not, and I am confident never will be in this country, worth keeping for their wool alone. However, right or wrong, the Congrefs have paf- fcd : the decree. Thou (hale not export flieep, was pronounced afPhiladeiphia ; and, right dr wrong, the Committee of New-York are determined to put it in execution: And thou {halt not export flieep, is echoed back from New-Yotk. How this decree is to be fupported in New-Yorkj may be learned from the following affair. A Gentle¬ man, an officer in the King’s fervice, had purthafed' a number of flieep to carry with him to St. Vinfcerit’s : • Mr. Gaine’s news-paper (ays eighteen. The New- Yorkers, probably afraid that they fhould loofc their fliare of the mutton, aflembled on the dock, fetit for the Committee, and in open violation of the laws of their country, obliged the merchant to whom the veflcl had been configned, to have the Iheep landed ; the flieep were committed to fafe durance till 'the veiled failed, and then were delivered to the proprietor—I fuppofe tothe perlon who fold them to the officer : Though how he could be the proprietor after he had fold them, I cannot fee. Had I been the perfon, I would have had nothing to do with them ; the com¬ mittee might have done what they pleafed with them. —killed them fparingly, or fpared them to their poor neighbours. "But had there been law or juftice in the government, I would have been paid for them : though now I think of it, I would have made a prefent of them to .the Committee, upon condition that they fhould make the experiment how far the number and breed of Iheep can be increafed and improved by keeping .weathers; for I have been pofitively affured, that thefe fameflieep, which made all this buflle, weie nothing more* Here ( ^8 ) Here now, my friends, is a flagrant inflancc of in- juftice and cruelty committed by a riotous mob j—for a number of people, be they Committee-men, or who you pleafe, aflembled to do an unlawful action, efpe- cially in the night, deferve no better name,—againft both the buyer and feller of the Xlieep, in open viola¬ tion of the laws of the government in which we live, and of the rights of the city in which it was perpetra¬ ted ; and not a Angle magiffrate had virtue or courage enough to interpole. O Jliamc to humanity! Hold up your heads, ye Committee men of New-York! Deny the charge if you can. But remember, the in- ftant yc deny it, ye forfeit all pretenfrons to truth or confidence. Think me not too fevere. Anarchy and Confulion, Violence and Oppreffion, diftrefs my country; and I rr.uft, and will fpeak. Though, the open violator of the laws may elcape punifhment, through the pulilla- nimity of the magillrates, he fliall feel the lafh of my pen / and he (hall feel it again and again, till remorfe fhall fling his guilty confcience, and fhame coyer his opprobrious head. But perhaps you will fay, that thefe men are con¬ tending for our rights; that they are defending our liberties; and though they aft ngainfl law, yet that the necelfity of the times will juflify them. Let me fee. 1 fell a number of fheep. I drive them.to New-York, and deliver them to the purchafer. A mob interpofes, and obliges me to take my fheep again,and drive theta home for my pains, or fell them there for juft what they pleafe to give me. Are thefe the rights, is this the liberty, thefe men are contending for ? It is vile, abjeft flavery, and I will have none of it., ■ Thefe men defend our rights, and liberties, who aft in open defiance of the laws ? No. They are making' us the moft abjeft Haves that ever exifted. The neceffity of ( =9 ) the times juftify them in violating the firft principles of ci?H fociety! Who induced this neceffity ? Who involved the province in difeord, anarchy and confu- fion ? Thcfe very men. They created that neceffity, which they now plead in their own juftification. Let me intre3tyou, my Friends, to have nothing to do with thefe men, or with any of the fame {lamp. Peace and quietnels fuityoubeft. ConfuGon and Dif¬ eord, and Violence, and War, are fure deflruftion to tL*'farmer. Without peace he cannot till his lands; unlefs protefted by the laws, he cannot carry bis pro¬ duce to marker; Peace indeed is departed from us for the prefent, and the proteflion of the laws has ceafed. But I truft in God, there is yet one method left, which, by prudent management, will free us froth all our difficulties; reftore peace again to our dwellings, and give us the firm fecurity of the laws for 'our pro- teftion. Renounce all dependence on Congrefles, and Committees. They have neglcfted, or betrayed your interefls. Turn then your eyes to your conflitutional re- prefentatives. They are the true, and legal, and have been hitherto, the faithful defendersof your rights and liberties; and you have no reafon to think but that they will ever be fo. They will probably foon meet in General Affem- bly. Addrefs yourfelves to them. They are the pro¬ per perfons to obtain redrefs of any grievances that you can juftly complain of. You can truft their wjf-